Flies Of Yesteryear: Burlap

I've been very fortunate to hold a few originals of this next fly in my hands.  A quick disclaimer... Although it cannot be positively confirmed it is strongly believed these flies were tied on Mustad 7970 hooks due to the perfect alignment of size, length and wire diameter.  However, there is a possibility of the hooks being manufactured Edgar Sealey, too.

I am going to kill three (not two) birds with one stone and highlight a pattern that is not only effective for resident river trout, but the mighty anadromous steelhead.  The finale is displaying the Burlap on a vintage Mustad 7970 5X Strong hook as it was tied over 75-years ago when Arnold Arana first introduced the pattern to the Klamath River in Northern California.  The Burlap remains popular on the Klamath and it's tributaries however, the fly is use more to pursue the aggressive half-pounder (returning 1-year old steelhead) than the larger adult steelhead on modern hooks such as the TMC 200 style.

Tying notes:

(1)  The Mustad 7970 is still available for those that desire to fish a floating line and chase steelhead. There are few patterns that are specifically tied on this hook for the aforementioned purpose. However, due to the hook's wire diameter, it is not recommended for smaller fish if you practice catch and release.

(2)  Quite a few of the recent pattern books call for fine deer hair in the tail and tied short.  The original Burlap utilizes light brown bucktail tied longer.  I haven't seen this dyed color tail commercially available, but the center portion of an ordinary white tail will suffice. This was more than likely the same procedure years ago for choosing the color

(3)  The Burlap is quite a resident trout pattern, too!  It is believed the trout mistake the fly for a caddis pupa or emerger.

(4)  This pattern fishes better the longer it is fished.  The shaggier, the better.  Scoring the body of the fly prior to fishing is strongly recommended.

Materials:

Hook:  Any 2XL or 3Xl nymph hook. (Mustad 7970, size 8 pictured)

Thread:  6/0 or 8/0. black

Tail:  Bucktail, Light brown at least one body length or slightly longer.

Body:  Burlap, natural color (tan) scored for a shaggy appearance

Collar:  1 or 2 turns of soft grizzly hen hackle tied long.