Blue Bottle

 This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Blue Bottle, another Ray Bergman wet fly.

I found the Blue Bottle on Plate 1, page 23 from Ray Bergman’s Trout, first published in 1938.

Bergman’s book includes 15 colored plates to illustrate the dry and wet flies with a description of each fly in the back. It was the first book to provide color fly illustrations.

I’m not an expert about Ray Bergman, but I look to Don Bastian Wet Flies website whenever I need information or clarification. Don is a well known fly tyer, author, and speaker and has recreated the fly plates found in Trout. His flies are works of art! One of Bastian’s post entitled Ray Bergman – Some Clarification and Edification will provide additional history about Ray Bergman, if you are so inclined to learn more.

Here is the fly pattern recipe from the Full Description of Flies Shown in Color Plates in the final pages of Trout. The materials order is as listed in the book:

Blue Bottle

Note: The fly is tied on an older Mustad 3906 hook, size 8.

Enjoy…go fish!