modern Michigan dry fly · after 1970
Killer Diller
Unverified origin Only the archive recipe card supports the tyer, place and date. Other, unrelated Killer Diller patterns exist.
History
C. L. Batchelder of Kalamazoo, who had a cabin on the Pere Marquette, is credited with this night fly. Tom Deschaine could not fix a year but judged from the evidence that it came after 1970.
The body is a heavily wound badger hackle trimmed short to leave a bristly look, with a full-length collar in front. It suggests a big stonefly or a moth and is skated across the surface. Several unrelated flies share the name, including an older western hairwing.
Materials
| Hook | Dry (Mustad 94840 or 94833), sizes 6 to 8 |
|---|---|
| Thread | Black 6/0 |
| Tail | Two badger hackle tips |
| Body | Badger hackle three sizes too large, wound tight and dense, then clipped to normal size |
| Hackle | Badger, three sizes large, left unclipped |
| Dark version | Furnace hackle for tail, body and collar |
Sources
- Deschaine, T. "Killer Diller." Michigan Dry Flies archive recipe card.
- "An Older Pattern." Fly Patterns forum thread, Fly Anglers Online, December 2012 (mentions a western Killer Diller).
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.