Any one even remotely interested in the history of Atlantic salmon flies has run across the name of William Blacker, the true doyen of 19th century fly tying.

His little 1855 book, The Art of Fly Making, has become one of the most sought after tomes of that era, not just for its beautifully rendered, hand-colored plates of flies and fly tying techniques, but also for its time machine quality: the ability to transport one back to the infancy of the gaudy, fully dressed salmon fly.

Some of my most challenging salmon fly tying was found in this book – just to interpret some the recipes to produce the flies was a chore in itself. To help in this regard, I would like to pass along these interpretations to other tiers. Please note that I do not sue the term “interpretation” lightly, since may of these description are open to some variation. Take, for example, Blacker’s recipe for fly no. 3 on page 107:

“No. 3. This is another of the Spirit Flies that kill so well in the rivers of Ireland and Scotland, at high water, particularly the Spey and Tweed. The wings are made of the following mixtures of feathers, each side of the wings to be alike: Brown mallard, bustard, wood-duck; a topping, scarlet macaw, teal, golden pheasant neck feather, a strip of black ostrich; the tail to be a topping, mixed with green and red parrot tail; the body is composed of joints, first a tip of silver, a tag on morone floss, a tag of black, a joint of brown, green and brown-red hackle, puce and red, green and yellow, blue and orange, with a tip of gold tinsel at each joint, a very small red hackle, and two red toucan feathers round the shoulder, and blue kingfisher’s feather on each side of the wings. The hook N. 6, and No. 10 for Grilse.”

I hope my "translations" will help you gain more enjoyment from tying these truly classic patterns.

Tag: Gold tinsel and puce silk.
Tail: Two toppings.
Butt: Black ostrich herl.
Body: Five equal sections of orange silk with a small tip (two or three turns) of fine gold tinsel at the end of each followed by a scarlet hackle wound as a butt at each joint.
Throat: Purple or dark blue hackle.
Wings: Six toppings with a long strip of summer duck along the top edge on either side--these should reach to just past the bend of the hook; cock of the rock on each side and Himalayan pheasant crest feather over all (possible substitute for this might be an Amherst pheasant crest feather--there is some thought that this may well be what Blacker meant by Himalayan pheasant crest).
Cheeks: Kingfisher.
Horns: Blue and yellow macaw. Head: Black.

Tag: Silver tinsel and gold silk. Tail: A topping and summer duck. Butt: Black ostrich herl.
Ribs: Broad flat silver tinsel.
Throat: Gallina rump followed by jay.
Wings: Mixed golden pheasant tail, bustard, scarlet macaw, summer duck, mallard, yellow macaw body-feather strips and silver pheasant tail with a topping over all.
Horns: Blue and yellow macaw.
Head: Black herl.

Tag: Silver tinsel and maroon silk.
Tail: A topping and green and red parrot tail.
Butt: Black ostrich herl.
Body: first 1/4 of brown silk with a tip of extra-fine oval gold tinsel and a butt of a green and red-brown hackle; 2nd 1/4 of puce silk, a tip as before and a red hackle; 3rd 1/4 of green silk, a tip as before and a yellow hackle; 4th 1/4 of blue silk, a tip as before and an orange hackle.
Throat: A small red hackle and two red toucan.
Wings: An underwing of tippets back to back; brown mallard, bustard, summer duck, scarlet macaw, teal, a strip of yellow macaw with a topping over all.
Horns: Blue and yellow macaw.
Head: Black herl.

Tag: Silver tinsel.
Tail: Two or three hen pheasant fibers and a strip of orange macaw body feather.
Body: Claret pig's wool.
Hackle: Claret from the tail.
Wings: Two unbarred summer duck feathers as the main wing with strips of barred summer duck on either side.
Head: Peacock herl.

Tag: Gold tinsel and gold silk.
Tail: A topping.
Body: Cinnamon or yellow-brown pig's wool or mohair.
Ribs: Double-fine oval silver tinsel.
Hackle: Red-brown from tail.
Wings: Rather broad golden pheasant tail (the underfeathers with the cloudy black barring) with broad white-tipped turkey-tail strips on either side--they can be light brown or cinnamon.
Horns: Scarlet macaw.
Head: Peacock herl.

Tag: Silver tinsel and orange silk.
Tail: A topping, red and powdered blue macaw and Gallina.
Body: Silver monkey or light dun fox or squirrel or blue dun mohair mixed with yellow.
Ribs: Broad flat silver tinsel.
Hackle: Natural dun with a yellowish shade.
Throat: Bright orange with a little orange mohair underneath.
Wings: Golden pheasant tail mixed with red macaw, strips of blue and yellow macaw body feathers, thin strips of golden pheasant tippet near the top of the wing and guinea hen.
Horns: Blue and yellow macaw.
Head: Black.

