With a black peacock herl or black chenille body
and a gold or silver tag, black hackle and crow wings,
this pattern by J. H. Keene is a good one. Its general
form is that of the Coachman.
John Harrington Keene, a resident of Greenwich in
Washington County, New York, was an experienced and
authoritative fisherman and writer. He was born
in England in 1855 and died about 1911.
Another of his favorite patterns was the Golden Palmer,
which was a gold ribbed Brown Hackle.
He tied one of his fly patterns with wings made from
fish scales which he named the "Diaphine."
Another of his ideas was an interchangable fly, constructed
of two detachable parts, the body and tail on the hook
enclosing a tube, and the head, wings and hackle on a pin
to insert in the tube. Thus twelve bodies and twelve heads
could make a gross of different patterns.
He was the author of The Practical Fisherman,
1881; Fly Fishing and Fly Making, 1887; and
Fishing Tackle, 1887.
His Fly Fishing and Fly Making was unusual
in that it contained thirty-seven specimens of actual
tying material in various colors.
His father was Queen Victoria's professional fisherman
in Windsor Great Park.
For several years after Mr. Keene's death, Mrs.
Anna Keene continue the fly tying business at
Queens, New York." ~ Jim Birkholm
Credits: The quoted text and drawing from Fly Patterns
and Their Origins, by Harold Hinsdill Smedley. Color photo
from Forgotton Flies, published by the Complete
Sportsman.
|
