Trey Combs Fly Pattern Dictionary

The Trey Combs Fly Pattern Dictionary is an ongoing project that’s being compiled by Trey and his son Mark. Once complete, this massive project will include details and pictures of every fly pattern that Trey has described in his books and articles dating back to the late 1960s. The fly images will feature the work of some of the best fly dressers in the world. Once complete, the goal of this project is to become the most complete fly pattern source on the web. Additional fly patterns will be added each week.

Al’s Special - Tail: Red hackle fibers. Body: Yellow chenille ribbed with silver tinsel. Hackle: Red. Wing: White bucktail. Original Design: Al Knudson Fly Image Fly History

Algan - Tail: Red or hot orange hackle fibers. Body: Black chenille ribbed with silver tinsel. Hackle: Black and claret would together. Wing: Black bear fur or black bucktail. Fly Image

Almvig - Body: Hot orange yarn ribbed with silver tinsel. Underwing: White polar bear fur. Overwing: Red or orange calf tail. Fly Image

Black-Green Helmet Classic - Tube: Black FITS tubing. Tying thread: Black 12/0. Hackle: Green Highlander green grizzly chicabou hackle, black chickabou hackle over. Wing: Green Highlander fur soft hair, Gaudy Green SSS Angel Hair, black soft hair. Sides: Domestic jungle cock. Cone: Fluorescent chartreuse FIT Tungsten Half Turbo. Original Design: Mikael Frödin. Fly Image

Black Gordon - Body: Rear third red yarn, black yarn for the balance, rib with gold tinsel, Hackle: Black, Wing: Black or dark brown bucktail. Original Design: Clarence Gordon Fly Image Fly History

Black Diamond - Tag: Fine flat silver tinsel. Body: Black floss or seal or synthetic dubbing. Rib: Medium oval silver tinsel. Hackle: Guinea rump feather tied under like a beard. Underwing: Gray squirrel tail, four peacock sword fibers over. Wing: Guinea rump feathers tied flat. Wing: Guinea rump fibers tied flat. Cheeks: Jungle cock. Head: Black. Original Design: Harry Lemire. Fly Image

Black Ranger - (hook, 1 1/4 to 2 inches). Tag: Silver thread and lemon floss. Tail: A topping and Indian Crow. Butt: Black herl. Body: Black floss. Ribs: Flat silver tinsel and twist. Hackle: A black hackle. Throat: A deep blue hackle. Wings: A pair of Jungle Cock feathers (back to back) covered for three-quarters of their length by two pairs of tippets (back to back). Sides: Jungle Cock. Cheeks: Blue Chatterer; a topping over. Horns: Blue and Yellow Macaw. Original Design: T. E. Pryce-Tannatt. These are original dressing notes from: Pryce-Tannatt,T.E. (1914) How To Dress Salmon Flies. Fly Image

Brad’s Brat - Tail: Orange fluorescent over white bucktail. Tag: Fine flat silver or gold tinsel. Body: Rear half orange wool, front half red wool, rib entire body with flat gold tinsel. Hackle: Long brown widgeon flank. Cheeks: Jungle cock. Head: Red. Original Design: Enos Bradner Fly Image

Carron (Spey) - Body orange, bars of silver tinsel. Hackle, black feature from the breat of the heron. Wing, mallard. Original Design: George “Gordie” Shanks. These are original dressing notes from: Knox, A.E. (1872) Autumns on the Spey. (Additional Fly Pattern Notes - Trey Combs: An unusually “bright” Spey fly which normally use more somber colors. The orange body on some antique flies used a lighter orange. Thought to be named after a famous beat on the River Spey). Fly Image

Chappie - Tail: Tips of two grizzly hackles face to face. Body: Orange wool ribbed with orange silk thread or gold tinsel. Hackle: Grizzly. Wings Two long grizzly hackles tied back to back and high off the hook. Original Design: C.L. “Outdoor” Franklin. Fly Image Fly History

Childers - (hook, 1 1/4 to 3 inches): Tag: Silver thread and pale blue floss. Tail: A topping and Indian Crow. Butt: Black herl. Body: Golden yellow floss, orange and fiery brown Seal’s fur in equal sections. Ribs: Flat silver tinsel and twist. Hackle: A badger hackle dyed lemon. Throat: Golden Pheasant breast feather, followed by Widgeon. Wings: Mixed - a pair of Golden Pheasant breast feathers (back to back); “married” strands of scarlet, blue, orange and yellow Swan, Bustard, Florican, Golden Pheasant tail, cinnamon and mottled grey Turkey tail. Sides: Barred Summer Duck strips. Cheeks: Blue Chatterer; a topping over all. Horns: Blue and Yellow Macaw. Original Design: George Kelson. These are original dressing notes from: Pryce-Tannatt,T.E. (1914) How To Dress Salmon Flies. Fly Image

