Let's put this all in perspective with the old rhyme:
Rub a dub dub,
Three men in a tub;
And who do you think they be?
The butcher, the baker,
The candlestick-maker;
Turn 'em out, knaves all three!
Rub-a-dub-dub,
Three men in a tub,
And how do you think they got there?
The butcher, the baker,
The candlestick-maker,
They all jumped out of a rotten potato,
'Twas enough to make a man stare.
That was for all the people, who for the life
of them, couldn't remember where the phrase
"The butcher, the baker, and the candlestick-maker"
comes from. I was one of your number. The internet
is a marvelous thing. Now that that's out of the
way, we can talk about the fly.
The Butcher is credited to G.S. Jewhurst of
Tunbridge, Kent, UK. It is a very old fly,
and originally it was known as "Moon's Fly,"
after a very good fisherman who popularized it.
Mr. Moon was a butcher, and tier William Blacker
renamed the fly "The Butcher" in 1838, after
the trade of Mr. Moon. I tend to think though
that this was more a sale's gimmick, this renaming,
and the popularity of the fly really took off.
The Butcher is another of just a few flies that
were more "universal" in their appeal, not just
germane to one river or locale. The appeal was
such that ultimately, wet fly versions appeared.
These flies bore little resemblance to the salmon
fly, but were, I believe, capitalizing on the
name. Then of course, came the Bloody Butcher,
an enhancement of the name, building on the
carnage the original name suggests. So here we
have a series of flies, that may or may not have
been effective, but sold like crazy because of
the name. All fly inventors, please take note.
The Butcher, The Baker, and The Candlestick Maker,
are, if nothing else, a wonderfully named group of
flies. They are all somewhat difficult to dress,
but the Butcher's very difficult. Mikael Frodin
says: "Sir Herbert Maxwell was not fond of this
pattern and he described it as a tiresome fly to
dress, and ugly to behold." I've got to disagree.
While it is tough to tie, I like the more subdued
look of this fly compared to some others of the
day. It is certainly not a "gaudy" fly, by any
stretch. Kelson lists the pattern as below, but
said that he always added a golden pheasant
topping. Francis Francis has three versions in
A Book on Angling, only one of
which has a topping. Dr. Pryce-Tannatt has a
version where the topping is optional. From all
I can tell though, the original versions had no
topping, so my fly doesn't either. Here is the
recipe from Kelson:
Kelson's Butcher (Shown above)
Tag: Silver twist and yellow silk.
Tail: Topping, and powdered blue macaw.
Butt: Black herl.
Body: In four equal divisions of seal's fur;
light red-claret and light blue, dark-red claret
and dark blue respectively.
Ribs: Silver tinsel (preceded on large hooks
by silver lace).
Hackle: A natural black, from light
red-claret seal's fur.
Throat: A yellow hackle and gallina.
Wings: A tippet, and breast feather of golden
pheasant (back to back) veiled with teal, golden
pheasant tail, gallina, bustard, and peacock wing;
strands of parrot (green) and swan dyed yellow;
and mallard.
Horns: Blue macaw.
Cheeks: Chatterer.
Head: Black herl.
The wet flies had considerable popularity as
well, and are still a staple for brook trout.
I've done two versions, The Butcher, and The
Bloody Butcher. I've tied The Butcher in the
older manner, with the hackle in front of the
wings. There are still great tiers tying wets
this way, and though I've never done them this
way myself, I might well switch. Alice Conba,
the fantastic Irish tier, sent me a set of
beautiful wets that are all tied the traditional
Irish way. It certainly works for Alice, and I
think it gives one a bit more flexibility in
setting the wing. However you tie them, wet flies
can be very satisfying. They have a great classical
beauty that I, for one, miss. Here are the recipes
for The Butcher and The Bloody Butcher wet flies.
I might note that Ray Bergman lists a third recipe
that's nothing like the more traditional Butcher,
and while it's a pretty fly, to me it's something
else.
The Butcher Wet Fly
Tail: Scarlet goose or hackle fibers.
Body: Flat silver tinsel.
Rib: Oval silver tinsel.
Wing: Blue mallard with white tips, or crow.
Hackle: Natural black.
The Bloody Butcher
Tail: Scarlet goose or hackle fibers.
Body: Flat silver tinsel.
Rib: Oval silver tinsel.
Wing: Blue mallard with white tips, or crow.
Hackle: Scarlet.
Ray Bergman's Butcher
Tail: Scarlet.
Body: Scarlet Floss.
Rib: Yellow Silk.
Wing: None.
Hackle: Badger.
~ Eric Austin
Credits: Classic Salmon Flies by
Mikael Frodin; Trout by Ray Bergman;
Favorite Flies and Their Histories by
Mary Orvis Marbury; The Salmon Fly by
George Kelson.
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