Something forgotten, Tommy's Favourite

A very old grayling dry fly that has always struck me as a great looking fly.


Hook: Barbless dry fly 16 - 20 (I’ve used size 18 here).
Thread: Vevus 12/0 white.
Tail: Red Wool.
Body: Blue / Yellow Macaw Tail.
Hackle: Honey Dun Cock.

The blue and yellow of the body makes a kind of olive, and changes as the fly moves. It might make a great body for a Sparkle Dun. Hmm now there’s an idea.
Cheers,
A.

I’m all out of macaw.

Thanks for posting. Don Martinez’ flies didn’t really show up well on the Nook edition of “Founding Flies.”

Does the tail support the fly? Or does it just hang down.

I suspect it would hang down though with a touch of oil it’ll float well enough. This kind of tail is common on the old fancy grayling flies (Red Tag, Witch series etc.).

Cheers,
A.

I have a Macaw tail feather, but am out of honey dun hackle, the grayling fishing around here has not been very good since I moved here. I did catch one in AZ several years ago.

I was thinking red antron tail, olive biot, mixed ginger/light dun hackle.

It could pick up a trout or two.