Silver Grey
One of my favorite patterns ever designed for salmon. This time tied with really sparse wing and closer to “classic Finnish style”. Haven’t caught any salmon with it yet but this very fly has given me few brown trouts so I added a photo of one for your amusement.
The pattern is pretty close to the one in Kelson’s “The Salmon Fly” but since I already have it here on the previous Silver Grey here’s the description for the pattern from Kelson’s Land and Water cards c. 1885. Although they don’t differ so much from each other.
“The Silver Grey was invented by James Wright, of Sprouston, about five and twenty years ago, since which time it has pursued a career of uninterrupted usefulness. One great advantage in silver bodies is that we have at once a decided change to the ordinary silk or seal’s fur patterns. Another it that they fish deeper. The fly is dressed as follows:
Tag: Silver twist and yellow silk.
Tail: A topping and unbarred summer duck.
Butt: Black herl.
Body: Silver tinsel (flat).
Ribs: Silver tinsel (oval).
Hackle: A silver furnace hackle along the body.
Throat: Widgeon.
Wings: Golden pheasant tippet strands and tail, bustard, swan dyed yellow, gallina, powder blue macaw, mallard, grey mallard and a topping.
Horns: Blue macaw.
Sides: Jungle fowl.
Head: Black Berlin wool.”
