The first patterns many today consider as Classic Salmon Flies were introduced in the late 1700’s. The flies were called the Peacock Fly and the Dragon Fly. In the nineteenth century what we today call works of art were made strictly for utilitarian purposes; they were tied to be fished. They were not tied to be mounted in a glass dome showcase or framed and hung on the office wall.
When the sport of Salmon Fishing became popular, England was a powerful colonial nation upon which the sun never set. Because of this, tiers of the Salmon Fly were able to obtain rare or exotic feathers with which to tie ever more colorful patterns to attract and catch the Atlantic salmon from the rivers of England, Ireland and Scotland. Feathers from birds such as the common Peacock from India, the gigantic Ostriches found in Africa, and the more exotic Jungle Cock of Africa, were becoming easier to obtain and tie with. Macaw, Tucan, and Cock-of-the-Rockfeathers from South America were becoming very popular on many patterns.
Today many of the feathers commonly used by tiers of yesterday are vary hard to find, and in some cases are even unobtainable. An example is the Great...