FLYMPH FORUM

Looks good according to The Fly-Fisher's Entomology description of the Grannom fly tied buzz with a feather from the back of the partridge's neck. The dry adult uses pale ginger hen for the hackle and partridge for the wing.

Love to see your tie when finished!

I think you will find several variations of the Greentail. Here are 2 references that vary slightly from your fly:

Robert Smith's The North County Fly (page 19) referencing James Pickard's Manuscript 1794:
Ash silk lapped with hares scut and light green silk for tail . Legged with freckled woodcock and harled at head with peacock.

Leslie Magee's, Fly Fishing The North Country Tradition (page 142):
Feather from under woodcock's wing. Head, peacock herl. Body, ash-coloured two or three turns green silk at tail.

The biggest difference between these and what you posted seems to be woodcock versus partridge for the hackle. These also add peacock at the head.

Tight Lines- Ken

Yes it is accurate. Looks like you may have used a grey breast feather instead of a Brown back feather but it is probably just the picture.!

Tom

P.S. Check your messages.

Here in Northern California we have a blanket hatch of these Caddis, locally called Mothers Day Caddis. The female indeed has a bright green egg sack which is deposited along the edge of the river bank. Into the water of course. I’ve had some success using a single green bead! However this pattern should work well, I for one are going to give it a try.
B

Here’s the dressing from Pritt’s book

33. GREENTAIL (Grannom Fly).
HOOK – No. 1
WINGS – Hackled with a feather from the inside of a Woodcock's wing, or from a
Partridge's neck, or from under a Hen Pheasant's wing.
BODY – Lead coloured silk, twisted with a little fur from a Hare's face.
TAIL – Green silk, wrapped over lower part of body.

and a link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBGcfPJxIO0) as to how Davey McPhail ties it. I tied a few of these awhile back using a partridge hackle but I think it would probably look better with a Woodcock hackle.

John,
The Greentail (a.k.a. Green Tail) goes waaaaay back, and an "accurate" dressing depends on who wrote the book. Yours is certainly recognizeable as as a Green Tail. The earliest Green Tail recipes were winged flies, but if you're wanting a wingless wet, Pritt's recipe copied above by Bob would be great. My only suggestion might be to accentuate the green tag somewhat and maybe tie a fuller wing with a brown feather from the partridge back. The very first "Green-Tail" recipe by name (Chetham in 1681) used "a little Willow green Wooll mixt at the tail" for the egg mass.

Phil

John

Next time you do a presentation of the old dressings, please let me know. I would have included more in the stuff I recently sent you, although I do think there were a couple of the old dressings including E&L's March Brown.

Bob