Parmacheene Belle
Fly of the Month 12.19
Most fly patterns are designed to imitate insects or larger creatures including other fish which are eaten by trout. Streamers are typically used to imitate baitfish tied on streamer hooks. Anglers know that large trout and salmon eat bigger fish, including other trout that range in size well beyond even some of the largest hooks made. So how does one imitate another large fish that is likely the food that large trout or salmon pursue?
Select a part of a fish that stands out, imitate that specific part on a typical sized hook and you have an imitative, uh … suggestive, uh. … attractor fly pattern that will likely catch a fish’s eye, fool them as if another sizeable fish is before them in trouble and ready to be eaten. In this case, a fin.
Trout Fin Flies
Since brook trout have very colorful fins, the unusual fly patterns we present here are all related to imitating a brook trout fin. We do not know if a large trout or salmon sees a loose piece of a brook trout fin or they key on the look of the fin as if there is a brook trout before them yet fail to notice or be wary that a whole fish is not present.
When the water level is falling from recent thundershowers, yet the water remains up quite a bit and off color, and you could see bottom in three feet of water trout fin flies will work well in “sizes 8, 10 and 12 are good for catching brookies.”
Parmacheene Belle
The Parmacheene Belle wet fly pattern was created about 1878 - named after Parmacheene Lake, in the Pine Tree State, Maine. The lake was named after Parmacheene, son of the Indian chief Metalluk. The lake was a favorite locale of Henry P. Wells (1842-1904). By his own admission, the fly pattern is “his own child” which he used to fish for Ouananiche (land-locked Atlantic salmon). The Parmacheene fly is supposed to imitate the fin of a trout.
Wells was born in Providence, Rhode Island. He served in the Army from 1863 to 1865 in the 13th New York Artillery. Wells was admitted to New York Bar in 1869. He wrote Fly Rods and Fly Tackle, the most authoritative book of its kind up to that time in 1885 and is still a good read. Wells also wrote American Salmon Fishing in 1886.
Wells was president of the National Rod and Reel Association from 1887 to 1889. He was one of the first to advocate steel for rods, an idea carried out by Everett Horton, who patented a steel rod on March 8, 1887.
“This fly somewhat resembles the ‘No Name,’ figured as No. 15 of Lake Flies in this book. As I tie it, the tail is two strands of white and two of scarlet; the body of yellow mohair, with silver tinsel; the hackle double; first white, with a scarlet hackle wound over this – capping the former so to speak; the wing white, striped with scarlet. By scarlet the color of the red ibis is to be understood.” – the Parmacheene Belle as described by Wells from his chapter titled Fly-Fishing in the Rangeley Region, p. 90, in his book, Fishing With the Fly published in 1883.
Used to catch trout and land-locked salmon in Maine, and in lakes in other northeastern states including Pennsylvania, the Parmacheene Belle, according to originator Henry P. Wells’ writings, the brook trout fin was the concept for his fly design. However, there is no orange in his pattern, and the fly pattern has a yellow body yet there is no yellow in a brook trout fin. In this case, the Parmacheene Belle, the Kineo, and perhaps the King of the Woods could all be considered as possible brook trout fin wet flies.
Bergman’s Group (Classic Fontinalis Fin Wet Flies)
There are six historic trout fin wet fly patterns: The Bergman Fontinalis, Fontinalis Fin, Brook Fin, Trout Fin, Brookie Fin, and Armstrong Fontinalis. Three of these flies, the Bergman Fontinalis, Fontinalis Fin, and Armstrong Fontinalis were all created by Michigan angler and fly tier, Phil Armstrong. The Brook Fin was published in H. J. Noll’s Guide to Trout Flies; the Brookie Fin debuted in Helen Shaw’s, Flies for Fish and Fishermen: The Wet Flies, 1989; and the Trout Fin was presented in Ray Bergman’s final book, With Fly, Plug, and Bait, 1947, sent to him by fly tier Bert Quimby, of South Windham, Maine, as being a favored brook trout wet fly pattern for fishing in Maine. It does not list who created that fly, but there is a strong possibility it was originated by Quimby. The Armstrong Fontinalis was the last of these fly patterns, a rather Johnny-come-lately fly, around 2006. It was published in the book by William Blades, Fishing Flies and Fly Tying, 1951.
The Bergman Fontinalis was created in honor Ray Bergman. At the time Trout was published in 1938, Bergman was the preeminent angling author in the country, having served as angling editor of Outdoor Life magazine since 1934. It was a position he held for thirty-four years.
