I’m currently re-reading Chales Ritz’s A Fly Fisher’s Life and my interest has been piqued by a dry fly
referenced often in his book…the Panama. As I lament the demise of several flies that were once
predominant, I wish to give this fly a try. The problem is I can’t find the tying instructions anywhere.
Anyone have a clue on this fly? I would appreciate the tying recipe and a photo if possible.
I am sure I have heard of this fly, but I’ll need a bit of time to do some research.
I’ll be back.
In Taff Price’s “Fly Patterns an International Guide”.
This is the recipe :-
Hook: 10 - 14.
Thread: Black.
Tail: Golden Pheasant tippets.
Body: Natural Raffia tipped with four turns of black silk.
Rib: Palmered (natural) red cock.
Hackle: Natural red cock; front hackle brown partridge.
Wing: Cree hackle points.
I’ll try to get you a picture.
This is the best I can do with a hand held camera.
Donald,
When the pattern talks about the body of natural raffia “tipped with four wraps of black silk”, what does the term “tipped” mean in this particular case? Does it mean that the front little bit of the body is wrapped down with the black silk, so a bit of the body, at the front is in fact black silk?
Thanks and regards,
Gandolf
Gandolf,
I should let Donald answer seeing he went to all the effort to get that info and the photo. However, I’m bored and just feel like contributing even (most likely) if I’m incorrect, LOL. Anyway, and this is just a guess, tipped refers to behind and under the tail. Donald, what say you?
Allan
I was inspired by it; put one together on a big honkin’ 'Claw.
I have no idea about the history of the pattern. I reverse wrapped the hackle and secured it with the heavier black silk (3/0 thread).
Neat looking fly either way. Waiting to see Donald’s version.
I have no idea about the history of the pattern. I reverse wrapped the hackle and secured it with the heavier black silk (3/0 thread).
Neat looking fly either way. Waiting to see Donald’s version.
[b]Allan, I agree with you, but as I have never actually dressed this fly, it is a limited agreement.
I just dug the recipe out of a book. It is an interesting fly.
[/b]
Thanks everyone! I feel stupid because the pattern is actually listed in the book!!!
Must have just missed it…kinda scanned that section.
Green body ribbed yellow
Two hackles, red and summer duck?
Red whisks what’s a whisk?
Nos. 14 and 16
Sounds very gaudy but it must have caught fish in Ritz’s day?
Donald’s pattern is very interesting vs. this one.
Ritz does state this is a modified pattern.
A whisk is the tail, glad to be of help.
If I find more info, I’ll be back.
Thanks Donald.
After some more in depth reading, the fly is also listed as a nymph pattern which I believe is the pattern you posted?:
Modified Panama:
Bivisible hackle. Nos. 12 and 14
The only other reference was in W. H. Lawrie’s "International Trout Flies"1969. There is an illustration but the picture I took is no good.
The original is very poor. This is the recipe given:-
Wings: Red (game) hackle points, dressed ‘spent’ over grizzle-grey
hackle points also dressed ‘spent’.
Hackle: Dark Partridge, dressed over a red hackle put on
palmerwise over the body.
Body: Straw-coloured floss silk or raffia, with a black nylon tip.
Tail: Pheasant tippet.
Hook: Number 14.
Comment - It is thought that this pattern is American in origin.
What I can see of the picture, it looks more like a black butt than a tip.
In Taff Price’s book (1986) he states that this is a popular fly in France.
Described as a ‘fancy’ dry fly, and that is what I posted.
In all the information I have read there is no mention of a nymph,
both sources call it a dry fly.
[QUOTE=bobbyg;432446]but it must have caught fish in Ritz’s day?
QUOTE]
I would expect these flies to be either good as any fly in rough water, or as caddis in smoother water. The Panama looks like first cousin to a Wickham’s Fancy with which I have had success in BC and Ontario, Canada.
Remember, caddis pupae when moving to the surface have a bubble under the cuticle which ‘blinks’ in the water, the gold tinsel (or even the light colour of the Panama) probably helps with this, particularly back in the day before synthetics like mylar and Antron.