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Royal Coachman (variant)
Tied by Keith Heil |
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Hackle: Coachman brown. I used a grade 3 brown Metz. A couple of
the flies ended up with oversize hackle. I hope you will
forgive me!
Tail: Golden pheasant tippets.
Thread: I used both black and dark olive. I believe black is
traditional.
Hook: Mustad 94840 Size 14 if I remember correctly. 10 to 20
would be appropriate.
Body: Peacock herl/red floss/peacock herl.
Wings: White KIP (calf tail) upright and divided. This is where
my fly deviates from the Royal Coachman which has white
mallard quill wings.
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| Tying Instructions |
The fly I tied was the variation of the royal coachman. It could just as
easily be called a variation of the Royal Wulff as it is a Coachman with
a Wulff wing or a Wulff with a Coachman tail. I believe that the Royal
Coachman is considered a traditional dry fly. I admit that generally I
tie and fish the Royal Wulff over this fly as I feel the Wulff is a
little better for heavy water, the calf tail wing is easier for me to
tie, and I feel it is less likely to twist the leader than the quill
wings on the Coachman. Also, the golden pheasant tippet tail is not as
durable as calf tail, although I feel the pheasant tippet tail is more
attractive to both the fish and fisherman. Anyway, this pattern has
become my substitute for the Royal Coachman. Here is the story about my
first attempt at tying and fishing a coachman.
I was at a stage that I really wanted my tying and fishing to
become art. Of the four or five royal coachmen that I tied the first
time, four were servicable and one was perfect (Well, almost). I was
fishing a local pool and occasional fish were rising but there was no
obvious hatch. It was a tranquil and beautiful setting and seemed
perfect for the one good Coachman that I had tied. I made a rare
beautiful cast, and that fly settled lightly on the water. It was riding
perfectly upright in the water and was very visible. The drift was
perfect and that fly looked for all the world like some type of real
insect. I was so intent in taking in the beauty of the whole scene that
I was completely startled at the rise, and I promptly broke my leader
when I set the hook. |
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