Fin Fly
The Fin Fly, a soft red bodied Coachman was created by Albert Walker of Bennington, Vermont who sought to imitate a brook trouts fin with a coachman-like fly pattern.
Sweeney Fontinalis
In 1940, Phil Armstrong made a freak fly to specifically imitate the fin of a brook trout. He started with an improvised fly that had an actual trout fin for a wing. He then copied the improved fly replacing the actual fin with dyed goose quill feathers. The fly was just a stunt until Phil found out it readily took fish. Armstrong named it the Sweeney Fontinalis fly, after his hometown friend John Sweeney, of Detroit, Michigan.
If you are looking for some enjoyable tying with a bit of a challenge or want to experiment fishing with some new fly patterns, give the Bergman Fontinalis a try.
Trout Fin Flies:
Parmacheene Belle
Bergman Fontinalis
Fontinalis Fin
Brook Fin
Trout Fin
Brookie Fin
Armstrong Fontinalis
Fin Fly
Sweeney Fontinalis
Tom Adams and Alen Baker
References:
Smedley, Harold Hinsdill. Fly Patterns and Their Origins, 1944
Bergman Fontinalis (as tied by Don Bastian in 2019)
Hook: #4 Mustad 3399 wet fly hook.
Thread: Danville Flymaster 6/0 #100 Black
Hook: Standard wet fly hook, sizes #2 to #10
Tail: White, natural dark gray, married to and topping slightly wider section of orange, duck or goose quill may be used, in two sections (left and right side)
Body: Alternate ribs of dark gray and orange wool
Hackle: Dark gray
Wing: White, dark gray, married to and topping wider section of orange
Head: Black
Note: Goose wing quill sections - two barbs each of the white and gray for the tail; three barbs of orange. In the wing, three barbs each of white and gray. The natural dark gray quill sections are best obtained from Canada goose feathers. The hackle is tied as a throat, wound collar style, from the tip end of a gray schlappen feather. The ends of schlappen feathers make great wet fly hackles in larger hook sizes; the stems are very soft, supple, and very small in diameter, so they wrap nicely, and build no bulk at the tie-in point of the wing. The barb density is low, make five to six wraps when using schlappen in this fashion.
Most fly patterns are designed to imitate insects or larger creatures including other fish which are eaten by trout. Streamers are typically used to imitate baitfish tied on streamer hooks. Anglers know that large trout and salmon eat bigger fish, including other trout that range in size well beyond even some of the largest hooks made. So how does one imitate another large fish that is likely the food that large trout or salmon pursue?
Select a part of a fish that stands out, imitate that specific part on a typical sized hook and you have an imitative, uh … suggestive, uh. … attractor fly pattern that will likely catch a fish’s eye, fool them as if another sizeable fish is before them in trouble and ready to be eaten. In this case, a fin.
Trout Fin Flies
Since brook trout have very colorful fins, the unusual fly patterns we present here are all related to imitating a brook trout fin. We do not know if a large trout or salmon sees a loose piece of a brook trout fin or they key on the look of the fin as if there is a brook trout before them yet fail to notice or be wary that a whole fish is not present.
When the water level is falling from recent thundershowers, yet the water remains up quite a bit and off color, and you could see bottom in three feet of water trout fin flies will work well in “sizes 8, 10 and 12 are good for catching brookies.”
Parmacheene Belle
The Parmacheene Belle wet fly pattern was created about 1878 - named after Parmacheene Lake, in the Pine Tree State, Maine. The lake was named after Parmacheene, son of the Indian chief Metalluk. The lake was a favorite locale of Henry P. Wells (1842-1904). By his own admission, the fly pattern is “his own child” which he used to fish for Ouananiche (land-locked Atlantic salmon). The Parmacheene fly is supposed to imitate the fin of a trout.
Wells was born in Providence, Rhode Island. He served in the Army from 1863 to 1865 in the 13th New York Artillery. Wells was admitted to New York Bar in 1869. He wrote Fly Rods and Fly Tackle, the most authoritative book of its kind up to that time in 1885 and is still a good read. Wells also wrote American Salmon Fishing in 1886.
Wells was president of the National Rod and Reel Association from 1887 to 1889. He was one of the first to advocate steel for rods, an idea carried out by Everett Horton, who patented a steel rod on March 8, 1887.
