Mark Lain

This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Mark Lain, another wet fly from Ray Bergman’s book Trout (1938).

Since it’s Thanksgiving, I decided to find an old fly incorporating a turkey wing. It just seems fitting…

You’ll find this fly on Plate No. 5, page 84 of Bergman’s book.

I like the elegance and simplicity of a Ray Bergman wet fly. The Mark Lain dressing has a married-tail, where I’ve selected 2 fibers each of red and white duck quills. I’m a novice with the married-tail and wet fly wings of turkey or duck. One of the reasons to include the Ray Bergman flies for TBT is to force myself to tie them. I preach practice, practice, practice for becoming good at tying the flies I fish (like Sparkle Duns), so I thought I should listen to myself!

I’ve selected several wet flies for my Throw Back Thursday Fly segment from Ray Bergman’s book . An easy method of finding all of them is to click on the words “Ray Bergman Flies” under CATEGORIES in the right-hand column on this page. If you are a regular at RiverKeeper Flies, you recall 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:

Wilson Lain

Note: The fly is tied on an older Mustad 3906B hook, size 10.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Enjoy…go fish!