Culdrain (Spey) - This is generally tied on a large hook. Body black. Bars of silver tinsel, rather far apart, and btween each bar two threads of silk, one orange, and one yellow. Hackle, jet-black cock. Wing, grey mallard. These are original dressing notes from: Knox, A.E. (1872) Autumns on the Spey. (Additional Fly Pattern Notes - Trey Combs: Uses silk threads as well as tinsel to rib the body. The hackle is a black Spey feather from a cockerel’s tail). Fly Image

Drain’s 20 - Note: Use Danville 6/0 thread so the body won’t discolor the floss. Tie off after the hackle and complete head with black thread. Tag: Fine flat silver tinsel. Tail: Golden pheasant tippets topped with two toucan feather half tail length. Body: Fluorescent red floss (cerise). Rib: Medium flat silver tinsel. Hackle: Bright fluorescent purple. Underwing: Red cock of the rock feather tied flat extending to floss butt, over cerise body only. Wing: Gray squirrel tail. Cheeks: Jungle cock. Head: Black. Original Design: Wes Drain Fly Image

Dunt - Tag: Silver twist and light blue silk. Tail: A topping and Teal. Body: Yellow lace and silver tinsel. Hackle: Black heron, from claret fur. Throat: Teal. Wings: Two strips of plain brown Turkey with black bars and white tips. Sides: Jungle, short and drooping over throat hackle. These are original dressing notes from: Kelson, G.M. (1895) The Salmon Fly: How To Dress It and How To Use It. (Additional Fly Pattern Notes - Trey Combs: An angler named Dawson used to catch plenty of fish and when asked on what answered “a proper dunt,” meaning “proper thing” in the local dialect. His colleagues invented the Dunt in reference to Dawson and it became one of the deadliest flies on Deeside). Fly Image

Golden Demon (Old English Pattern) - Tag: Fine flat gold tinsel. Body: Medium oval gold tinsel. Hackle: Hot orange. Wing: Dyed fiery brown polar bear or brown bear or brown bucktail. Note: When white bucktails are dyed, the natural fine brown fur takes on this dye as well. A bucktail dyed hot orange changes the brown fur to an altogether new color, a hot orange-brown color. Obviously, the same can be said for yellow and red, and especially the darker steelhead colors: black, blue and purple. The fur is generally shorter and fine and much more useful for tying steelhead flies. Cheeks: Jungle cock. Head: Black. Fly Image

Green Highlander - (hook,1 1/4 to 2 inches): Tag: Silver tinsel. Tail: A topping and barred Summer Duck in strands. Butt: Black herl. Body: First quarter, golden yellow floss; remainder, bright green floss. Ribs: Oval silver tinsel. Hackle: A grass-green hackle. Throat: A lemon hackle. Wings: Mixed tippet in strands; "married" strands of yellow, orange, and green Swan, Florican, Peacock wing and Golden Pheasant tail; "married" narrow strips of Teal and barred Summer Duck; narrow- strips of brown Mallard over. Sides: Jungle Cock. Cheeks: Indian Crow; a topping over all. Horns: Blue and Yellow Macaw. Original Design: T. E. Pryce-Tannatt. These are original dressing notes from: Pryce-Tannatt,T.E. (1914) How To Dress Salmon Flies. Fly Image

Green King - Body olive, composed of a mixture of red, green, and purple fine Berlin wood. Red cock hackle from the neck. Tinsel and beading same as in gold Reeach. Shoulder hackle and wing ditto. Alternate bars of gold and silver. Red cock hackle. Shoulder hackle, teal feather. Wing, mallard. Original Design: A.E. Knox. These are original dressing notes from: Knox, A.E. (1872) Autumns on the Spey. Fly Image

Grey Eagle - Tag: Silver twist. Tail: Red breast feather of the Golden Pheasant. Body: Yellow, light blue, and scarlet Seal’s fur. Ribs: Silver lace and silver tinsel. Hackle: Grey Eagle, from blue fur. Throat: Widgeon (Teal for large patterns). Wings: Two strips of brown mottled Turkey, with black bars and white points. Original Design: G.S. Jewhurst. These are original dressing notes from: Kelson, G.M. (1895) The Salmon Fly: How To Dress It and How To Use It. Fly Image

Harlequin - Tag: Gold twist and olive-green silk. Tail: A topping. Butt: Black herl. Body: In three equal divisions of orange, light blue, and pink silk. Ribs: Gold embossed tinsel (ordinary method) and silver tinsel (reversed) passing over the gold. Throat: Orange and light blue hackles respectively. Wings: Two tippets capped with light and dark Bustard; Golden Pheasant tail, and a topping. Horns: Blue and red Macaw. Sides: Jungle. Head: Gold twist. Original Design: G.S. Bernard. These are original dressing notes from: Kelson, G.M. (1895) The Salmon Fly: How To Dress It and How To Use It. Fly Image

