I'm terrible at remembering names but there used to be a small shop on the dock at Russo's Marina. The fellow there tied beautiful flies that resembled Dan's Whistler pattern. I remember buying a black one to use as the water was really off color, and it worked great in that dirty water.

Could it have been Jay????

Later I tied a few of my own in black and they worked wherever the water was dirty. When things cleared up it was always chartruese and white.
Tony