The sport of fly fishing has a
history and tradition that is centuries old. The earliest
references to the sport date back more than a millennium. The
first book on fly fishing was written more than half a millennium ago.
The American tradition begins not long after the birth of the country
itself. But the earliest saltwater patterns, such as Tom Loving's
hackle bass fly, made their debut only eight decades ago. And the
saltwater tradition as we see it today is a mere babe at five or six
decades. In that time almost no other sport has advanced as
quickly. Yet even at its genesis there were patterns that had the
necessary magic to find a continuing place in a contemporary angler's
fly book.
The "Golden Age" of saltwater fly
fishing is a post World War II story. At the very beginning of
this chapter in our sport there stood a cadre of giants. Men whose
names ring loudly today explored the very concept of a fly rod's place
in the salt. Gentlemen like Joe Brooks, Harold Gibbs, and
Ed Materne. From 1945 until
1960 they pioneered new opportunity and proved that some species, fish
like the striped bass and the bluefish, were viable opponents on a wisp
of feathers and a nine foot piece of split cane. The Pigtails is a
fly from that era.
Named in honor of his daughter, the
Materne Pigtails is a fly that was nearly lost to antiquity. This
unique pattern offers a balanced mix of attractor and imitator.
Its unique build, with olive under yellow under white,
seems almost inverted. In fact, if you reverse the order of the
colors you'll arrive at a "new" pattern that many on the New England
coast will swear is an absolute necessity - Ray's Fly! But the
inverted coloring, when topped with the necessary peacock, provides a
greater imitative factor that may be appreciated at first glance.
The yellow and olive are a great imitation of the flash of color
radiated by the ubiquitous Atlantic Silversides, an important baitfish.
That same combination works for smelt, shiners and alewives. Or
maybe it just works - and for no particular reason. Only the fish
really know!
This is a fly you should tie and
carry. Svelte, sparse and translucent, the simple bucktail isn't
as popular today as it once was. That in itself might be an
advantage; the fish haven't seen this one before! Barring newness,
the simple bucktail streamer is a fish-catching machine because it
suggests life. It's worth knowing and practicing the techniques
needed to properly construct this fly. And it's worth knowing how
to fish it. This is a pattern that will serve you as well on the
trout stream as it did the masters on the rocky shores of Rhode Island,
it's birthplace.
Hook: Gamakatsu SC15 or Eagle Claw N253 or
similar
Thread: 6/0,140 denier black
Body: Flat silver tinsel
Ribbing: Oval silver tinsel
Wing: Equal
parts olive (or green), then yellow, then white bucktail tied sparse. Top with 6
peacock herls
Throat: Red hackle fibers tied as a
beard
Eyes:
Jungle cock nails
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