There are numerous variations between the painted flies in Ray Bergman’s books, and the written recipes in the back. I have always been curious about this fly, the Something, for its differences between the color plate painting and the written recipe. As far as I’m concerned the fly is correct when tied either way. But the macro-image of the painting clearly reveals a difference from the recipe. So here it is. This is the revised pattern recipe:
Tip: Gold tinsel
Tail: Golden pheasant tippet
Ribbing: Gold tinsel
Body: Black floss
Hackle: Black
Wing: Green, scarlet, purple, yellow, purple, orange – married
Something wet fly - color plate painting from Ray Bergman's book, Trout (1938), by Dr. Edgar Burke
The recorded wing recipe in Trout
Something - six-strip wing as in the painting - green, red, purple, yellow, purple, orange
Don, that really is something! Stunning fly.
Chris: Thanks for your comment! I detect tongue-in-cheek humor? Ha!