Quote Originally Posted by JeffHamm View Post
Ooo! I like that!

For Nova Scotia brookies, some dark montreal's would be good too. They would get you practicing your quill wings. Size 10 and 12 would be good. Some bucktail streamers, like Mickie Finns are a must have (and they will take Atlantics too!). Bucktail versions of Parmachene Belles are good to have, but do make sure you progress to the married wing slip version. I've generally preferred the red stripe down the middle rather than the red stripe on top, but both will take trout. Also, I know some people do well with a Jenny Lind, so if you can find some lavender quills and hackle then give that a go (tail: lavender fibres; body: yellow floss; rib: flat gold; throat hackle: furnace; wing: married quill slips: lavender over red over lavender). Grizzle kings are good too, and I would suggest tying them with the wing streamers free, and also with some with the wing lashed down along the body Matuku-style (in which case it would be called a green Dorathy here in New Zealand).

Anyway, I've always done well with P.Belle's and Royal Coachman's for trout back home (in Nova Scotia). Last time (2009), I was chatting with a fellow who snapped up a couple as we talked in a pool that I had just skunked. He was fishing a dry fly called a MacIntosh, but I didn't get a good look at it. It was generally brownish (perhaps hare's ear dubbing, and fox squirrle tail/wings, brown/furnace hackle?). If you come across the dressing for it, I would be interested in it.

Funny how that just brought back some memories for me. Thanks!

- Jeff
Ask and yee shall .Body material can be thread, dubbed fur, floss, wool or synthetic material. My favourite is Phentex yarn, which is inexpensive, readily available in many colors, and floats on water. Daylight fluorescent Uni-stretch makes a light, colorful body on small sizes. Bodies may be embellished with tinsel, such as silver or gold flat mylar tinsel. I prefer mylar to metallic tinsels for a dry fly so as to minimize weight.Whatever is used for the body, it should occupy only the rear half to the hook shank, leaving the front half for wing, hackle and head. The body should be slim, so as not to force the angle of the wing upward. The MacIntosh wing is tied flat over the body. Remember that the fly should float sitting on its hackle and wing tips. If the wing is too short, the fly may land on its head with the wing straight up, which looks really dumb. It is important that the wing base be wrapped with thread from the tie in point (immediately ahead of the body) to a point immediately behind the head position, leaving enough space and a smooth base upon which to wrap the hackle.Hackles should be tied in by their base (not tip), and the bright side of the hackle feathers should face the eye of the hook. Tying them backwards can make the fly spin when it is being cast and fished, resulting in a twisted leader tippet and, heaven forbid, a possible bird?s nest on the end of the line.I like to use two saddle hackles on all except the small hook sizes, winding one first and the second through the first, stopping at the point where the wing base ends and where the head begins. Many anglers feel that hackle is the most important part of the MacIntosh, the part that is most visible to a fish looking up at the fly. Looking at a MacIntosh held up toward the sun one can easily see the attraction - brightly colored hackle points sparkling in the sun. .Original MacIntosh Dry Black-Head Black thread-Body Pine Squirrel_Wing Brown-Hackle White Hackle Dry Red-Head Wine or Red-Body Pine Squirrel-Wing White or cream_Hackle Pink Lady MacIntosh Black-Head Light Pink-Body Grey Squirrel-Wing Light pink-Hackle Badger Hackle Dry Black-Head Black-Body Pine Squirrel-Wing Badger-Hackle Ginger Hackle Dry Black-Head Fluor. Green or Red-Body Pine Squirrel-Wing Ginger-Hackle Orange Blossom Dry Black-Head Olive-Body Grey Squirrel-Wing Hot orange-Hackle Golden MacIntosh Black-Head Black-Body Pine Squirrel-Wing Deep golden yellow-HackleCosseboom Dry Red-Head Green-Body Grey Squirrel-Wing Yellow-Hackle Grizzly MacIntosh Black-Head Any colour-Body Grey Fox-Wing Natural grizzly, or grizzly dyed yellow, pink, or orange-Hackle Gorgeous George Black-Head Black-Body Grey Squirrel-Wing Red and yellow mixed-Hackle