Nation's Special
Nation's Fancy
Tail - 15 golden pheasant tippet fibers
Ribbing - Oval silver tinsel
Body - Rear third silver floss, black floss for the balance
Hackle - Guinea behind wing on # 6 hooks, badger ahead of the wing on # 4 hooks
Wing - Mallard flank enclosing a few golden pheasant tippet fibers
Steelhead Fly Fishing and Tying - Trey Combes
Nation's Fancy
Thread - Red or black
Body - Silver tinsel
Rib - Oval silver tinsel (front 2/3 of body only)
Hackle - Guinea
Inner wing - Golden pheasant tippet fibers
Outer wing - Mallard flank
Steelhead Fly Tying Manual - Light and Humphrey
Nation's Fancy
Hooks - MUS80500BL, MUS80501BL, TMC7999, or DA12441, sizes 4-8
Thread - Black
Tail - Golden pheasant tippet barbs
Ribbing - Oval silver tinsel
Body - Rear third, flat silver tinsel; the front two-thirds, thirds, dubbed with black lamb's wool
Hackle - Badger tied on as a collar and tied back and down
Wings - Golden pheasant tippet barbs tied over the body, with barred teal sections tented over the top. (Gray squirrel may be substituted).
Head - Black
Fish Flies: The Encyclopedia of the Fly Tier's Art - Terry Hellekson
Nation's Fancy
Hooks - AC80500BL, AC80501BL, TMC7999, or DA12441, sizes 4-8
Thread - Black
Tail - Golden pheasant tippet barbs
Ribbing - Oval silver tinsel
Body - Rear third, flat silver tinsel; the front two-thirds, thirds, dubbed with #1 black lamb's wool
Wings - Golden pheasant tippet barbs tied over the body, with barred teal sections tied in on the sides
Hackle - Badger tied on as a collar and tied back
Head - Black
Fish Flies Volume Two - Terry Hellekson
Roderick Haig-Brown
Hook - Single salmon
Thread - Black
Tail - Claret hackle fibers
Rib - Oval silver tinsel
Body - Pale green or blue silk or wool
Throat - Claret hackle
Wing - Polar bear* (or substitute), sparse, blended orange, blue, green, yellow, olive
*Polar bear in white is hard to find these days let alone dyed colors. I substituted with bucktail
Fly Patterns of Canada - Paul C Marriner
Ches's Black Fly
Hook - Single salmon
Thread - Black
Tip - Flat silver tinsel
Tail - Golden pheasant crest feather
Body - Black floss
Hackle - Cream hackle barbs tied in at the throat
Wing - Black moose hair tied thick and flared over the body
Author's Note
Ches Traverse of Corner Brook, Newfoundland, originated this pattern in 1970.
Fish Flies: The Encyclopedia of the Fly Tier's Art - Terry
Hellekson
Andrew Dutterer
Hook - Single salmon
Thread - Black
Tip - Gold tinsel
Tail - Golden pheasant crest
Ribbing - Gold tinsel
Body - Claret dubbing
Hackle - Black
Wing - Polar bear or substitute
Preacher
Hooks - TMC7999 or DA12441, sizes 4-10
Thread - Black
Tip - Fluorescent orange floss
Tail - Golden pheasant crest feather
Butt - Fluorescent red floss
Ribbing - Oval silver tinsel
Body - Dubbed with black lamb's wool
Wing - Dyed black squirrel tail tied low over the body
Hackle - Black tied on as a collar and tied back
Fish Flies: The Encyclopedia of the Fly Tier's Art - Terry Hellekson
Petite
Hooks - TMC7999 or DA12441, sizes 4-10
Thread - Black
Tip - Lower half, oval silver tinsel; the upper half, yellow floss
Tail - Golden pheasant crest feather
Ribbing - Oval silver tinsel
Body - Black floss
Hackle - Sparse teal blue hackle barbs tied in at the throat
Wing - Yellow over red over yellow bucktail. The wing should be kept very, very sparse
Raymond Pelletier of Matane, Quebec, originated this pattern in 1974
Fish Flies: The Encyclopedia of the Fly Tier's Art - Terry Hellekson
Sneaky
Hooks - TMC7999 or DA12441, sizes 4-10
Thread - Red
Tail - Orange bucktail
Ribbing - Oval gold tinsel
Body - Dubbed with fluorescent orange lamb's wool
Hackle - Black hen hackle barbs tied in at the throat and extending to the point of the hook
Wing - Sparse orange bucktail tied low over the body
Topping - Stands of peacock herl
Authors Note
Mike and Bob Boudreau of Montreal, Canada, originated this pattern in 1992. They have found it to be successful on all of the rivers where it has been used. Mike wrote to me, stating, "The fly has proven to be a great success (actually a bit too successful, you can be off the river early with this one if you are not careful)." During low-water conditions they also tie this fly on fine wire (low-water) hooks down to size 12.
Fish Flies: The Encyclopedia of the Fly Tier's Art - Terry Hellekson