“This fly somewhat resembles the ‘No Name,’ figured as No. 15 of Lake Flies in this book. As I tie it, the tail is two strands of white and two of scarlet; the body of yellow mohair, with silver tinsel; the hackle double; first white, with a scarlet hackle wound over this – capping the former so to speak; the wing white, striped with scarlet. By scarlet the color of the red ibis is to be understood.” – the Parmacheene Belle as described by Wells from his chapter titled Fly-Fishing in the Rangeley Region, p. 90, in his book, Fishing With the Fly published in 1883.
Used to catch trout and land-locked salmon in Maine, and in lakes in other northeastern states including Pennsylvania, the Parmacheene Belle, according to originator Henry P. Wells’ writings, the brook trout fin was the concept for his fly design. However, there is no orange in his pattern, and the fly pattern has a yellow body yet there is no yellow in a brook trout fin. In this case, the Parmacheene Belle, the Kineo, and perhaps the King of the Woods could all be considered as possible brook trout fin wet flies.
Bergman’s Group (Classic Fontinalis Fin Wet Flies)
There are six historic trout fin wet fly patterns: The Bergman Fontinalis, Fontinalis Fin, Brook Fin, Trout Fin, Brookie Fin, and Armstrong Fontinalis. Three of these flies, the Bergman Fontinalis, Fontinalis Fin, and Armstrong Fontinalis were all created by Michigan angler and fly tier, Phil Armstrong. The Brook Fin was published in H. J. Noll’s Guide to Trout Flies; the Brookie Fin debuted in Helen Shaw’s, Flies for Fish and Fishermen: The Wet Flies, 1989; and the Trout Fin was presented in Ray Bergman’s final book, With Fly, Plug, and Bait, 1947, sent to him by fly tier Bert Quimby, of South Windham, Maine, as being a favored brook trout wet fly pattern for fishing in Maine. It does not list who created that fly, but there is a strong possibility it was originated by Quimby. The Armstrong Fontinalis was the last of these fly patterns, a rather Johnny-come-lately fly, around 2006. It was published in the book by William Blades, Fishing Flies and Fly Tying, 1951.
The Bergman Fontinalis was created in honor Ray Bergman. At the time Trout was published in 1938, Bergman was the preeminent angling author in the country, having served as angling editor of Outdoor Life magazine since 1934. It was a position he held for thirty-four years.
Fin Fly
The Fin Fly, a soft red bodied Coachman was created by Albert Walker of Bennington, Vermont who sought to imitate a brook trouts fin with a coachman-like fly pattern.
Sweeney Fontinalis
In 1940, Phil Armstrong made a freak fly to specifically imitate the fin of a brook trout. He started with an improvised fly that had an actual trout fin for a wing. He then copied the improved fly replacing the actual fin with dyed goose quill feathers. The fly was just a stunt until Phil found out it readily took fish. Armstrong named it the Sweeney Fontinalis fly, after his hometown friend John Sweeney, of Detroit, Michigan.
If you are looking for some enjoyable tying with a bit of a challenge or want to experiment fishing with some new fly patterns, give the Bergman Fontinalis a try.
Trout Fin Flies:
Parmacheene Belle
Bergman Fontinalis
Fontinalis Fin
Brook Fin
Trout Fin
Brookie Fin
Armstrong Fontinalis
Fin Fly
Sweeney Fontinalis
Tom Adams and Alen Baker
References:
Smedley, Harold Hinsdill. Fly Patterns and Their Origins, 1944
Bergman Fontinalis (as tied by Don Bastian in 2019)
Hook: #4 Mustad 3399 wet fly hook.
Thread: Danville Flymaster 6/0 #100 Black
Hook: Standard wet fly hook, sizes #2 to #10
Tail: White, natural dark gray, married to and topping slightly wider section of orange, duck or goose quill may be used, in two sections (left and right side)
Body: Alternate ribs of dark gray and orange wool
Hackle: Dark gray
Wing: White, dark gray, married to and topping wider section of orange
Head: Black
Note: Goose wing quill sections - two barbs each of the white and gray for the tail; three barbs of orange. In the wing, three barbs each of white and gray. The natural dark gray quill sections are best obtained from Canada goose feathers. The hackle is tied as a throat, wound collar style, from the tip end of a gray schlappen feather. The ends of schlappen feathers make great wet fly hackles in larger hook sizes; the stems are very soft, supple, and very small in diameter, so they wrap nicely, and build no bulk at the tie-in point of the wing. The barb density is low, make five to six wraps when using schlappen in this fashion.
