The Waterhen & Red is the cousin of one of the most famous of the North Country trout flies the Waterhen Bloa. Which was first described in John Swarbrick's list of Wharfedale Patterns dated 1807. The Waterhen Bloa is really a development of the Blue Dun fly used in Derbyshire at the time of Charles Cotton. It really came to prominence through the publication of T.E. Pritt’s, North Country Flies published in 1886. The Waterhen Bloa once more gained further recognition with the publication of “Brook and River Trouting” by Edmonds & Lee in 1916.
The Waterhen & Red though lesser known is a splendid trout fly and often works either when the river is high and coloured or when the weather is bright and hot.
Dressed with red silk and two turns of Moorhen hackle the Waterhen & Red is also a cracking little grayling fly and regularly takes many grayling from Yorkshire's rivers. Available in sizes 14, 16,