While researching for streamer patterns for smallmouth bass I ran across this pattern. The gentleman stated he has caught a lot of post-spawn smallmouth on this pattern on a size 12 hook which surprised me. I decided to tie one up and used a size 10 hook and it was a rather easy tie.
Has anyone used this pattern and, if you have, how did it perform for you? What species of fish were you fishing for?
Overall, what do you think of this pattern? Thanks…
Looks very familiar. I have a book, at home, that I can check the pattern on. May not be until tomorrow, but I’ll try tonight.
Mike
I don’t know that anybody’s ever caught any fish on either the dry, wet or streamer versions of this fly.
I think it is a royal trude wet???
From my research, the Royal Trude Wet had a front hackle behind the hook eye. Here is something I found right here on FAOL that was interesting. Has anyone ever fished this fly?
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/features/oldflies/part478.php
Warren has labeled it a Royal Coachman and I believe he is correct. Of course there are many variations …such as this one I’ve tied up… ,Warren that has been successful for trout…John is very tongue in cheek:p
It is a royal coachman wet version and is very affective on pre-spawn and spawning fish. It is an attractor flies and isn’t supposed to mimic anything in particular.
Warren, I almost always have a couple of them in my bluegill box. Fished behind a floating fly they have caught sunfish, crappies and bass. I also tie it weighted because of it’s size to get smaller wet lies and nymphs down to the fish.
What is the wing, white hackle, bucktail, or calf tail?
The pattern I followed called for white hackle for the wing and brown hackle for the tail and beard.
Thanks all for responding. I think I will tie up a couple more and weight one and see what they do here in TN.
Well the original, the Coachman was tied by one of Queen Victoria’s coachmen in 1830 and has been effective ever since. I read an article just yesterday in which one angler said that it was never off his cast of wet flies. How much the addition of the red added I have no idea. Its a fly I’ve never experimented with, However, that it is still popular after 183 years probably indicates it has something. Thinking about it I may just give it a try out as a middle dropper fly on the lochs around beetle time.
Cheers,
A.
Wasn’t the original a dry?
No it was a wet fly. Peacock body, white duck primary wing slips, red game hackle. If I can find some white duck wing quills I’ll tie one and take a photo.
Cheers,
A.
This fly is listed as a “Royal Coachman Bass” in the “Fly tying and Fly Fishing for Bass and Panfish” by Tom Nixon. In the text it is called a “Royal Coachmen Fan Wing”. Materials:
Tail - Brown and grizzly hackle fibers
Body - Peacock herl ruff at the tail, red floss center and peacock herl ruff forward
Wings - Fan wings made of white duck-breast feathers
Hackle - Brown
Head - Red lacquer
Hook - #8, #10, light wire
Mike
Warren, you may like this, a soft hackle version…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AktOUe6aV3w
Thanks, pillcaster. I really like that pattern and will tie up a few and give them a try.
In his book “Trout”, Ray Bergman devoted some pages to his experience fishing the Upper Owens River on the Arcularius Ranch. He stated that Frank Arcularius used to fish a clipped Royal Coachman streamer off a long rod, while walking softly, drifting it with the water’s flow along the undercut banks…
I met Frank Arularius in 1984 while fishing the East Walker River in Bridgeport, CA. He had just returned to CA from his cattle operation up in Montana. He invited me to fish with him on the ranch and demonstrated this method to me…It works…REAL GOOD…
http://www.arculariusontheriver.com/index.php
PT/TB
There are very many variations of the Royal Trude, and The Royal Coachman Wet Fly. All are quite effective attractor wets. There is much info on the earlier versions in Bergman’s Trout, Forgotten Flies, Mary Orvis Marberrys (sp) historiacal anthology, and Herters old book. I have up grade such patterns with instead of using red floss, using Red Crystal Flash coated with Wet and Wild. Comes to show you that not only are there many variations of this great classic Wet (and Streamer) but you can modernize a few factors (includeing an articulated streamer version. All of these classics are great, they still work, and have a place in anyone’s Fly Box. I have looked a lot in Forgotten Flies (a book that is pricey and I want very badly), and have found a lot of classic patterns from Bergman (I am a total Bergman Wet Fly Freak from the time I was a little kid), to Preston Jennings, Charles DeFeo, Carey Stevens, etc. All of these patterns still work, and I am constantly finding new patterns worth tying and putting in the box. Being a fly designer (with my own patterns as well) I keep very busy at the vise with all this great stuff !!!
The downwing coachman is a very popular “and effective” pattern for NW Sea-run Cutts.