FLY
Wet Fly
Coachman
Tied by Darrell Olson
Coachman recipe
| Hook | Mustad #3906 or #3906B, size 6 – 16 (Size 10) |
|---|---|
| Thread | Black 8/0 |
| Tag | Gold tinsel |
| Rib | Fine Gold Wire |
| Body | Peacock Herl |
| Hackle | Coachman brown hackle |
| Wing | White slips of duck feather |
About this fly
The Coachman wet fly pattern actually was originated by a Royal Coachman for the royal family of England back in the 1830’s. Tom Bosworth had the Royal Coachman job for George IV, William IV and Queen Victoria. He was an excellent fly dresser (fly tyer) and a superb angler.
What the Coachman imitates
- Fancy / attractor (imitates nothing specific) (adult)
Where the Coachman came from
- Described by John Kirkbride, 1837. Earliest vault record: peacock herl body, gold tip, red hackle, white wild-duck wing; 'not much used' in the North.Source: Kirkbride, The Northern Angler (1837)
- Described by Francis Francis, 1867. Calls it one of the best evening and night flies in midland and southern rivers.Source: Francis, A Book on Angling (1867), General flies p.176
- Originated by Tom Bosworth, England. Foster says royal coachman Tom Bosworth, who drove George IV, William IV and Victoria, originated it for night fishing. / Later account dates Bosworth's creation to the 1830s. / Credits Bosworth; claims the fly was in anglers' guides by 1825. Neither date is backed by a primary source here.Source: Marbury, Favorite Flies and Their Histories (1892), Plate O No.114, p.255 (quoting David Foster, The Scientific Angler) | Royal Coachman: An American Icon (Maryland TU) | The History of Fly-Fishing in Fifty Flies: The Royal Coachman (MidCurrent)
Where sources tell it differently, each account is listed with its own source.
In the old books
Original dressing as pictured in Marbury, Favorite Flies and Their Histories (1892), Plate O, No. 114. The photo above is a later tie, not the original.
Inside the vault every material on this fly opens to its own card, and you can save the fly to your own boxes.
