tcorfey
01-06-2014, 09:38 PM
I saw the post from Scott V "Anyone know who made this fly" and it reminded me of a fly I read about a while ago. Always wanted more information or if anyone still tied it. It was called the Poor George Fly. I read about it in http://www.sierracountylandtrust.com/pdfs/cff-059.pdf and http://www.sierracountylandtrust.com/pdfs/cff-061.pdf the story really intrigued me.
“Despite their activity, the trout of Lower Sardine were choosing the no-seeums over our broad selection of flies. We kept changing patterns until it became too dark to tie on another fly. Later, we would discover the secret local fly that should have been used to entice those planter trout to the hook. “It’s called the Poor George,” said Jan Hunt Boucher, co-owner of the Sardine Lakes Lodge. “It was named after my grandfather, George Browning.”The Poor George is a simple dry-fly pattern that was created by local tyers. It consists of a gray yarn body, deer hair, and a red tail.
8236
The Poor George and other patterns helped the Brownings pay to build the lodge, according to Hunt Boucher, who added that George’s wife, Audrey, tied flies during World War II and sold 5,000 of them a year to Sears and roebuck for sale through their catalog. The flies were marketed as Browning’s Hand-Tied Trout Flies. The tag line said: “Made Where the Trout Are Caught.” Because no one ties Poor Georges any more, we didn’t have any available on our evening visit. With this turning into casting practice, there was plenty of time to chat about attempts to change the lake, which presently has only one set of buildings.”
“Despite their activity, the trout of Lower Sardine were choosing the no-seeums over our broad selection of flies. We kept changing patterns until it became too dark to tie on another fly. Later, we would discover the secret local fly that should have been used to entice those planter trout to the hook. “It’s called the Poor George,” said Jan Hunt Boucher, co-owner of the Sardine Lakes Lodge. “It was named after my grandfather, George Browning.”The Poor George is a simple dry-fly pattern that was created by local tyers. It consists of a gray yarn body, deer hair, and a red tail.
8236
The Poor George and other patterns helped the Brownings pay to build the lodge, according to Hunt Boucher, who added that George’s wife, Audrey, tied flies during World War II and sold 5,000 of them a year to Sears and roebuck for sale through their catalog. The flies were marketed as Browning’s Hand-Tied Trout Flies. The tag line said: “Made Where the Trout Are Caught.” Because no one ties Poor Georges any more, we didn’t have any available on our evening visit. With this turning into casting practice, there was plenty of time to chat about attempts to change the lake, which presently has only one set of buildings.”