Alder Fly

This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Alder Fly.

Alder Fly | www.johnkreft.com

This fly is an old English fly pattern that is hundreds of years old. In fact, some quick Internet research suggests it may have been developed around 1496 when it was included in Dame Juliana Berners first fly fishing book Fysshe and Fysshynge.

I wonder if there is a similar fly in one of my Antique Fly Wallets. Other old fly wallets can be found at Antique Fly Wallets Revisited. I’ll have to check.

I have to be honest. I’ve never fished this fly. Found it and if I were to fish if, I’d do so during a caddis hatch.

I think it would catch fish!

Similar Posts

  • Kinney’s Reverse Spider

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is Mike Kinney’s Reverse Spider. I was asked recently if I would tie the Reverse Spider for a client and thought it would make a great TBT fly. So today I sat down and tied one. I believe the fly pattern he provided was from Les Johnson’s Sea Run:…

  • Tellico Nymph

    The Tellico Nymph is this week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly. This is one I probably tied in the 1970’s. It was a fly pattern out of the American Nymph Fly Tying Manual by Randall Kaufmann. I tied many flies from this book as I learned new fly tying techniques. It fishes well today and is…

  • Goddard Caddis

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Goddard Caddis. Originally known as the G & H Sedge, it was created by John Goddard and Clive Henry in England as a stillwater pattern. Goddard gave the pattern to Andre Puyans (a great fly tyer as well from California) in the 1960’s. Puyans in turn shared…

  • Fan Wing Royal Coachman

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Fan Wing Royal Coachman. This Fan Wing Royal Coachman was tied by Dan Bailey. It’s one of nine flies I was able to document with my camera. Last week’s TBT fly, the Black Bivisible, is the first fly I posted that was tied by Dan. Here is…

  • Rosy Dawn

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Rosy Dawn. I am a neophyte when it comes to Atlantic Salmon flies. I’ve tied the Golden Butterfly for a fly plate and was very satisfied with my first fly. I found several Atlantic Salmon flies in an old fly box given to me and had no…

  • Stranahan’s Black Ant

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is Chuck Stranahan’s Black Ant. I returned to Chuck Stranahan’s Flies & Guides a couple of weeks ago. I was fortunate he wasn’t too busy and I caught him behind the vise. We caught up a bit and he talked more about his original Stranahan’s Brindle Chute I presented back in November 2019….

2 Comments

  1. Hi John,

    The Alder Fly tied as a wet fly and also as a streamer has long been a favorite. Al’s largest river trout (in his life) was taken on an Alder Fly wet-style pattern from the Clark Fork River in north Idaho in 1988. We like to tie the streamer version with a brown or white calf tail wing. Take care & …
    Tight Lines – (Gretchen &) Al Beatty

    Reply

    1. Thanks for the comment Al!

      Your comment is EXACTLY why I enjoy posting older flies. It seems to strike chords/memories in fly fishers and I’m the recipient of their stories! I really enjoy them.

      Thanks again.

      John

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *