"Created by tackleman John Shields of Brookline, Massachusetts,
about 1894, this red and yellow fly, originally tied for bass
fishing, bearing a grandfather resemblance to the Mickey Finn,
was named after Charles E. Fuller, Beacon Street, Boston,
Massachusetts.
John Shields, born in 1832 in County Monahan, Ireland, established
his tackle business at Brookline in 1865. On his death in 1900 the
business was continued, until 1933, by his son, John W. Shields,
1862-1939, born in Dublin, Ireland."
The original pattern was described:
- Tail: Black.
- Body: Gold tinsel.
- Rib: Gold.
- Head: Peacock herl.
- Wing: Bright yellow with an outer wing or
shoulder of scarlet.
"The Colonel used it with great success at his favorite fishing locale on
the Belgrade Lakes in Maine.
Colonel Charles E. Fuller of Boston was born in 1831. He came from
an old Revolutionary family and a long line of soldiers and ministers,
being a descendant of Thomas Fuller, author of Fuller's
Worthies. It was his grandfather who preached to the
Continental troops under the elm at Cambridge before they marched
to Bunker Hill.
During the Civil War, Colonel Fuller served on the staffs of Generals
Hunter, Gillmore, Butler and Sherman, and at the close of the war he
was the chief quartermaster of the Army of the James under General
Grant. He retired in 1864 because of disability and later became
a well-known Boston banker and a member of the Boston and
New York stock exchanges. All his life he was a great lover of
outdoor sports and was known as the Father
of the New England Skating Association. Colonel Fuller died
October 3, 1907."
Quoted section from Fly Patterns and Their
Origins, published by Westshore Publications,
Color photo and tying recipe from
Forgotten Flies. We appreciate use permission!
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