classic Michigan dry fly · early 1930s
Harry's Kingfisher
Unverified origin Only Deschaine's Fly of the Week column (April 8, 2013, reposted 2014) documents Frey and this fly.
History
Harry Frey came from Grand Rapids and later lived in Alpena, where he designed this parachute attractor for the Thunder Bay River in the early 1930s, according to Tom Deschaine. The fly later spread to other northern Michigan water.
Its odd feature is the wing post: a white gull feather rolled into a tube and tied upright, with grizzly hackle wound around it over a dark red floss body. Deschaine used it as the first fly on the water when nothing was hatching or when he was fishing a river for the first time.
Materials
| Hook | Dry fly, sizes 10 to 12 |
|---|---|
| Thread | Black 6/0 |
| Tail | Grizzly hackle fibers |
| Post | White goose feather rolled into a tube and stiffened with cement (the original used seagull, which is now protected) |
| Body | Dark red floss |
| Hackle | Grizzly, parachute |
Sources
Know more about this fly's history, or spot a mistake? Send a correction.
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.