Yellow Boy, Winged

The Lunn’s Particular invented in the spring of 1917, is the most famous of W. J. Lunn’s dressings. John Waller Hills remarked in his book River Keeper, published in 1934:

“It kills well when fish are taking olives, and is marvellously good when they are shy or are taking spinners. It succeeds sunk or floating. If I had to be limited to one fly, I should choose it.”

Originally tied as an imitation of the Large Dark Olive, Bætis rhodani. However, with a wider variety of sizes and with a pair of lighter hackle point wings in summer, it is also an admirable representation of many of the other olive species.
The pattern gets its name from its first outing on 26th April 1917 which is told in the River Keeper as follows:

Mr. Gilbey was fishing Park Stream. He had fared badly, and not even the famous extractor could do its business. He turned to Lunn and said, “The trout are too particular to-day.” So Lunn pulled out his new fly and asked him to try it. He did so, caught three fish, and then the short spring rise was over. “Why, what’s this fly?” said Mr. Gilbey. “It’s a Lunn’s particular.”

The Lunn’s Houghton Ruby an imitation of the female iron-blue spinner, one of the trouts most favourite meals. The ruby in truth was William’s second attempt at copying a spent iron-blue. His first attempt, christened Lunn’s fancy, while liked greatly was replaced in 1917 by the better Houghton Ruby. It is a fine example of what makes Lunn’s flies so special, sitting as it does in the upper film of the water with it’s broad wings laid out defining the shape of the natural perfectly from the trout’s view-point.