Old Flies & Stuff : Jock Scott
Hi,
I see Eric's column this week covers the Jock Scott, wet fly version rather than the full dressed salmon fly. He mentions a number of variations, and I thought I would include one that was popular here in New Zealand "back in the day". You don't see it in the shops very often, which is a shame, but I tie it up and it's still very effective.
It was called a "Ewe Wasp", for reason's that have never adequately been explained, but it seems clear it is a simplificatin of the Jock Scott. The older version is tied as follows:
hook: 10-2
tag: flat gold tinsel
tip : yellow floss
tail: golden pheasant crest
rib : flat silver tinsel
body: rear 1/2 pale yellow floss, front 1/2 black floss
throat: guinnea fowl
wing : bronze mallard with inside wing of turkey tail for support
topping: golden pheasant crest
cheeks: jungle cock nails
Over time, however, it evolved. The fancy bits at the tail end were dropped, the golden pheasant crest was too expensive, as was the jungle cock, and it was fattened up with a cheneil body. Even the bronze mallard is too expensive, so the wing is now just the turkey tail feathers.
Modern dressing:
Tail: yellow hackle fibres
rib : silver tinsel
body: rear 1/2 yellow cheneil front 1/2 black cheneil
throat: grizzle hackle fibres
wing : brown turkey tail
Both are very effective dressings, though my preference is for the former because I (not the fish, necessarily) prefer the look of it.
I like the married wings on the dressings Eric has supplied, so I'll be trying my hand at a few of those as well. Should be fun.
- Jeff
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Jock Scott / Ewe Wasp
