The "Spruce" a fly created by a angler named Godfrey from Seaside, Oregon. It was designed to take summer and fall runs of cutthroat trout from Oregon streams. By it's design it was probably made to imitate an insect found in the stands of Oregon spruce. The fly is now considered to be a streamer and has a reputation of being favored by brown and rainbow trout. The history of the "Spruce" is long. And the reference of it's tying and history comes from the pages of Joe Bates book "Streamer Fly Tying and Fishing" which is considered the bible of streamer patterns.
I'm sure you will find some variations of the Spruce online, I know the first Spruce I fished looked different than the actual pattern. Reason being it is easier to tie then the original. The splayed wings can be a bit tricky to tie in. The Spruce I first fished was purchased at Kittery Trading Post in Maine.
The "Spruce...Hook TMC 300 #10... tail, peacock swords...body, red wool, then peacock herl...wing, silver badger hackle splayed so they form a "V"...collar silver badger.
The "Spruce" is sometimes tied with golden badger hackle. All of the other materials are the same with the exception of the hackle.
That is a winner..beautiful tie..I've always liked a florescent aspect..and those wings!..nice work Alan
ReplyDeletepenbayman
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Mike those flies worked very well in Rangeley.
Congrats on the publication of your article in the Mar 2018 issue of "The Salter" re Red Brook, as a destination. I wish it were longer and more detailed. Nevertheless, nice work Alan.
ReplyDeleteJohn Dornik
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John I wrote that piece last year. I forgot about it until I saw it in my e-mail. I'm not a big guy on words, photos are my thing. And if you want details I Strongly suggest you pay Red Brook a visit. A special place.
Alan
ReplyDeleteAmazing work at the vice----ashame a trout has to ruffle the feathers of this special fly??? Great post, thanks for sharing
Bill Trussell
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Bill it's a tough fly, designed for steelhead.
When I was up on the Deschutes they fished a similar fly for Steelhead. Down in California we fish steelhead with Rainbow flies. Wooly Buggers and the like. The flies up there don't work down here.
ReplyDeleteMark Kautz
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Mark that fly is an excellent fly for steelhead, they use it a great deal out west.
Alan
ReplyDeleteAnother work of art. We might have to give it a test run on the Farmy!!!
TROUT1
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Pete it's a fly that would work well on the Farmington. I'll have to hook you up with a few.
Nice tie Alan......
ReplyDeleteWhat fish can resist a fly with dadger hackle and Peacock sword in the mix?
Alistair
Badger!!!!!!
DeleteAnonymous
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Alistair both ingredients are lethal.
Correction so noted mate.
Beautiful streamers, Alan. You tie flies with the best of them. Are those destined for the Farmington?
ReplyDeleteRegards, Sam
Parachute Adams
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Sam I have and will use these streamers in the Farmy.
They have worked well in other streams as conditions will allow them to be worked.
Beautifully done Alan I love where the overall profile of the fly is the natural feather, I would like to see that image as its being stopped through the water. Very nice . Thankyou.
ReplyDeleteBrad Basehore
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Brad they work well. The feathers open and close as they are worked through the water. Lots of life and color.