Hooks: This fly uses a double hook: tie a second hook upside down onto the top of the first about 1/4 of the way down the shank (of the first). Tie the gut loop to the second hook in the normal way (see illustration).
Body: Orange pig's wool and yellow mohair mixed.
Hackle: Use six blue dun saddle hackles with a yellowish hue. Tie in and wrap them two at a time from the tail to the head. The hackle fibers should get progressively longer as you approach the head, to produce a taper throughout.
Head: Add three more of the same colored hackles to make a full head. Finish with peacock herl rather full.

Tag: Gold tinsel.
Butt: Peacock herl.
Body: Yellow, blue and orange silk in equal parts with a butt of peacock herl and two cock of the rock crest feathers as veilings above and below each joint (Popham-style). Note: Blacker's hand-colored engraving of the fly shows what appears to be Indian crow as the body veilings even though the text calls for cock of the rock.
Ribs: Three turns of fine oval gold tinsel on each section.
Throat: Jay.
Wings: Orange, yellow and blue macaw body-feather strips using three strips of each (or dyed swan); teal, bustard, a strip of golden pheasant tippet, silver pheasant tail and golden pheasant tail (the barred side feathers) at top with a topping over all.
Horns: Blue and yellow macaw.
Head: Peacock herl.

Tag: Gold tinsel and yellow-green silk.
Tail: A topping.
Butt: Black ostrich herl.
Body: A tag of blue silk (same size as normal tag); the rest of claret silk.
Ribs: Flat gold tinsel.
Hackle: Claret.
Throat: Jay.
Wings: A pair of jungle cock reaching to the bend of hook; over these a pair of golden pheasant tippets with two long strips of summer duck on either side to reach to the end of the jungle cock. A topping over all.
Head: Black herl.

Tag: Silver tinsel and yellow silk.
Tail: Two toppings.
Body: Golden yellow pig's wool or mohair.
Ribs: Oval silver tinsel.
Hackle: Two golden yellow badger hackles from tail.
Throat: Jay.
Wings: Golden pheasant tippets back to back with fairly broad strips of scarlet macaw tail below and peacock wing above the macaw. The macaw should be longer than all the other feathers.
Head: Black herl.

Tag: Gold tinsel.
Tail: A topping.
Body: Yellow and purple pig's wool or mohair in equal sections.
Ribs: Double-fine gold oval tinsel.
Hackle: Black heron over the purple.
Wings: A few fibers of each of the following: black-andwhite spotted bustard rump, teal, summer duck, silver pheasant hen tail, silver cock pheasant black-and-white spotted tail (Blacker's description), golden pheasant tippet fibers, golden pheasant sword and a topping over all.
Sides: Jungle cock.
Head: Black.

Tag: Gold tinsel and blue and orange silk.
Tail: A topping and golden pheasant sword fibers.
Butt: Black ostrich herl.
Body: 1/4 of yellow mohair with the remainder of puce silk.
Ribs: Two turns of fine oval gold tinsel over the yellow and flat gold tinsel with oval silver tinsel over the silk (five turns).
Hackle: Yellow over the yellow mohair and dark claret over the silk.
Throat: Yellow macaw body feather.
Wings: Underwing of scarlet macaw body feather that has a tip of blue and green; argus pheasant, golden pheasant tail and peacock wing married together as a side veiling to the underwings; scarlet and blue macaw and more peacock wing married together and tied in along the top of the wings with short golden pheasant tippet fibers at the head in front.
Horns: Blue and yellow macaw.
Head: Black.

Tag: Puce silk.
Tail: A topping and ibis.
Body: Yellow-brown mohair.
Ribs: Oval silver tinsel.
Hackle: Yellow.
Throat: Scarlet hackle around the head tied on as a collar after tying in the wing, sides and horns.
Wings: Four toppings with wide summer duck over these (tie them in like you would tippet underwings); golden pheasant tail and tippet fibers at the sides like veilings; a strip of white-tipped turkey tail and Gallina with hen Himalayan pheasant tail with Himalayan pheasant crest over all like the usual topping (Amherst pheasant topping).
Sides: Kingfisher.
Horns: Scarlet macaw.
Head: Black herl.

Tag: Silver tinsel.
Tail: Summer duck.
Butt: Black ostrich herl.
Body: Brown mohair.
Ribs: Oval silver tinsel.
Hackle: Red-brown spotted grouse.
Wings: Mallard, brown turkey and hen pheasant tail.
Horns: Blue and yellow macaw.
Head: Black.

Note: The tag, butt, ribs and horns are not actually listed in Blacker's description, but were deduced from the handcolored engraving accompanying the text.

Tail: Toucan.
Butt: Black herl.
Body: Yellow silk.
Ribs: Gold oval tinsel.
Hackle: Red from the butt.
Throat: Jay.
Wings: Golden pheasant tail (side feathers), scarlet macaw, peacock wing and dark mottled turkey.
Horns: Blue and yellow macaw.
Head: Black.

Note: In Blacker's description of this fly, no ingredients for the wings were listed other than a "neat, gaudily mixed wing." Later in the text he does suggest using predominantly red colors. The above mixing is my own, but you can, of course, use your imagination for your own result.