the Coachman
circa 1875
Created by Tom Bosworth, carriage driver to Queen Victoria. Driving a two
or four horse team made "Old Tom" a master with the buggy whip. A favorite
trick of his was too snap the pipe from the mouth of pedestrians, with his
whip, as the carriage passed. This skill with the whip translated perfectly
when applied to the fly rod. His skill was legendary in Nineteenth Century
England. For night fishing he developed this fly which has served as a
dependable standard right up to present times. The Royal Coachman was not an
Old Tom fly but a reinforced version of the coachman by John
Haily. |
