Black, Orange & Jungle Cock
By Art Lingren, BC, Canada
As I started to write this article I noticed the
variations in dressing of Money's flies in the two
of his fly boxes I have open sitting next to my
computer. One of the boxes the General gave to his
gilly, Ted Pengelley, of Campbell River and the other
was given to Rod Haig-Brown by Mrs. Money after the
General's death in 1941. Later, when Haig-Brown passed
away the box was given to Van Egan, Rod's friend of
many years, by Valerie Haig-Brown. Included among the
Money-dressed flies are many commercially-dressed
salmon flies, an original Preston Jennings' Muddy
Iris and a Haig-Brown Silver Lady and some Van Egan
ties. Because there are original Haig-Brown, Jennings
and Egan patterns in the box, it is obvious to me that
Haig-Brown used the Money box of flies.
However, a close examination of the patterns dressed by
Money shows many variations of the black floss-bodied
flies: one with bronze mallard and orange swan wings,
one with just orange wings, some with tails and others
without, some with jungle cock cheeks, some with orange,
yellow or red throat hackles, and others with body hackles.
Yet others of a similar style to the black-bodied flies
had bodies of yellow, silver or burgundy. Most, however,
are not described in great detail in Money's game books.
A simple note like this from an August 1924 entry
"Stamp alone, 2 fish, 8 and 7 pounds, red body, yellow hackle, &
grey wing has done well this season"
is all there is.
Late September was one of the General's favoured time to
fish the Stamp and in 1924 he spent five days September
23 to 27 on the river. They took 59 steelhead. On
September 24, he had a great day's sport with 10 fish
killed. His note in the game book read:
"River high all on Black body, ribbed with silver, orange & jungle
cock wing, purple hackle."
The Black, Orange & Jungle Cock sports a most striking
colour combination, indeed, and with the "catch of the
day" on September 24th, one the fish found irresistible.
Black, Orange & Jungle Cock
Hook: Number 1/0 to 3
Tag: Oval, Silver tinsel
Body: Black, silk floss
Rib: Oval, Silver tinsel
Throat: Purple hackle
Wing: Orange
Sides: Jungle cock
Originator: General Noel Money
Intended Use: Wet fly for steelhead
Location: Stamp River, British Columbia ~ Art Lingren
Credits: From Fly Patterns of British Columbia,
by Arthur James Lingren, published by Frank Amato Publications.
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