1840's Welsh Dee Fly

Another example of a early Victorian gut eye Salmon fly from the Edward Donatus O'Brien fly book from the 1840 period. A scruffy but representative example of flies that were used on the Welsh Dee at Llangollen. Dowdy colours tied on a blued Carlisle hook. These early examples are an important stepping stone to the evolution of the more elaborate patterns from the last quarter of the 19th century.