modern Michigan dry fly · c. 1995
Pest
Also called Potter's Pest
Unverified origin Only the Michigan Dry Flies archive card supports the tyer, place and date; no independent source was found. Potter contributed the card.
History
Dennis Potter of Grand Rapids designed the Pest around 1995 and uses it as one of his favorite searching flies on warmwater. Its shape could pass for a beetle, blowfly or deer fly.
The first version had a dun hi-vis wing and grizzly hackle; Potter later changed to the yellow foam, tinsel wing and yellow hackle shown here. Deschaine thought it would also suit bluegills.
Materials
| Hook | Dry (TMC 100), sizes 14 to 16 |
|---|---|
| Thread | Black 6/0 or 3/0 |
| Body | Peacock herl |
| Shellback | Yellow closed-cell foam, trimmed |
| Wings | Holographic tinsel, split, spent and swept back |
| Hackle | Yellow |
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.