Quote Originally Posted by Hans Weilenmann View Post
Out of Mackay, Idaho, on the Big Lost river comes the Mackay Special - a pattern which incorporates horse mane or horse tail - for the semi-woven body as also for the wing.

Cheers,
Hans W
Han is correct as usual. I've fished the Big Lost River on ranch owned by the son-in-law of my friend Jim Greenlee. The Mackay Special is a crane fly imitation and it was the best performing fly on that river. It requires horse mane tied using the Potts weave.



Chuck Collins tied the above fly and posted instructions at a fly shop that apparently no longer exists. These are his instruction:

"Hook: Any good wet fly style hook is good. Sizes 4 and 6 are the optimal sizes for most fishing, but try others.

Tail: None

Body: Light to medium brown (sorrell) Horse mane which has a strand of orange embroidery floss woven in the bottom part. This is accomplished by Using 3 of the usual 6 strands found in the skein of embroidery floss. These can usually be acquired for less than a dollar at craft and sewing stores. The weave is basically an overhand of the floss around the hair each time the hair is wound around the hook, which has been built up in the middle to create a slight "hump".

Hackle: A palmered Brown or furnace saddle hackle is wound over the woven body.

Wings: The wings, if you want to call them such, are really the ends of the horse mane cut off to the hook length and facing at an angle forward on the top of the hook, Some tiers divide this wing into two equal parts.

History: This pattern is named after Mackay, Idaho. It is very popular and extremely effective in the Lost River Drainage and in great demand by local fishers. Even "non" flyfishers like to use this fly on a spinning outfit with a split shot. Speculation is that it is taken for a cranefly larva. Some tiers use a multitude of color combinations beside the original given here. It is best tied in bigger sizes like 4 to 8 on a heavier wet fly style hook. Roy Patrick lists it in his vintage book Northwest Fly Patterns . This fly is inspired by the Potts series of woven body flies. Some anglers fish this a s a "waking" fly in the current before letting it sink into the deeper runs. I have seen this pattern tied in a two part body with a wasp type shape and the hackles are out of the mid point waist."



Instruction for a Potts weave can be found on this pattern

http://www.charliesflyboxinc.com/fly...fm?parentID=91