A great majority of likely have the makings
From Buckland & Oglesby- A Guide To Salmon Flies.
The Lady
Caroline (left, by Bill Chinn) seems to be the only Spey pattern
genuinely to have survived: the rest, for their history and odd
appearance, continue to be quoted. Jorgensen lists Black Heron,
Gray Heron, Brown Heron, Carron, Gold Riach, Lady Caroline, Orange
Heron and Purple King. He emphasises the need for long-shank fine-wire
hooks, and he also points out that the bronze mallard strips for
the wings should be lighter in the root to keep fadhful to the
pattern style The body hackles are tied in butt-end first, giving
longer fibres at the tail and resulting in a sputtering shrimp-like
appearance. They are wound in the opposite spiral to, and are
bound down by, the rib. While the hackle is long and flowing,
the wing is short - only as long as the body (if as long as that)
and the swathes of mallard (or other prescribed winging material)
are broader than Dee strip-wing fibres, but tied in in much the
same way. The result is a neatly 'roofed' fly like the underside
of a keel-less racing boat, with a hump-backed appearance which
looks rather wicked.
Lady Caroline
This is the only'standard' Spey pattern still current, and one of the few earlier Spey standards to have a tail. Hardy's have listed it consistently, though, with the impetus Wood gave to it as one of his greased-line patterns, mostly as a low-water dressing. It was named after Lady Caroline Gordon-Lennox, daughter of the then Duke of Richmond and Gordon at Gordon Castle. Grimble gives a further Spey 'Lady' fly: Lady Florence. He includes Lord March and Miss Elinor as well.
Dressing:
Tag: None
Tail: The tip out of a golden pheasant feather
Body: Brown and olive-green Berlin wool mixed 2 parts to 1.
Rib: Flat gold and oval silver and gold. Hackle: Grey heron.
Throat: Golden pheasant breast feather.
Wing: Bronze mallard with light roots, pent style.
Gold
Reeach (Riach)
Kelson noted that the Golden Riach killed best in spring and autumn. The pattern was 'high fly' in a five-year comparison of flies from I August to 15 October at Wester Elchies. According to Knox, the Silver Riach has an allblack body, grey spey-cock hackle, and emphasis on silver in the ribbing.
Dressing
Tag:None
Tail: None
Body: Three turns of orange Berlin wool, the rest black wool.
Rib: Flat narrow gold, gold twist and silver twist, from different
starting points, tied
contra- rotating.
Hackle: Red spey, contra-rotating.
Throat: Teal - two turns.
Wing: Bronze mallard with light roots.
Green King
Kelson's rib is more complicated: gold tinsel (narrow), silver tinsel (narrow), and light-olivegreen thread. The tinsels are wound on equally spaced apart. The hackle is then wound in and the green thread is tied crossing over the hackle stem. This pattern was said to be particularly effective as a representation of the stonef ly (known locally as the Green King) at about the end of April, and was thus a true imitative pattern,
Dressing
Tag: None.
Tail: None.
Body: A mixture of light- and dark green, brown and yellow Berlin
wools, or green wool.
Rib: Flat silver and oval gold.
Hackle: Red spey, tied contra-rotating.
Throat:Teal two turns.
Wing: Bronze mallard with light roots, pent style.
From T.E. Pryce-Tannatt-How to Dress Salmon Flies
Illustration for tying a spey:
Green King (hook, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches).
Body: Green Berlin wool.
Ribs: Flat gold and silver tinsels and gold thread.
Throat: Widgeon.
Wings: Brown Mallard Strips. (short)
Today's tyers and anglers have the freedom to go anywhere they
want with speys. From the reduced pattern speys to a presentation
spey, speys are fun.
And from anglers, they catch fish.
Bill
Chinn, Jr., GLENTANA
Dave
McNeese spey interputation, using non-norm spey hackling. Note
tail.
John
Shewey spey. This one has alittle of everything.
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