Hellcat - Tag: Fine flat silver tinsel. Tail: Golden pheasant crest. Body: Hot pink seal or synthetic dubbing. Rib: Medium oval silver tinsel. Hackle: Fluorescent purple. Wing: Fluorescent white fine polar bear or bucktail topped with golden pheasant crest. Cheeks: Jungle cock. Head: Black. Original Design: Frank Headrick. Fly Image

Jockie - Tag: Silver twist. Tail: A topping. Body: One-third yellow silk, followed by dark claret silk. Ribs: Silver tinsel (oval). Wings: Mallard. Sides: Jungle. Original Design: W. Brown. These are original dressing notes from: Kelson, G.M. (1895) The Salmon Fly: How To Dress It and How To Use It. Fly Image

Jock Scott (version 1) - Tag: Silver twist and yellow silk. Tail: A topping and Indian Crow. Butt: Black herl. Body: In two equal sections: No. 1, of yellow silk (butter-cup color) ribbed with narrow silver tinsel, and butted with Toucan above and below, and black herl: No. 2, black silk, ribbed with broad silver tinsel. Hackle: A natural black hackle, from center. Throat: Gallina. Wings: Two strips of black Turkey with white tips, Golden Pheasant tail, Bustard, grey Mallard, Peacock (sword feather) Swan dyed blue and yellow, red Macaw, Mallard, and a topping. Sides: Jungle. Cheeks: Chatterer. Horns: Blue Macaw. Head: Black herl. Original Design: John Scott. These are original dressing notes from: Kelson, G.M. (1895) The Salmon Fly: How To Dress It and How To Use It. Fly Image

Jock Scott (version 2) - Tag: Gold twist. Tail: one topping and one Indian crow feather; body, in two joints, gold-colored floss the lowest, and black floss the upper; from the joint is tied, after the fashion of the Popham, two or three short toucan points, and over the butts of them, at the joints, two turns of black herl; silver twist, a black hackle over the black joint, and speckled gallina at shoulder. Wing: mixed, a white tip turkey slip in the middle, fibres of pintail, or teal, bustard brown mallard, yellow, red, gree parrot, one topping overall, blue macaw ribs, a kingfisher on either cheek. Original Design: John Scott. These are original dressing notes from: Francis, F. (1867) A Book On Angling. Fly Image

Kalama Special - Tag: Fine flat silver tinsel. Tail: Golden pheasant crest dyed red. Body: Hot yellow, seal or substitute. Hackle: Badger, palmer up the body. Wing: Fluorescent white, polar bear, bucktail, or synthetic fur. Head: Black. Original Design: Mike Kennedy. Fly Image

Logie - (hook, 3/4 to 1/1/8 inches) Tag: Silver tinsel. Tail: A topping. Body: First two-fifths, pale primrose floss; remainder ruby red floss. Ribs: Fine oval silver tinsel. Throat: A pale blue-hackle. Wings: Yellow Swan strips (set upright) slightly covered by brown Mallard Strips. Original Design: W. Brown. These are original dressing notes from: Pryce-Tannatt,T.E. (1914) How To Dress Salmon Flies. (Additional Fly Pattern Notes - Trey Combs: Pryce-Tannatt is known for making slight change to dressing’s first mentioned by Kelson (1895) - he does that here, adding the 2/5 of pale primrose floss to the body). Fly Image

MacIntyre - Tag: Silver twist and light yellow floss. Tail: Topping and Indian crow, flat. Butt: Black herl. Body: Three turns light orange floss, three turns scarlet seal’s fur, remainder blue fur, picked out. Ribbed: Broad silver tinsel and silver lace. Hackle: Magenta from scarlet fur. Throat: Greenish-blue hackle, and then long black heron. Original Design: William Murdoch. These are original dressing notes from: Hale, J.H. (1892) How To Tie Salmon Flies. Fly Image

Polar Shrimp - Tag: Fine flat silver tinsel. Body: Fluorescent hot orange seal. Hackle: Fluorescent hot orange followed by two turns of teal. Wing: Fluorescent white, polar bear, bucktail, or synthetic fur. Head: Black. Original Design: Clarence Shoff. Fly Image

Purple Peril - Tag: Flat silver tinsel. Tail: Dyed fluorescent purple golden pheasant crest. Body: Fluorescent purple seal or like synthetic dubbing. Rib: Medium oval silver tinsel. Hackle: Deep fluorescent purple. Wing: Dyed fluorescent fiery brown polar bear or brown bucktail. Cheeks: Jungle cock. Head: Black. Original Design: George McLeod Fly Image

