The Garrabhudie

Ross Macdonald reflects on a Lochy fly tied by his father, Kenny.

- Ross Macdonald

IT IS MORE than four years since my father passed away. I can’t believe how quickly the time has passed. I know many readers will have suffered similar losses and it’s not really something that can be put into words. Instead of being gloomy, I thought I would feature one of his flies: the Garrabhudie, named after the famous Lochy pool, the Garrabhudie Stream. Translated from Gaelic, it means “Yellow Garden”.

My interest in flies was stimulated by my father. We used to have a grand time playing about with patterns and spent countless happy hours talking about flies. I’m aware that some anglers have strongly held views on theefficacy of different patterns but, frankly, I couldn’t care less. Salmon flies mean much more to me than merely their ability to attract and hook fish.