[VFB] The real "Yaller" Hammer Story

[Bmf12]

This is the story, according to Don Howell who is a very well respected authority on Southern Appalachian Trout Flies. The following was taken directly from his book "Tying and Fishing Southern Appalachian Trout Flies"

The "Yaller" Hammer was developed to catch speckled trout in the streams that are now incorporated into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The fisherman in the area knew that brookies had a preference for brightly colored flies, but they were limited in the amount of brightly colored fly tying materials available due to inferior dying methods of the time, a shortage of supply houses and a shortage of money to purchase supplies. The local tiers were forced to rely upon natural, brightly colored materials.
Originally, the materials to tie the "Yaller" Hammer were taken from a woodpecker common in the Eastern United States. The woodpecker is known as a Flicker, Yellow-shafted Flicker, Golden-winged Woodpecker, High-holer, Yellow Hammer, or "Yaller" Hammer (the local pronunciation). The bird has a yellowish/black cast to its feathers and the primary wing feathers are prized material for forming bodies on all "Yaller" Hammer patterns. Unfortunately, the birds are an endangered species and it is illegal to have any feathers in your possession. There have been many attempts to imitate the pattern, but I've seen only one imitation that works as well as, and looks so much like the original. This pattern is extremely difficult to distinguish from the true pattern.
The secret to tying this exact imitation is obtaining feathers that match the color, texture and durability of the original. I've found only two birds that can be used (with special preparation) to meet these specifications: Mourning Doves and Bob White Quail. Fortunately, both of these are game birds, and you can enjoy the satisfaction of hunting them as well as tying flies from the feathers without violating existing game laws.

If you want to know the proper preparation, according to Don Howell, let me know and I will give you the info. I have used his method and it does work wonderfully...now all I need is some more feathers to replace the ones I have used already.

Bart