Dry fly
Royal Coachman
Short answer
The Royal Coachman is a dry fly or attractor that imitates nothing in nature — the original American attractor. It is usually tied in sizes 12 to 16. Fish it summer on small streams and high-country water, particularly for wild brook trout and cutthroat that see few anglers.
Dry fly Beginner #12-#16
Classic attractor (1878 origin); peacock/red floss body. Many variants exist.
Printed on the 3 of hearts
The Royal Coachman is the fly that taught American anglers that imitation is optional. It descends from the older English Coachman, to which someone added a band of red silk, and the result is a fly of such obvious artificiality that its continued success is slightly embarrassing to anyone who takes matching the hatch seriously.
It catches fish because it combines three strong triggers: the iridescence of peacock herl, a sharp band of contrasting color, and bright white wings that a trout can locate instantly. On small streams and in wild-fish country where trout must eat opportunistically or go hungry, those triggers are enough. Curiosity and competition do the rest.
It also occupies a genuine place in the history of the sport — for decades in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries it was probably the best-known trout fly in America, tied as a dry, a wet and a streamer. Fishing one on a small brook trout stream is a pleasantly direct connection to that period.
What does a Royal Coachman imitate?
Nothing in nature — the original American attractor.
How do you fish a Royal Coachman?
Fish it as a searching dry on small streams and pocket water — short casts, quick drifts, cover a lot of water. Also fishes well as a wet fly on the swing.
When should you fish a Royal Coachman?
Summer on small streams and high-country water, particularly for wild brook trout and cutthroat that see few anglers.
What are the quick tips for fishing it?
- Best where fish are opportunistic rather than educated.
- Its white wings make it one of the easiest flies to track in shade.
- Try it as a wet fly on the swing — that is how it was originally fished.
How is a Royal Coachman tied?
- Hook: standard dry fly, #10-#16
- Tail: golden pheasant tippets
- Body: peacock herl with a red floss band
- Wing: white duck quill or calf body hair
- Hackle: brown
Dressings vary by tier and region. Treat this as the common recipe, not the only one.
Fishes well alongside
The physical version
Royal Coachman is 3 of hearts in the deck.
All 54 flies, drawn by hand, on Genuine Bicycle Rider Back stock with the patented Air-Cushion finish. A reference you can actually deal out — which was rather the point.
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