Kelson’s Most Mysterious Fly: The Una

The Una, featured in the Fly Pattern Dictionary, is a classic Atlantic salmon fly developed by George M. Kelson.

The Una fly pattern featured in The Salmon Fly by George M. Kelson is an interesting pattern for a couple of reasons. One, Kelson makes no mention of why he named the fly “The Una,” and two, why the pattern was not discussed in other early Victorian works or even later in Frodin’s Classic Salmon Flies.

The name “Una” comes from two possibilities. First, Victorian fly-tyers—Kelson included—frequently named their most elaborate patterns after famous contemporary symbols of speed, luxury, or high society. This has led some historians to believe the fly was named after a famous American yacht called the Una. This boat was a “catboat” (a wide, shallow boat with a single large sail) brought to Cowes, England, in 1853 by the Marquis of Conyngham. The Una was so much faster and more maneuverable than the British boats of the time that it caused a “revolution” in racing circles. The design became so popular that similar boats in England were simply called “Una boats” for decades.

Another potential origin, and more likely, comes from the characters “Una and the Lion” featured in a poem, The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser. The image of these characters was depicted on an 1839 gold coin, with Queen Victoria as Una walking with a lion. Adding to this notion—that the coin was the reason for naming the pattern Una—is that Kelson included another pattern, The Lion, in his 1895 book.

In terms of the pattern having utility on the water, Kelson first popularized the pattern in the 1880s through his columns in the sporting journals Land and Water and The Fishing Gazette before officially making it a “standard fly” in his 1895 book.

Kelson was a regular on the River Usk in Wales, so he was clearly influenced by what worked well, and this serves as the reason “The Una” is listed as a “standard fly” (meaning it was meant to work anywhere). It clearly belongs to the era of high contrast, “fluttering” flies that Kelson championed for the rocky, clear pools of the Usk. It was also considered a “bright weather” fly. Because of the blue seal’s fur and the jay throat, it was designed to catch the light in clear water, making it a favorite for late-morning or early-afternoon fishing when the sun was high.

So if the pattern was a Kelson favorite, and was considered a standard fly, why was it not featured in other seminal Victorian works of the time?

A.E. Knox (Autumns on the Spey, 1872): Knox’s work is primarily famous for its unique list of Spey flies (such as the Gold Riach and Green King). These flies are characterized by sparse, long-fibered hackles and simple wings. “The Una” is a “standard fly”—a heavily dressed, complex pattern with a built-up wing—which falls entirely outside the Spey tradition Knox documented.

Captain J.H. Hale (How to Tie Salmon Flies, 1892): Although Hale included an extensive appendix of 361 fly dressings, “The Una” is not among them. Hale was a contemporary (and often a critic) of Kelson. While he included some flies Kelson also championed, he focused more on patterns like the Butcher, the Doctor series, and patterns from Major Traherne.

J.J. Hardy (Salmon Fishing, 1907): Hardy’s book provides a selection of “really useful flies,” focusing on those popular in the Hardy Bros. shop. While Hardy’s commercial catalogs offered Kelson’s patterns for sale, “The Una” was not included in his book’s specific list of pattern descriptions, which favored more widely used general patterns like the Jock Scott and Hardy’s Favorite.

T.E. Pryce-Tannatt (How to Dress Salmon Flies, 1914): Often considered the “Bible” of fly tying, this book contains about 100 of the most effective and technically sound patterns. Pryce-Tannatt was highly selective and frequently omitted Kelson’s more “extravagant” or “overdressed” flies. “The Una” was omitted from his collection.

Mikael Frodin (Classic Salmon Flies: History & Pattern, 1991): A modern-day classic discussion of Victorian salmon flies, the Una is absent from this important work—a book that all salmon fly dressers should own. It should be noted that The Lion pattern, is featured in Frodin’s work.

So why is “The Una” only linked to Kelson? Its absence in other literature is likely because of its complexity. It was notoriously difficult and expensive to tie correctly (Kelson himself noted it was often “overdressed” by others). There may have been a branding element as well. If the Una was one half of a thematic pair—The Una and The Lion—since Kelson was the primary architect of this paired link, other authors (who probably wanted to distance themselves from his assertive style) did not adopt the pattern as a standard (this is just speculation on my part).

Original Una Dressing Notes

Tag: Silver twist and gold twist. Tail: A topping, two strands of powdered blue Macaw, four strands of Summer Duck, and Chatterer. Butt: Black herl. Body: Divided into two equal sections. The first is silver embossed tinsel ribbed with gold oval tinsel and butted with black herl. The second is gold embossed tinsel ribbed with silver oval tinsel. Hackle: One side of a blue and one side of a claret hackle, wound from the center. Throat: Two turns of orange hackle and Gallina. Wings: Two strips of Peacock wing veiled with Teal and Gallina (underwing); followed by Golden Pheasant tail, Parrot, red Macaw, Summer Duck, powdered blue Macaw, Mallard, and a topping. Horns: Blue Macaw. Cheeks: Indian Crow and Chatterer. Head: Black herl.

Featured Image

The image of the Una featured in this blog post and in our fly pattern dictionary is tied by master fly dresser Will Bush. Will tied many of the salmon flies for my father’s book Flies For Atlantic Salmon & Steelhead. Both my father and I are incredibly grateful for the images that Will has provided us. Every collector of fly dressings should have a Will Bush salmon fly on the wall. Will be contacted on Instagram @willbushflies.

— Mark Combs

Flies For Atlantic Salmon & Steelhead Can Be Purchased In Two Formats:
Limited Edition Hardcover — $119.00 (Amazon)
Digital Edition — $24.99 (Amazon - Kindle)