Out-of-Fashion Fishing Flies

Coachmans, Bivisibles, Catskill-style dries, soft-hackles or muddler minnows, they all caught a lot of fish before anglers’ techniques and tying fashions changed. J. Michael Kelly notes that some anglers still “go retro” with great success. “When trout aren’t rising to a visible hatch of mayflies, it often pays to search beneath the surface with a fly that bears a subtle resemblance to more than one food form. The Professor’s red feather slip tail, body of yellow floss and wing of mallard flank feathers serve the purpose.” On Syracuse.com.