The Impossible Trout Fly
WVFFM rarely acquires flies, either modern or vintage, mainly because the provenance of such things is so hard to establish. However, with the subject of this little article, that was never a problem.
A short while ago I read an amusing article on the BBC about a pizza topping that could not exist. All very tongue in cheek, but it does raise an interesting point about tradition and the acceptable way to do things and it was this very article that came to mind when I saw these trout flies up for sale on EBay for you see, like the pizza topping in the story, these flies cannot exist...
A short while ago I read an amusing article on the BBC about a pizza topping that could not exist. All very tongue in cheek, but it does raise an interesting point about tradition and the acceptable way to do things and it was this very article that came to mind when I saw these trout flies up for sale on EBay for you see, like the pizza topping in the story, these flies cannot exist...
Let's start at the beginning shall we? You can see from the ink stamp on the box that these are "Peter Ross" flies. Peter Ross was actually a real person. He was a Postmaster and storekeeper in the little village of Killin on Loch Tay. The fly was first devised in the 1890's as a variation of the traditional Teal and Red, the principal change being the addition of a silver tag. It has since been a hugely popular fly for sea trout and loch fishing, often in the traditional Scottish style of fishing three flies on a cast. You see the Peter Ross as originally conceived, like the Teal and Red IS a WET FLY!
Here are some examples of the original Peter Ross, tied as traditional Scottish wet flies...
...and a closer look at the "dry" versions. Now I am aware that there are certain patterns that appear in the fly box as both wet and dry versions, Greenwell's Glory and The March Brown immediately come to mind, but these are imitative patterns that can represent different stages in the life of an insect. the Peter Ross was never an imitation. It belongs to a class of trout flies called "Fancies". In this context the word "fancy" does not refer to any bright or complex appearance , but rather to the fly being a "fantasy", an abstract that has no relation to a real creature or "fly". How then could there possibly be a dry Peter Ross? No! No-one is ever going to see a hatch of Peter Rosses, not on the River Tay or anywhere else. Now I can understand the idea of someone messing about with their tying vice at home and coming up with such a thing, just for fun, - I came across mention of such a "dry Peter Ross" being used to good effect on Coldingham Loch. I cannot now find the story, but I do remember the fly had been tied by the angler's Uncle and was known as "Uncle Whassisname's Fly", (my italics, as I said , can't find the story...). What I cannot make sense of is that these "impossible trout flies" might be made and sold commercially...
If we take a look at the original box in which the flies were supplied, first of all we can clearly see two important bits of text: "DRY TROUT FLIES" and, rubber stamped on the lower dotted line, "Peter Ross", proof that these flies were supplied for sale as described, as dry flies. We also know who supplied them. Bird's were one of the many small needle making firms in Redditch that latterly turned to the manufacture of fish hooks and fishing tackle. The later amalgamated with the firm of Martinez to become Martinez and Bird. Although perhaps better known for their rods than their smaller items of tackle, Martinez and Bird continued to produce finished trout flies right up to their demise in the early 1980's. Former members of the fly tying department still give demonstrations at local history groups in Redditch. The company also continued to use the "Sinfalta" brand for their smaller tackle items, - and in case you are wondering it's Spanish for "Without fail"...
Impossible trout flies, perhaps, but I hope you have at least enjoyed our little excursion from the banks of Loch Tay to the needle mills of Redditch and perhaps beyond.
Impossible trout flies, perhaps, but I hope you have at least enjoyed our little excursion from the banks of Loch Tay to the needle mills of Redditch and perhaps beyond.