Most English wet flies of this type were originally tied as imitations of specific impoundment bait fish or to simply gain the interest of fish and illicit a strike. I have tweaked the original recipe by adding a thorax of claret seals fur. That breaks the harsh lines of the original tie and adds a little bit of extra movement.
Its a fly that has withstood the test even though it was apparently banned for a time in Scotland where it was developed because it was just too effective. It remains effective today and is an excellent middle dropper attractor type fly or tip fly when fishing for fast moving rainbow trout. My version is tied inverted making it much more stealthy.
This is a “Blob with attitude” and because it actually looks like a fly I find it a a little easier to tie on than its very basic second cousins. It has a place in my fly box because from time to time, and particularly in competition fly fishing, you find yourself fishing in the most unpleasant conditions. In situations like that a blob with attitude may save the day.
