classic Michigan dry fly · 1950s
Tan Fury
Likely origin Two Deschaine columns (one author) give the tyer, date and recipe; no independent source for the fly was found.
History
Josephine Sedlecky-Borsum came up with the Tan Fury at Ed's Sport Shop in Baldwin in the 1950s as her own take on the Light Cahill, a fly for any time light-colored mayflies are on the water.
It is the pattern most tied to her name. Anglers Tom Deschaine interviewed nearly all still carried it as an everyday fly, and on busy days the shop could sell out, leaving her to tie more in the evening.
In 1987 she tied it at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, one of three of her own patterns she demonstrated there along with the Adams.
Materials
| Hook | Standard dry (Mustad 94840, or 7948A), sizes 10 to 14 |
|---|---|
| Thread | Black 6/0 |
| Tail | Two pheasant tail fibers, long |
| Wing | Blue dun, upright and divided |
| Body | Tan angora rabbit, full and shaggy |
| Hackle | Light ginger |
Sources
- Deschaine, T. "Jo's Flies." Just Old Flies, Fly Anglers Online, September 12, 2011.
- Deschaine, T. "Josephine Sedlecky-Borsum: A First Lady of the Vice." Just Old Flies, Fly Anglers Online, August 15, 2011.
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.