FLIES OF THE WORLD
Canadian master tyer Jacques Héroux shares six of his favourite salmon flies
BORN IN CABANO, QUEBEC, Jacques Héroux’s first taste of fly-fishing came as a ten-year-old fishing for trout on the lakes and streams of the Témiscouata region, a heavily forested area near the Saint Lawrence River.
A career in teaching saw him move east to New Brunswick on Canada’s Atlantic coast. This region boasts a rich history of fly-fishing on rivers that have become part of salmon-fishing lore, notably the Restigouche and the Miramichi.
Such was Jacques’ motivation not only to tie flies but to teach the necessary skills that, having moved to Dieppe —the Canadian one —in 1998, he started a fly-tying club, which is still active today. He also founded the Fly-Fishing Forum held in Dieppe each spring. The aim of the forum is to promote fly-fishing and it has grown to become the largest fly-fishing show in eastern Canada, the profits from which are used to fund river conservation projects.
RUSTY RAT
Thread Red Hook Size 2-8 Tag Fine oval gold tinsel Tail Peacock sword Rib Fine oval gold tinsel Rear body Rusty orange floss Veiling Strands of rusty orange floss at the centre of the body Front body bronze peacock herl Wing American grey fox guard hair Collar hackle Grizzly hen Head Red tying thread
Although officially retired, Jacques still finds the time and inclination to tie dozens of flies each year professionally. Although adept at tying many types of artificial fly, he is most inspired by Atlantic salmon patterns. In particular, the hair-winged style popular on Canada’s east coast. Perhaps the best known of these, internationally, is the Rat series, first developed in 1911 by Roy Angus Thomson, whose initials gave the style of fly its name.
The original four patterns were subtle affairs, their main variations being body colour, either gold or silver tinsel, grey fur or peacock herl. The tail was golden pheasant crest and the collar invariably tied from a long, mobile grizzle hackle.
Today, the various patterns with the Rat moniker all have a hair wing, usually grey fox, a collar of well-marked webby grizzle hen hackle and a head of red thread. There is now even a Blue Rat, but Jacques’ pick, indeed his favourite salmon fly, is the Rusty Rat.
Over time, the Rusty Rat has morphed into many forms. Jacques’ preference is for one with a rich rusty orange floss, used for the rear body sections and veiling under the hair wing. Depending on the size of the fly, this can be added in either one or two sections. In the larger sizes, Jacques uses two strands of floss at the rear and four at the mid-point to create a full effect. As the strands need to sit straight over the body and tail, it’s worth either moistening or even lightly steaming the floss
