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What is this fly?
- Thread starter WMA Man
- Start date
I don't know but I would call it a Green Palmer. Except for the color, it resembles an Orange Palmer.
Yes. Green Palmer. The yellow version is my go-to fly 90% of the time.
gunnurse
Senior Member
Palmer because of the forward sweep of the hackle, correct?
GLS
Classic Southern Gentleman
"Palmering" is the bend to eye winding application of a hackle along the hook shank. The dull side of a hackle faces the eye which bends the hackles forward as the hackle is wound forward on a floater. The opposite is done with a wet fly.
Yes, "palmered" refers to hackle wound the whole length of the fly. The Yellow Palmer and its offspring, the Orange and Green Palmers, are traditional Southern Appalachian fly patterns that originated here in Haywood Co, NC back in the early-mid 1900s. The Yellow Palmer is my usual go-to dry fly most times. I tied some for a fly swap on here last year.
whitetailfreak
Senior Member
Yep, Palmer. One of the 4 dry flies that I carry. My fly box fits in my front pocket.
Thanks guys.
I don’t know a ton about flies. I just love the natives and the scenery where they live. Couple years ago I bought that one because to my untrained eye it looked “fishy”. Turns out the fish liked it as well. It’s a wonder I still have that fly. Will be getting some more, and some yellow palmers to.
I don’t know a ton about flies. I just love the natives and the scenery where they live. Couple years ago I bought that one because to my untrained eye it looked “fishy”. Turns out the fish liked it as well. It’s a wonder I still have that fly. Will be getting some more, and some yellow palmers to.
If you look at my reports on fishing trips on this forum, a goodly percentage of the trout will have a Yellow Palmer stuck in their mouth in the photo. 
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Tentwing
Senior Member
It looks like what Ed Story from Feather Craft fly shop in Missouri use to call a Crackle Back. I think they still sell them out of their Feather Craft mail order catalog.
salmotrutta17
Member
Very similar flies...the crackleback will typically have a piece of peacock herl across the back under the hackle. Color variations are the same though.
AllTerrainAngler
Senior Member
Is that similar to a yellow hammer?
Not really but kinda. The Yallerhammer is also tied in a palmer fashion, but it's generally a big, coarse wet fly/nymph type tie with a big, course yallerhammer (or dyed substitute nowadays,) feather palmered up the body. The method of construction is the only similarity. This is a Yallerhammer:
AllTerrainAngler
Senior Member
Thank you. I'm still new to this so I enjoy learning the different flies.
The mtn man
Senior Member
That's my favorite, its a palmer, I killed them on a yellow palmer this past weekend, that's mostly all I throw.
Yep. 90% of the time in the summer, I've got a #14 yaller palmer tied on. Sometimes a #16 if it's a low, clear creek and the fish are just slapping at the bigger one.
The mtn man
Senior Member
Yep, I carry 10s and 12s too, and use them in springtime and late in the day. Now I want to go to your creek. 
whitetailfreak
Senior Member
Took my bivy and camped on the head of one of my favorite little creeks below the Cherohala yesterday evening. Killed em on a Thunderhead/Yaller Palmer combo. Bad news is I got in a tug of war with a tall rhodo and snapped the tip off my 3 wt Redington classic trout. It's now boxed up ready to ship to Bainbridge Island, WA...
That sucks, hope they get it back to you soon. I'm going to try to hit that one at least once this summer too, but I come in from the bottom.
