The Black & Teal
The Black & Teal is a very simple fly to tie and is also an excellent taker of salmon. Herbert Maxwell states that it was a good standard pattern taking salmon under virtually all conditions, and in all the usual sizes too. On the smallest irons, he used only two jungle cock feathers instead of the normal four that would be employed on the larger patterns.
While Hardy and Hale present an identical Black & Teal pattern in their respective books, their dressing differs from Maxwell's in several ways. They use black Ostrich herl instead of black chenille for the butt, and also use seal's fur exclusively for the body of the fly regardless of hook size. In constructing the wing they also used two sections of teal instead of whole feathers.
Francis Francis also lists the Black & Teal in his book "A Book on Angling", and gives quite a similar dressing to Maxwell's. He praises the fly as being one of the very best flies for the rivers Spey and Tay, and that it is a great taker of trout, sea trout and salmon in all types of water from rivers to lakes. He mentions that some anglers tie a purple shade of the fly with a teal wing, and that this variant is also quite an effective pattern.
The above sample was tied by Marvin Nolte, Bar Nunn, Wyoming, USA and it is a most magnificent specimen. Flytying Ireland would like to thank Marvin for use of the photo.
The Dressing:
Tag: Silver twist and gold silk.
Tail: A topping.
Butt: Black chenille.
Body: One third orange floss, followed by black floss (or seal's fur in larger sizes).
Ribs: Broad silver tinsel.
Hackle: Black cock over black floss only.
Throat: Gallina (the large spotted feather)
Wings: 2 long and two shorter jungle cock nail feathers, two whole teal or pintail feathers and a topping over.
Head: Gold twist.
Notes:
In the above photo, one can see that Marvin Nolte has tied in two of the jungle cock nails as cheeks, thus giving a rather more balanced and pleasing effect to an already lovely and simple fly. He also has pulled out the black seal's fur, thus merging the fur with the black hackle. Masterful touches from an exceptionally talented fly dresser. Those of us fortunate enough to know Marvin personally, appreciate his extremely warm personality, and very generous nature.
The Black & Teal is a very simple fly to tie and is also an excellent taker of salmon. Herbert Maxwell states that it was a good standard pattern taking salmon under virtually all conditions, and in all the usual sizes too. On the smallest irons, he used only two jungle cock feathers instead of the normal four that would be employed on the larger patterns.
While Hardy and Hale present an identical Black & Teal pattern in their respective books, their dressing differs from Maxwell's in several ways. They use black Ostrich herl instead of black chenille for the butt, and also use seal's fur exclusively for the body of the fly regardless of hook size. In constructing the wing they also used two sections of teal instead of whole feathers.
Francis Francis also lists the Black & Teal in his book "A Book on Angling", and gives quite a similar dressing to Maxwell's. He praises the fly as being one of the very best flies for the rivers Spey and Tay, and that it is a great taker of trout, sea trout and salmon in all types of water from rivers to lakes. He mentions that some anglers tie a purple shade of the fly with a teal wing, and that this variant is also quite an effective pattern.
The above sample was tied by Marvin Nolte, Bar Nunn, Wyoming, USA and it is a most magnificent specimen. Flytying Ireland would like to thank Marvin for use of the photo.
The Dressing:
Tag: Silver twist and gold silk.
Tail: A topping.
Butt: Black chenille.
Body: One third orange floss, followed by black floss (or seal's fur in larger sizes).
Ribs: Broad silver tinsel.
Hackle: Black cock over black floss only.
Throat: Gallina (the large spotted feather)
Wings: 2 long and two shorter jungle cock nail feathers, two whole teal or pintail feathers and a topping over.
Head: Gold twist.
Notes:
In the above photo, one can see that Marvin Nolte has tied in two of the jungle cock nails as cheeks, thus giving a rather more balanced and pleasing effect to an already lovely and simple fly. He also has pulled out the black seal's fur, thus merging the fur with the black hackle. Masterful touches from an exceptionally talented fly dresser. Those of us fortunate enough to know Marvin personally, appreciate his extremely warm personality, and very generous nature.