FLYMPH FORUM

I've been doing some research on old fly patterns, in hopes of finding something VERY old to share for my swap flies. As I went thru my books, I came across a reference to a pattern called a "February Red", which is listed in "The Treatise of Fishing with and Angle (circa 1496).

According Syl Nemes book (Two Centuries of Soft-Hackled Flies/Introduction - page ix), the "February Red. This is the Treatise's 'dun fly, the body of dun wool and wings of the partridge. That is the dressing in 1496. It is the same today. The Partridge and Orange, dressed with a partridge hackle and a body of orange silk, is the imitation most commonly used between the Tweed and the Trent and kills hundreds of trout every year. So that fly has not changed at all in four centuries and a quarter. The Partridge and Orange was the first soft-hackled fly I [Nemes] ever fished, on the Pere Marquette in Michigan around 1970.

Later in Nemes book (page 127), he shows a fly called a February Red. The pattern is listed as such:

February Red
Hook: 14
Body: Red tying thread with orange dubbing.
Hackle: Blue dun hackle.

I am confused!

I thought the body was should be tyed with dun (gray) colored wool, and the hackle would be partridge hackle. Yet in the later reference the hackle is blue dun hen, with orange dubbing on red silk body. Does any one know the true original dressing for the February Red?

I'd love to tie and fish a pattern this old, but at this point may simply switch over to a Partridge & Orange, since it also seems to date back just as far.

WOULD THE HISTORIANS AMONG US PLEASE HELP!

Some interesting leads:

"A Treatyse of Fysshynge Wyth an Angle" by Juliana Berners
http://books.google.com/books?id=428XAA ... rs&f=false

https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&h ... 2+Treatise

http://books.google.com/books?id=Nd6Acb ... 22&f=false

http://books.google.com/books?id=Nd6Acb ... 22&f=false

http://books.google.com/books?id=WVRDAA ... se&f=false

http://books.google.com/books?id=FbgRAA ... se&f=false

http://books.google.com/books?id=_eo_AA ... se&f=false

"February Red" is the name of the insect, and is what I refer to as a Little Black Stone. The Light Spanish Needle is one imitation.

The word "dun", in English, (and not Angler-ish), can mean either gray or medium brown. Although I've never been quite able to convince myself that the Dun Fly of the Treatyse was a Partridge and Orange, it's not inconceivable if we take it to mean brown.

Skues thought that the Dun Fly was a March Brown imitation; John Walker Hills thought it was a February Red imitation. It would certainly have helped if the Treatyse had given us some idea of size.

Thanks Bob. I was thinking dun was only shades of gray/grey. If brown is also considered dun, then the P&O could make sense. (especially it they use unwaxed silk over a dark colored hook - they would get a nice shade of brown when fishing the wet fly).

Interesting.

Sounds like you picked a good one Ray! That's the only Nemes book I don't own, and I wish I would have had it for this swap.

Very interesting links you've posted, I'll have to look into them more @ lunch when I have a little free time.

Ray, Howdy;

Ya'll know I'm not a historian, not even a close imitation ...
I did take the Latin name that was specified in your 4th. link
and this is the result;
http://www.first-nature.com/insects/ple ... bulosa.php
That help any???

hank

Thanks Hank, very helpful indeed! Much obliged.

From John Younger's "River Angling for Trout and Salmon": " The proper dun colour is not easily described. It seems to partake of brown and white, a shade of red and yellow, with the slightest tinge of silvery grey". The fly Younger was describing was dubbed with dun Highland cattle hair. This is a picture of cow hair that best matches the description:

IMG_0729 by wsbailey1, on Flickr

Searching the web I found this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primitive_markings

Bill

Bill - Nice reference. That is very helpful.

I've been doing some more research and found this reference (thanks Stefan): I think the "Donne Flye" is the same as the "February Red", at least the fly appears to fit the description.

http://softhacklepatternbook.blogspot.c ... -flye.html


Photo and fly by Neil Norman

Ray, Howdy;

About the same time I landed in Utah, took-up fly fishin and fly tying
I met some locals that were horse folks. Ok, here's where I throw some
poo at the rotary oscillator (fan), and see what shows up on the vertical structure ...
Most of the colors that are used for horses are what we use for a lot of the colors
for the dubbing, hackles, and other stuff. Way back in The Dames day, I don't think
There were to many automobiles runnin' around and the color descriptions where
most likely somewhere in the same neighborhood.
That said here's a definition for DUN as it pertains to horses ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dun_gene .
Sure wish Donald would weigh in ...

hank