Heritage Flies Mountain Swallow and Walkers killer Peter Brigg Mountain Swallow - 1935.
trout caught. It was a winged wet fly in which the colours orange over blue predominated following the salmon fly techniques of tying. The feathers were originally derived from the Carmine Bee-Eater although there is debate about this some believing that they were rather from the European Bee-Eater which was commonly known as the Mountain Swallow.
Although not a well-known fly the Mountain Swallow was considered to be the first local fly that was design and created with specific intent. Fred Bowker (Kingfisher) was the creator. He wrote two books, A Trout Fisher in South Africa (1922) and Trout Flies (1938) and it was in the latter that he described a fly of his own design, the Mountain Swallow.
Commercial patterns locally and later internationally substituted the Bee-Eater feathers for dyed rooster feathers. It has not been possible to find an example of the original fly. However Bill-Hansford Steele in his book Fishing Flies for Africa, (2009) at page 128 provides a picture of the Mountain Swallow and includes some additional interesting background information.
He contended that strict imitation did not matter and that presentation was far more important. To prove it he designed the most outlandish fly he could think of, the Mountain Swallow. In the 1935 season Bowker fished this fly exclusively and keeping copious records proved his point by showing that there was no reduction in the number of www.saflyfishingmag.co.za
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