Fly 14 - Red Special

Red Special

5x7, soft pastel

Red Special (Deschutes River Dee) was designed by Oregon fly fisherman and tyer Andrew Marshall. The married wings is an element more familiar in Classic Atlantic Salmon flies and adds a classic touch to these flies which look very effective. Monte Smith of Northwest Fly Tyer tied this particular "Red Special".

Dees can be confused with Speys as they look similar. Speys (see Fly #3) were introduced in the 1800's for fishing the River Spey In Scotland. The Dees were introduced on the River Dee in Scotland.

The one big difference between these two flies is the wing style. The Spey typically sports a bronze mallard feather wing that sits low along the hook shank while the Dee wing is split and somewhat drooping along the hook shank and, is generally made with a turkey feather.