classic Michigan dry fly · 1957 to 1959
Roberts' Yellow Drake
Also called Roberts' Drake, Golden Drake, Au Sable Parachute Hex
Solid origin Tyer and date range agree across sources. The white-post story is hearsay.
History
Clarence Roberts learned to tie with materials his brother left behind when he joined the Army Air Corps in 1942. By 1949 he was tying for shops and liveries around Grayling, and at his busiest he turned out more than 5,000 flies a year.
The Yellow Drake dates to the late 1950s. The DNR passes on a story that Roberts gave it a bright white post so his friend George Griffith, who had hurt an eye, could follow it on the water. It is told as a story, and this page treats it as one.
Materials
| Hook | Standard dry 8 to 14; 6 to 8 long-shank for Hex |
|---|---|
| Tail | Three or four pheasant-tail fibers |
| Post | White deer belly hair |
| Body | Light tan deer hair, tied parallel to the shank and ribbed with thread |
| Hackle | Ginger dry hackle, parachute |
| Thread | Yellow 6/0 |
Sources
- Soulard, R. "The game warden and the Yellow Drake." Michigan DNR, 2020.
- Boissoneau, R. "The Other Fly-Tying Legend." Northern Express, 2020.
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.