Bev Perkins may have passed away, but I can report his spirit (and fly patterns) are very much alive and well. I fished at Eyebrook Reservoir in Northamptonshire last weekend with Mike Duxbury. Initially, our thinking was that fish were thin on the ground and moody; bright sunshine is never conducive to good sport. We tried drifting with floaters and sink-tips, but all I had to show for it was a fish taken on a Tadpole, fished deeper, and the spoon revealed that it was feeding on all manner of buzzers – small greens, claret, and big black ones. Hmm. So we anchored up, thinking "we'll be into some sport, soon". Wrong.

Mike tried a Buzzer deep on a bung. Had one fish, then nothing more. We couldn't seem to find the fish. We moved. Still nothing. So we went back on the drift. A very slow drift on the drogue. I had a lightly weighted Tadpole on the point and Mike tried a washing line. We managed a couple of half-hearted tweaks over deeper water. So, they were interested in a deeply fished fly ... but not interested enough to take it. What about a deep Buzzer? A study of my fly box revealed a fly I'd never actually used: a holographic-ribbed Black Buzzer with a holographic red butt. It was one of Bev Perkins' special flies, one he fished deep in the early season and which he called Holy No 2 (he actually called it 'Holly' [as in holographic], but spelt it – appropriately, as it turned out – 'Holy'). This fly was an improvement on his Holy No.1 and I remembered him telling me that No.2 "generally outfishes No 1 by three fish to one". I liked the fact that it had holographic twinkles of both red and silver and, dressed on a size 8 Hayabusa 387 and employing a varnished thread body, it would get down deep quickly.

So, drogue out on a light breeze, I'm now casting a team of three buzzers on an 18ft cast, with the Holy No 2 on the point taking the team down deep like a pendulum swinging down off the tip of my floater. An occasional tweak, just to stay in touch with the point fly, and make that holographic tinsel catch any prying eyes down there in the depths.

The tactic triggered some of the best nymph fishing one can possibly experience. I don't like to fish a bung, but prefer to watch my floating line. The takes were dramatic, positive draws on the line, and the longer I waited for the team to sink, the more takes I got. To prevent me from starting to retrieve too early I would eat an apple, or a sandwich, as the flies sank, but concentration was imperative because sometimes the takes came 'on the drop'. I landed about seven fish, but must have lost another five after a prolonged fight (Holy No 2 was barbless). Do you know what? Every single fish took the Holy No.2. Bev was right. Well, almost: this Holy No 2 had out-fished my other Buzzers by 12 fish to none!

Holy No.2 (Bev Perkins)
Hook: Hayabusa 387, size 8-12.
Thread: Uni-Big Fly, Black.
Body: Thread, with red holographic section at rear.
Rib: Silver holographic.
Thorax: Red holographic.
Cheeks: Grey Canada goose biots, varnished.