North Wales and the Butcher... It's a kind of magic!

 A rather ragged and sorry Butcher fly circa 1947-57 in August 2013

The Welsh river where the magic began

My father told me that the Butcher fly pattern always did well for him in Welsh rivers...

This weekend was a bit of a travel back in time for me as I drove into North Wales... I was looking the source of the magic. To chase wild brown trout in rivers and lakes with an outside chance of a sea trout or a silver tourist.

The 48 hours was fun packed on trout that played with me and jeered at me... then I put the Butcher on.

The line swung round and the fly was going to just in the right place in the river... bang, fish on. It was a solid take and perhaps a good fish but not the wild brown I was expecting... there was a flash of bright silver... playing the fish hard the line went slack... I retrieved the line cursing that I'd lost a fly and the fish... the photo tells the story!

This particular Butcher was tied in a possibly a 10 year window between 1947 and 1957... the specimen was out of my dad's fly box that I carry with me as a 'totem' on freshwater excursions. As a child I loved the iridescent blue hue on the wing, the starkness of the silver body and the tiny red tail... it was one of a very few 'brighter' flies in a box full of 'dull' & 'dark' flies that fascinated me as a youngster.

Will I be using other flies from the box... I think not, however, I'll certainly tie up a few Butchers.

Did I find the source of the magic - I most certainly did!