Tricolore

French impressionistic dry

Trout · GraylingSurface

A three-hackle French dry fly — hackles wound in three contrasting colours to create an impressionistic profile that sits naturally in the film without committing to a single colour. A classic of the French dry-fly tradition used from Normandy to the Jura.

Fish this when

During upwing hatches on French chalk streams and limestone rivers from spring through summer. Best when fish are rising confidently but not obviously selective to a single species.

Why it works

Three hackle colours blended together create an optical effect in the film that suggests a dun without imitating any one precisely. French trout, accustomed to exact imitation, often take this when single-hackle patterns are refused.

Naturals it imitates