Dear Betty
Here is the only picture I have seen of a Brown Owl
feather. For more info go to
http://www.dtnicolson.dial.pipex.com/page207.html
Or download ‘Brook and River Trouting’, from the
Archive site.
Hi Donald,
Nice inclusion to the site. Since we’re into locating things, I’ve been reading Fly Fishing the North Country Tradition, by Leslie Magee, 1994. I think you would really enjoy this book if you’ve not come across it already. He’s obtained all sorts of old letters, lists, unpublished manuscripts, etc. For example, he has a list of Pritt’s personal recommedations for casts at various times of the year. It appears Pritt favoured a 4 fly to the cast set up.
One pattern he lists is ‘Broughton’s Point’, but I couldn’t find a dressing for it. An internet search led me to :
body: claret silk
wing: starling quill
hackle: black hen
but others have suggested variations, such as :
body: light blue
wing: starling quill
hackle: black hen
body: claret silk
wing: starling quill
hackle: black hen and scarlet mixed
Are you familear with this pattern? If so, do any of the above correspond to the version you know of?
Thanks.
- Jeff
P.S. Perhaps you know of a version that includes brown owl, which would make this more on topic?
WOW! That is one tiny little feather!! Thank you, Donald!! I’m off to my stash to see if I can find ANYTHING at all like that!
Hi Betty
Find a feather similar but paler, you can colour it with
a felt tip pen.
Hi Jeff
Here is a recipe and history from
Roberts Dictionary of Trout Flies, 1st edition.
The purple and blue body are later 20th century
versions, but are still worth trying.
Thank you, Donald! That one looks interesting, and I will give it a go! It should work well in the streams of South Dakota.
Betty
Betty, pick a feather:
Donald, what color is “blae”, as in “medium-blae starling feather”
Thanks Donald. I tracked it down in Pritt’s book based upon the article you posted. It’s #9 in his list:
Here’s a copy/paste direct from my archive copy:
[FONT=Courier][SIZE=1][LEFT]No. [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]9. [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=3]DARK [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]BLOA. [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=2]Hook 1[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1].[/LEFT]
[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=2][LEFT]WINGS. [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=2]From [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]the [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]Starling’s [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]quill.[/LEFT]
[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1][LEFT]BODY. [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=2]Dark [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]claret [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]silk.[/LEFT]
[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1][LEFT]LEGS. [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=2]From [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]black [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]feather [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]of [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]a black [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]Hen’s [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]neck.[/LEFT]
[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1][LEFT]Jackson [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]dresses [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]this [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]fly [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]somewhat [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]similarly, [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]and [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]adds [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]a[/LEFT]
[/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1][LEFT]tail [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]as [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]in [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]the [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]real insect. It [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]is [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]identical [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]with [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]one well-known [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]and [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]valued [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]in [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]the [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]north [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]as [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]Broughton’s [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]point.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Courier][SIZE=1][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]He even mentions it in the description.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Courier][SIZE=1][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Courier][SIZE=1]- Jeff[/LEFT]
[/SIZE][/FONT]
DG,
What an incredible bird!! Did you notice, he has a talon full of dubbing, too?
If I remember correctly, it means blue.
Jeff, after reading Donalds’ post, I immediately went to Pritts’ book for that copy, too! I need more hours in my days!!
“Blae” is a Scottish dialect word for blueish
grey, the colour of the sky on an overcast day.
“Bloa” is the same in Northern English dialect.
The words usually refer to the colour of the feather
used for the wings or hackle.
Jeff,
I tried to check Broughton’s Point in the ‘Brook and River’
download, but the page with the recipe is missing.
I checked in my own hard copy of the book, it is page 18,
the recipe is for fly #7 on the list.
I informed the Archive, but I don’t know how long it will
take them to rectify the problem.
Hi Donald,
By coincidence, I just started reading that on the train today and noticed the same thing. Hopefully a new copy will be uploaded soon.
- Jeff
I am sure someone as resourceful as Betty will have a Hoot looking through her stuff.
Betty, that is Cecelia, ca. 1995, and Pierce is the one jumping for his life. He made it safely, and escaped under a stump, she sat there for more photos, and both probably lived happily ever after. Well, I suspect she did, but I suspect he came out from under the stump, eventually.
You have no idea how much spotted owl tail looks like caddis wing up close. Mottled brown and fuzzy…
I’ve been told that when cooked right they taste just like Chicken.
Eric
Eric, they taste more like a cross between bald eagle and whooping crane.