             
Salmon Fly Tying
A Dying Art
By Bryant Freeman
I have been making flies before the middle of the
last century, the style was always predetermined, for use as fishing
flies, which were swum at the end of a gut leader or nylon
leader in more recent times, not
influenced by most recent publications on the subject of Classic
Fly Tying, which surged to the forefront when
American Authors took control of the art.
Salmon flies of the feather wing variety were called
Traditional Feather wings. Many of the patterns were devised back in
the 1800's and the feathers available then, were products of the
millenary trade. Today the availability of many of these feathers used
in this type of fly are either on the endangered list or are extinct.
A suggestion here for those who care. "always attempt to find a
Substitute, so as not to put pressure on those protected birds which
still survive!!!!"
Fly tying is a growing art, for those who
wish to make these flies, I have composed a list of suitable
substitutes which can be obtained at a reasonable cost which make the
fly look as good as one with the original feathers.
Some of you may even try to produce your own substitutes, I encourage
this one hundred percent, it will make you a better fly tyer, with the
complete understanding of feathers and their structure.
In the late forties and
fifties and early sixties, I fished with these traditional feather
wing flies on the Medway River in Nova Scotia. They were obtained from
Hardy Brothers in England.
I will attempt to compile a list of feathers which I
use and some of the substitutes which I use now to try to make the
flies look like they were intended. My fly tying days are coming to a
close as the eyes and hands do not allow for the manipulation of the
feathers which I once was accustomed.
On September 1957 my Dad Lewis Freeman was asked for a pattern
for the Fly Tyers' Corner, in the Sportsmans' Province Magazine. Here is the
article.
It is particularly effective in larger sizes, when dry flies first replace wet
ones, (May 15th on the Medway) early in the season. The original one made was
used one afternoon while fishing with an American visitor and resulted in three
salmon. With the first fish the body hackle was severed and came unwound and its
appearance was likened to a rag, The name "Rags" for the pattern was the
inevitable result.
Rags Salmon Fly
Tail-- Wood Duck breast Feather in Strands.
Body-- Peacock herl
Body Hackle---Grizzled
Wing---Red Squirrel Tail
Collar Hackle--- Grizzled
A note to this, it is the Brown Rags which is so effective on
the Miramichi, usually a size 6 94840 is used the early version was tied on a
number 1 Wilson Hook.(The old fashioned Wilson with the light wire)
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