FISHING-FLIES GRAFTED IN TRANSKEI

This set of five 10c stamps, printed se-tenant in one sheet, is the third in the Transkei fishing-fly series, and follows the 1980 and 1981 issues.

The fishing-fly factory at Butterworth supplies a world-wide export market. The patterns depicted on these stamps are well-tried and popular dressings used mainly in fly-fishing fortrout and salmon.

This pattern is an old favourite with salmon fishermen around the world. The Blue Charm is a fully dressed salmon fly with a simple wing construction of only two types of feathers, unlike many other salmon flies having up to ten different materials built into their wings. The Blue Charm on this stamp is a depiction of the original 19th century dressing.

The Royal Coachman dry fly is a variation of the original Coachman pattern presumably designed by a coachman to the British Royal Family many years ago. The most distinctive difference between the Coachman and Royal Coachman patterns is the band of scarlet floss silk around the middle of the Royal Coachman's body.

The Light Spruce is a streamer fly originally named the Godfrey Special, after the designer who lived in Seaside, Oregon. It was first used in the Oregon mountain streams for catching trout, but soon became widely known. It was renamed the Spruce, after the spruce timber of Oregon, and is dressed in light and dark versions, the Light Spruce being the more popular.

This North-American pattern is also known as the Montana Stone. It is an imitation of the nymph of the stonefly found on rocky bottoms in clear streams. The stonefly nymph grows to a very large size, sometimes over 50 mm long, therefore the imitation is dressed on large hooks and is fished deep.

The Butcher, which originated in Britain, is one of the best-known patterns in the world. It is used extensively in lake, river and sea trout fly-fishing and is especially productive during early-season spring fishing.