classic Michigan dry fly · late 1960s
Betty
Also called Coachman Betty
Solid origin Deschaine's column and a Trout Unlimited fly of the month sheet both credit Bill Nault.
History
Bill Nault of Marquette worked out the Betty in the mid to late 1960s, starting from an older fly called the Betty McNall that came from Denver. It uses Royal Coachman colors: peacock herl split by red floss, with a brown hackle.
It is a fly of the Upper Peninsula, where shops keep it in stock and anglers use it for brook trout. It was made as a dry fly, but some anglers fish it wet like a small streamer.
Materials
| Hook | Dry, sizes 12 to 18 |
|---|---|
| Thread | Black |
| Tail | Red hackle fibers |
| Body | Peacock herl in two parts with a band of red floss between them |
| Wing | White calf tail or white poly yarn, swept back past the bend |
| Hackle | Coachman brown |
Sources
- Deschaine, T. "The Betty." Fly of the Week, Fly Anglers Online, September 23, 2013.
- Jenkin, J. "Fly of the Month: Betty." Fred Waara Chapter, Trout Unlimited, c. 2025.
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No photo yet. Every photo on michfly is of a fly tied for the site, so they're added a few at a time.
Original recipe cards for many Michigan patterns are kept at the Michigan Dry Flies archive, built by the late Tom Deschaine.