Old Master 1550

[William Anderson]

Hook: Daiichi 1550
Silk: Pearsall's Gossamer #10 Ash
Hackle: Undercover for Woodcock
Rib: Tying silk twisted with one or two Heron herl fibers.

One fiber twisted in rib


Two fibers twisted in rib


I've been playing with historic North Country Flies this week. This is from B. Bradley's list, 1870. It's not often that I geek out over historic patterns, unless they have a direct fishable application on streams I fish, and many do. This could represent any number of things, but I don't know of anything specific. Does anyone know what it was supposed to represent in the UK?

w

[DUBBN]

I am going to have to order some Pearsall's Gossamer silk! I tyed and photographed a P&O yesterday that was tyed with floss. It just doesnt compare with what you and other tyers on this forum can do with silk.
Great tie William.

[letumgo]

I think it represents a full krell!

Top shelf, w!

[CreationBear]

It's not often that I geek out over historic patterns

A fly like this always makes me think that North Country spiders are in the same category as Japanese katana: fully "mature" technologies, impossible to improve upon. While a modern nymph fisherman might bring more fish to hand on a given day, I'd argue pretty strenuously that it's not modern materials or "anatomical" precision that allows him to do so, but rather, where he's able to present his fly in the water column. If you're with Lee Wulff and maintain that trout deserve the sanctuary of deep water, then I'll take gamebird and waxed silk any old day,

[tie2fish]

"Old Master" by a new master ...

[William Anderson]

Thanks everyone.

Dubbn, the silk actually takes some (short) time to get used to. I remember a few years ago when I first tried it I felt like I was tying with rope - lumpy bodies and huge heads. I found some ways around that with the help of the folks here. When you do get some ask for some tips, it will save you some head scratching.

CB, I used to fish emergers in the winter, refusing to stoop to dredging. Those were naive, fishless days years ago.

I love these very subtle flies. I need to take a pic of it wet.

w

[CreationBear]

Those were naive, fishless days years ago.

Ha...the "magic" water temp on my freestoners is 40 degrees; when it looks like this



it's time to go loping along with the bears and coyotes.

[willowhead]

Beautiful tyes William.....nice pics C.B.

[Ruard]

Hi William,

About the old master:

Pritt: no 39
Wings: hackled with a feather of the inside of a Woodcock's wing
Body: Ash-coloured silk wrapped over with Heron's herl

This is a capital killer from April to the end of August on warm days or in the evenings. It was originally dressed by Bradley, of Otley....It bears resemblance to "Greenwell's Glory"

The Greenwell is according to Courtney Williams an imitation of an Olive dun or a dark Olive Dun.


Greeting

[DNicolson]

A very nice series of the 'Old Master', William.
You've got me re-hooked on spiders. I have been running off down some interesting
pathways but now I shall have to dress some spiders.
I looked up the 'Old Master' in one of the best sources of fly history, Roger Fogg's
'Handbook of North Country Trout Flies' but apart from the fact that it is a very old fly,
very much older than Pritt's mention in 1885. Maybe a search through some of the older books in the 'Archive', that can be downloaded now might reveal more information.
I shall maybe try some of the other 'Woodcock' series of spiders mentioned in his book.