“The Spey Tyer” group on facebook have the concept of “New shanks day” where new patterns are presented and given as a challenge for the community to tie up. I enjoy these as they are digging up patterns that I wouldn’t normally go for immediately, and you get to see the different interpretations of the same pattern.

The Black and Teal is from Francis Francis “A book on angling“, and appears in “Farlows Salmon Flies”, where the first body section also is described with yellow or red instead of the orange from Francis.

• Tag: Silver twist and golden floss
• Tail: Golden pheasant topping
• Butt: Black herl
• Body: Two turns of orange floss, then black (either floss, horsehair, mohair, or sewing silk), in large flies fur is often used
• Rib: Broadish siver tinsel
• Hackle: black over three parts of the body
• Throat: Gallina – black with large white dots
• Wing: Double jungle-cock with a golden pheasant topping over. Two good-sized teal, or small black partridge feather, one on either shoulder to form a body to the wing
• Head: gold thread