Gray Hackle Yellow

Gray Hackle Yellow — tied by Unknown

By Unknown, submitted by Mike Cline.

Description

The Gray Hackle Yellow is a traditional American wet fly pattern with roots in the Southern Appalachian fly tradition, particularly in the Smoky Mountains. Its exact origin is not definitively recorded, but it is widely attributed to “Uncle” Mark Cathey, a pre–World War II master angler and guide from Bryson City, North Carolina. Cathey was known for fishing this fly as one of the few dry flies he used, and it became a top choice among Cherokee anglers. The pattern evolved from ancient European spider fly designs brought over by early anglers, and it was traditionally tied with a red tail and in tail-less versions. The original body was tied with a single strand of yellow floss as a “keeper,” later replaced by a wrapped floss body with counter-wrapped ribbing. While Cathey is credited with popularizing it in the Southern Appalachia region, the fly’s design likely has European origins dating back to the early 1900s, when many Southern Appalachian wet and spider flies were adapted from English patterns. It has since been tied and fished by other tiers, including James Leisenring, who included it in his 23-wet-fly series, and it remains a staple in dry, wet and soft hackle forms. The pattern has special meaning for me. In the late 1950s my parents would book a one-week vacation in the Mammoth Lakes region of the Eastern Sierra. My dad was always a novice at fishing but during those trips we fished every day in the creeks and lakes in the area. When it came to getting fishing advice, my dad relied on the sales guy at the Big 5 Sporting Goods store near our home in SoCal. For the Mammoth Lakes trips the ticket was a Gray Hackle Yellow dry fly attached to a plastic water-filled bubble for casting weight. He didn’t know how to fly fish, but with a Mitchell 300 spinning reel and cheap glass rod you could cast that bubble/fly combo a long way. No matter what lake we visited, those Gray Hackle Yellow flies did the trick. We ate a lot of trout on those trips.

Tying Process

The 1961 Dan Bailey Flies catalog lists the Gray Hackle Yellow among its "Standard Dry Flies" for 40 cents each or $4.80 per dozen. The Gray Hackle Yellow is also listed under "Standard We Flies" for 30 cents each of $3.60 per dozen.

Materials

Hooks

Target species: Trout

Fly types: Dry Fly, Wet Fly