Forgotten But Not Gone

IGNORED BY MOST

Very Very Very Effective

plebeian, mundane, sexless

COACHMAN

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.. It's just not sexy. It's just not full of fancy high tech proprietary material. It did not spring full blown from the wet dreams of world famous guides or feather merchants.

IN THE BEGINING

.. It is simply too simple to tie to be attractive to aficionados of the esoteric fly. It's a pattern that has roots deep in the past, and that can't be good.
.. It has caught so many fish that it's a sin to use it. Catching becomes almost automatic.
.. Maybe that's why most contemporary masochistic anglers ignore it in favor of the latest and greatest.
 .. The original recipe is plain vanilla: peacock herl body, furnace hen hackle. End of story.
.. Later iterations became the lead wing coachman and various other modifications including: the fan wing, royal, and Wulff variants.

THE ROYAL SORT

.. The original English fly most probably had no tail. When a tail is added today it is usually Golden Pheasant tips, as in the conventional American invention, the Royal Coachman.
.. Interestingly the original commercial Royal Coachman of the 1870's, (thank you Mary,) had a barred wood duck sprig.
.. We just happen to have a couple of Scarlet Ibis skins left over from the Herter's days and personally really like the red tail.
.. What-so-ever is modified, there is one constant: the peacock herl body . . . hmmm!
.. All this by way of saying a few of these in appropriate sizes and presentations can suffice for almost all of your catching needs in mid Summer.
==> Float it and it can be a beetle, or ant, or midge, or . . .
==> Sink it and who knows what it is but it catches trout.

FOAM FAN WING SORT

.. We only mention this now because, over the weekend, we took a fish on nearly every cast for the better part of two hours.
.. It was on our favorite small water that is easily accessed by a trail head with a parking lot and just happens to be full of eager Brook Trout.
.. It's a cool and shady place where the trail is level. The river is seldom more than a short cast from the trail. The fish will leap into your waders if you are foolish enough to bother getting into the water. We like it.
.. We know we won't see you there. It fishes best with old fashioned flies that are easy to tie and don't cost $40.00 a dozen.
.. It doesn't require a two hour hike to famous and scenic meadows. It's trail is full of friendly bicycle riders, roller blade speeders, mothers with strollers, and children without adult supervision.
.. It's not post card Yellowstone and certainly not attractive to the elite fishers seeking something other than catching.

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UPPER NOTELLUM RIVER - SEEN FROM ABOVE