Railbird - Tail: Red, wine or claret hackle fibers. Body: Wine or claret wool palmered with either claret or wine hackle. Hackle: Yellow. Wing: Teal or mallard flank; silver squirrel tail is used in the hairwing version. Cheeks: Jungle cock. Original Design: John Benn Fly Image

Shannon Butcher - Tag: Silver twist and yellow silk. Tail: A topping, teal and powdered blue macaw. Butt: Black herl. Body: In four equal divisions, beginning with light red-claret, and continuing with light blue, dark red-claret, and dark blue seal’s fur. Ribbed: Silver tinsel, preceded on large hooks by silver lace. Hackle: Natural black, from light red-claret seal’s fur. Throat: Yellow hackle, followed by gallina. Wings: A tippet feather and red breast feather from a golden pheasant, back to back, the latter extending to the length of the wing. Both are well covered on the side with slight strips of teal, golden pheasant tail; gallina, bustard, and peacock’s wing, and strands of parrot and swan dyed yellow; two strips of mallard on top. Horns: Blue macaw. Cheeks: Chatterer. Head: Black. Original Design: George Kelson. These are original dressing notes from: Hale, J.H. (1892) How To Tie Salmon Flies. Fly Image

Silver Hilton - Tag: Fine flat silver tinsel. Tail: Mallard, teal or pintail flank. Body: Black seal or substitute. Rib: Medium oval silver tinsel. Hackle: Grizzly. Wing: Two matching pairs of grizzly hackle tips tied back to back and flaring out to form a V. Head: Black. Original Design: Harry Hilton. Fly Image

Sir Richard - (hook, 1 1/4 to 3 inches). Tag: Silver thread and dark orange floss. Tail: A topping and Indian Crow. Butt: Black herl. Body: Black floss. Ribs: Flat silver tinsel and twist. Hackle: A black hackle (black Heron in the bigger sizes). Throat: Speckled Gallina. Wings: Mixed - “married” strands of scarlet, orange, and blue Swan, Bustard, Florican, mottled grey Turkey tail, and Golden Pheasant tail; a short strip of Speckled Gallina wing over. Cheeks: Blue Chatterer; a topping over all. Horns: Blue and Yellow Macaw. Original Design: T. E. Pryce-Tannatt. These are original dressing notes from: Pryce-Tannatt,T.E. (1914) How To Dress Salmon Flies. Fly Image

Skunk - Tag: Fine flat silver tinsel. Tail: Golden pheasant crest dyed red. Body: Black, seal or synthetic. Hackle: Black. Wing: Fluorescent, polar bear or bucktail. Cheeks: Jungle cock. Head: Black. Original Design: Rollin “Rosie” Dexter. Fly Image

Skunk (Green-Butt) - Tag: Fine flat silver tinsel. Tail: Golden pheasant crest dyed red. Butt: Fluorescent green seal or synthetic. Body: Black, seal or synthetic. Hackle: Black. Wing: Fluorescent white, polar bear or bucktail. Original Design: Dan Callaghan. Fly Image

Skykomish Sunrise - Tag: Fine flat silver tinsel. Tail: Golden pheasant crest feather, one each dyed yellow and dyed red. Body: Bright red, seal or substitute either organic or synthetic. Rib: Bright red Wing: Fluorescent, polar bear, bucktail, or a synthetic white. Head: White in photo; traditionally black. Original Design: George McLeod. Fly Image

Skykomish Sunrise (Reimagined) - Tag: Fine Flat silver tinsel. Tail: Golden pheasant tippet, one each, dyed red and natural yellow. Body: Fluorescent red seal or substitute natural or synthetic dubbing. Ribbing: Medium oval silver tinsel. Hackle: One each, red and yellow macaw breast feather. Wing: Fluorescent, polar bear or substitute bucktail or synthetic fur. Head: White. Original Design: Dave McNeese. Fly Image

Steelhead Bee - Tail: Squirrel tail slightly longer than the hook shank. Body: Dividend into three equal parts of brown-yellow-brown floss or like-colored dubbing. Wings: Fox squirrel tail set well forward and divided. Original Design: Roderick Haig-Brown. Fly Image Fly History

Thor (Classic) - Tail: Orange hackle fibers. Body: Red chenille. Hackle: Brown. Wing: White bucktail. Original Design: Jim Pray. Fly Image

Thor (Reimagined) - Tag: Fine flat silver tinsel. Tail: Golden pheasant crest dyed red. Body: Red, seal or substitute organic or synthetic. Hackle: Long, brown or substitute widgeon flank. Wing: Fluorescent, white polar bear or bucktail. Cheeks: Jungle cock. Head: Black. Original Design: Jim Pray. Fly Image