Quoting from Favorite Flies and Their Histories by
Mary Orvis Marbury, "The Jenny Spinner is the imago of the Iron Blue,
and in this, it's final state, is one of the most delicate flies
in form and color on the angler's list. The imitations of it vary
somewhat, and each maker confesses his failure to reproduce the
insect to his entire satisfaction. Although familiarly called the
Jenny Spinner, it is one of the drakes of the order Ephemeroptera.
Theakston very properly calls it the Pearl Drake, the wings, portions
of the body, legs, and styles all being of a pearly tinge and nearly
transparent. The head and end joints of the body are brown; therefore
Ronalds and Theakston make the fly with a middle band of white, terminated
at either end by brown. There is so much difficulty in representing
the extreme delicacy of the wings, that fly-makers have generally
abondoned the attempt, and give it a gauze-like effect by making it
"buzz," using for the purpose some tiny light gray feather, that of
the sea swallow being an excellent tint. For the bodies some makers
use horsehair in place of silk. . ."
Jenny Spinner
As dressed by Mary Orvis Marbury
Body: Stripped dun quill.
Hackle: Dun hackle.
Credits: Quoted text small inset photo and dressing from
Favorite Flies and Their Histories, published
by Lyons Press. Large fly photo from Forgotten Flies, published by Complete
Sportsman.
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