Parmacheene Belle Recipe
Hook : Wet Fly, Mustad 3906, size 8,10,12
Thread : Veevus 12/0 Black
Body : Yellow Sparkle Yarn with Silver Tinsel
Tail : Red and White Duck Quill
Butt: Black Ostrich
Wings : Red and White Duck Quill
Beard : Red and White Strung Saddle Hackle
NOTE: This is a classic wet fly pattern using married quills for wings and tail. This is an intimidating skill, but, in actuality not a difficult as many others. Mastering this will open a whole world of beautiful and historic fish catching patterns. Give it a go.
Directions :
Use thread wraps to form a nice head and whip finish. Trim the thread. Varnish the head.
Hook : Wet Fly, Mustad 3906, size 8,10,12
Thread : Veevus 12/0 Black
Body : Yellow Sparkle Yarn with Silver Tinsel
Tail : Red and White Duck Quill
Butt: Black Ostrich
Wings : Red and White Duck Quill
Beard : Red and White Strung Saddle Hackle
NOTE: This is a classic wet fly pattern using married quills for wings and tail. This is an intimidating skill, but, in actuality not a difficult as many others. Mastering this will open a whole world of beautiful and historic fish catching patterns. Give it a go.
Directions :
- Mount the hook in the vise
- Begin thread wraps three eye lengths from eye and take tight and touching turns to the hook bend and let the bobbin hang
- Select a pair of white duck quills and a set of red duck quill. Match one red with one white, i.e. make a left set and a right set. Starting with one side (left or right) and starting about one quarter of the way up from the bottom of the quill, trim out about 1/8th inch of quill from both colors. Set aside and repeat with the other side of quills.
- Choose the white slip from one side and the matching red slip and after matching the curves of each slip hold in your left hand being careful not to push the two together yet. Look at the photo for guidance for what the tail will look like. This is “marrying” the feathers. Align the tips of the two slips with the one on top (in this case, red) is slightly longer than the other white slip. Once the tips are set and you are holding both slips by the base of the feathers you can, gently, join the slips by holding one against the other and making a slight compression with your right thumb and finger. It is remarkable as to how easy this really is. Seems much more difficult than it is. Take your time, you will be surprised. Repeat this with the other pair of slips.
- Match up the married slips with the natural curves facing out. Hold the slips tightly and make a pinch wrap at the hook bend being careful to keep the feathers on top of the hook shank. Secure with a tight wrap or two and advance the thread toward the eye, trapping the feather butts with thread wraps. Do your best to make the thread wraps even in order to maintain a smooth body. Do not go closer than three eye lengths from the eye and return the thread in tight, touching wraps to the tail. Let the bobbin hang
- Select a single black ostrich barb. Notice the natural curve of the feather. Tie in with the curve facing the eye. These are long barbs and do not use the inch or so near the base. Begin tight and touching turns of the ostrich and you will see the thick stem on the eye side, no worries, this will be covered. Make about five turns of ostrich, or what you find proportional, secure and trim the waste. Let the bobbin hang
- Select a three or four inch length of silver tinsel. Tie in immediately in front of the ostrich and advance the thread to the eye. Let the bobbin hang.
- Select a three or four inch section of sparkle yarn. Use a small comb to comb out loose fibers and it will also thin out some fibers. Once the fibers are aligned and basically even in length, use your scissors to even one end. Trim enough that all of the fibers on that end are completely even. Tie in the even end of sparkle yarn, about three eye lengths back from the eye. Do not make more than three or fours wraps to secure the sparkle yarn. Make open turns of thread toward the tail, securing the sparkle yarn on top of the hook shank. Return the thread in open turns to the tie in point of sparkle yarn. Let the bobbin hang.
- The sparkle yarn will spread out to an even width as you make wraps toward the eye. Make slightly overlapping and even thickness wraps to the bobbin. Tie off with two or three thread wraps and trim the sparkle yarn waste. Let the bobbin hang.
- Advance the tinsel in very open turns, about five, to the bobbin and tie in with two or three thread wraps. Trim the waste. Let the bobbin hang.
- Select one red saddle hackle and one white saddle hackle with barbs long enough to reach beyond the hook barb when tied in. Align the red on top of the white and align the tips before pulling away from the stem. The quantity is fairly heavy, ten or so of each color. Hold the barbs at an angle at the end of where the sparkle yarn is tied in and secure underneath with two or three turns of thread. Make any adjustments to the length or alignment now. The barbs should be slightly short to the hook point and directly underneath. Once the position is good, make several firm wraps to secure. Let the bobbin hang.
- Repeat the earlier process with the duck quill, but, marry white/red/white quills.
Use thread wraps to form a nice head and whip finish. Trim the thread. Varnish the head.