Some notes on the Spruce Fly. Although Joseph Bates description and written history of the Spruce Fly seems very concise and complete it is not without controversy, both in the history and the pattern recipe itself. Roy Patrick, longtime proprietor of Patrick’s Flies in Seattle, Washington lists three variations of the Spruce in his book Northwest Fly Patterns (1964 and 1970, I have both editions) with #2 being listed as the original. The body proportions are listed as 1/3 red wool, 2/3 peacock herl. #1 lists the red wool only as a butt with the body being peacock herl. In his notes on the fly he emphatically states, “For the record, Spruce Fly first designed by Mooch Abrams, Oregon.” Indeed, Mooch Abrams (Abrahams) name is often found in association with Godfrey. In Trey Combs “Steelhead Fly Fishing and Flies” (1976) he seems to avoid discussing any controversy and mentions The Godfrey Special as an early example of this fly named “presumably after its originator.” He lists the body construction as “rear quarter red floss or wool, balance peacock herl”. My own experience with the Spruce goes back to 1964 as a ten year old boy trying to learn fly fishing and fly tying in the complete vacuum of a small western Oregon logging and mill town. My family’s trips to the city, Salem, were few and far between but I always was able to go to the Meier and Frank department store where my mother liked to shop for clothes. This store had a nice Sporting Goods department with one of the few selections of flies available anywhere in the area. The flies were tied in the Portland store by a famous tyer named Audrey Joy. She tied beautiful flies and customers would stack up around her to watch. With a lot of patterns that I had only heard of and never saw going to M&F meant taking my notebook and sketching the flies and making a list of the materials so I could duplicate them later. One thing I’ve always done is stay true to patterns and although my early notebook has long ago disappeared I’m pretty sure that the Spruce I tie today is the same as the Audrey Joy pattern that I saw as a ten year old. This fly has a nearly balanced body of 1/2 red floss, and 1/2 peacock herl.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I have enjoyed Joseph Bates book for decades as with most things there is another side to the story. I am a firm believer that the fly a person ties and has confidence in is the one they should use. I hope you find this both interesting and useful.
Regards, Phil Foster
Jacksonville, Oregon
Anonymous
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Phil, thank you for your valuable insight on the Spruce Fly. I see your memory recalls the body being half red floss and half peacock herl. I have seen this fly tied like this. I find that this pattern is tied with both silver badger and golden badger wings. In Bates book he makes no mention of golden badger.
I also read somewhere that the Spruce was first tied back in the early 1900's.
Your last paragraph has been the way I go about tying and fishing flies for years.
Again I as well as the followers of SSR's appreciate your insight.
Alan,
ReplyDeleteVery beautifly tied pattern and certainly worthy of service on big waters and small! I am particularly enamored with your winging work with feathers. This is a skill that has gotten by me for some reason over the years and when I look at your version, I have an "ahhh" moment and know that perfection is possible at your vice and with your capable hands!
Please keep feeding us with these choice patterns! They are so much appreciated!
Dougsden
Dougsden
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Doug my plan is to fish this fly on some larger rivers as well as a few lakes. As far as the wings go I have seen some of your work and you have all that's needed to tie flies like this. Getting ready to tie another variation of this fly as told in Bate's book.
Great pattern, I've never tied with the wings split though. I'll have to give that a shot. I've caught a few bookies on this pattern in the Western Maine area. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteMainefly207 Chris
Anonymous
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Chris, Maine is where I first saw this fly. After purchasing it in Kittery I fished in Rangeley. The first fish I caught on it was a fat LL salmon. I have done well over the years fishing this fly at upperdam.
Yes, you are correct. Almost all sources trace it to Seaside, Oregon during the mid 1930’s. Only my opinion here, but since it was originally tied to catch searun cutthroats I believe it has always been an attractor pattern as are almost all of these patterns. It varied from the dictate for searun cutthroat though, “they will take any color fly as long as that color is yellow.” As far as it imitating a specific insect, there may be some confusion with another Pacific Northwest pattern that came out of Montana in the 1950’s or 1960’s called the Spruce Moth. This pattern is a dry fly tied to imitate the adult when they appear in their mating swarms, size 10-12 dry fly hook, deer hair tail, cream wool body, divided deer hair wing, and ginger hackle. This destructive insect appears for a few weeks in huge swarms.
ReplyDeletePhil Foster
Phil, the colors of the Spruce will turn on any brook trout. I also see where a rainbow will find it to their liking. Now to consider it an insect is a stretch, perhaps a stone fly on steroids.
DeleteSearching through the book Forgotten Flies I came across another variation of the Spruce.
Thank you for the comment.