FLY
Classic Wet Fly
King of the Water
Tied by Christian Andrews
King of the Water recipe
| Hook | #6 sproat (blind and snelled) |
|---|---|
| Thread | claret silk (or red silk if the head is lacquered with old dark lacquer) |
| Tag | silver wire or fine tinsel |
| Rib | silver wire or fine tinsel |
| Body | red floss |
| Hackle | brown or red brown soft long |
| Wings | mallard flank |
About this fly
This is the “pre-tail” version from Favorite Flies and Their Histories (1892) by Mary Orvis Marbury.
What the King of the Water imitates
- Fancy / attractor (imitates nothing specific)
Where the King of the Water came from
- Originated by unknown. Very old fly that 'has outlived its records'; Marbury cannot say when first used or who named it.Source: Marbury, Favorite Flies and Their Histories (1892), p.317
In the old books
Original dressing as pictured in Marbury, Favorite Flies and Their Histories (1892), Plate R, No. 165. 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.
