Winter Brown – Reverse Hackle – Sakasa!

This is the Winter Brown as I learned from a Robert Smith Video where the pattern is credited to James Whitaker on a list of his Wharfdale patterns.

Robert Smith’s video on the pattern youtu.be/KVAU5gXHqHg

I am most interested in this pattern because the hackle is tied in with the cup shape of the feather facing out over the eye…tied in reverse from typical. For those of you aware of Japanese fly patterns you will of course be familiar with the iconic pattern of a “sakasa” kebari or reverse hackled fly.

I am a believer that a lot of these simple fishing methods with a fixed line and very general imitative patterns that we associate with Japan, Valsesiana, Northern UK, Leon, etc all have a lot in common – not necessarily from ideas moving from one place to the other but because they are not “rocket science” solutions to the basic challenges of catching fish in streams. We see reverse hackles in the alpine schools, in Japan and now in at least one old recorded pattern from the Yorkshire tradition. I am sure there are more…interesting stuff to me!

If you have come here more in interest of the Winter Brown pattern itself…I recommend going to Robert Smith’s video and blog to learn more about the history of that pattern its various dressings…

Thanks!