FISHING-FLIES CRAFTED IN TRANSKEI 3

Transkei, Butterworth · 1983-03-02

Official

Click any photo to see it enlarged.

front

Cachet: The cachet shows a smiling angler in waders holding up a large rainbow trout by its gill, gripping a fly rod in his other hand. The illustration is painted in soft watercolour tones, with the fish rendered in careful detail showing its speckled flank and pink stripe. The style is warm and personal rather than technical, capturing the pleasure of the catch rather than the gear itself.

Info card

FISHING FLIES FROM TRANSKEI This set of five 20c stamps, printed se-tenant in one sheet, is the fourth issue in the Transkei Fishing-fly Stamp Series issued annually since 1980. Alexandra (Wet fly) Originally named "The lady of the lake", this well-known pattern was renamed in honour of H.R.H. Princess Alexandra. It is not certain who the original creator was, but most authorities attribute the design to Mr W. G. Turle of Newton Stacey, Stockbridge, England. The date or origin is thought to be around 1860. This attractor pattern does not represent any specific insect and is mainly used for lake fly-fishing. Kent's Marbled Sedge (Dry fly) This dry fly has the unique feature of always floating horizontally on the water surface, like the real insect. The roof-shaped wings trap a pocket of air, giving this design excellent floating properties. The actual marbled sedge hatches during early evening, sometimes in great numbers. This is when the trout can become pre-occupied and feed exclusively on this insect. Created by Barry L. Kent, the Marbled Sedge is a very exact imitation designed to catch cunning trout that are hard to fool with normal dry sedge imitations. Mayfly Nymph This dressing is a free imitation of the nymphal stage of the order Ephemeroptera, also known as mayflies or day-flies. Day-flies are the aristocracy of aquatic insect life. In their adult stage they are beautiful insects with upright wings that look like minute sailing-boats drifting along with the current. Trout feed predominantly on the nymphal stage of this insect. White Marabou (Streamer) The wing of the White Marabou is made of the soft, fluffy underwing feathers of a white turkey. These feathers' beautiful undulating action under the water is a great enticement to a trout that is not pre-occupied and feeding on a specific insect form. The White Marabou is a popular attractor pattern used all over the world and accounts for some large bags of trout. Silver Wilkinson (Salmon fly) The Silver Wilkinson is one of the most beautiful fully dressed salmon flies of today. The pattern depicted on the stamp is a simplified commercial dressing of this classic fishing fly. The original Silver Wilkinson dressing had eleven different feather sections in the wing alone. A total of twenty-two materials are used in the construction of this design. It requires great skill to attach the various materials to the hook in such a way that the final product is an object of beauty.

Additional information

This cover is postmarked on 2 March 1983 in Butterworth, with a special postmark depicting a fish and fly. It carries the Transkei fishing fly set, SAPO [number to confirm], the fourth annual issue in a series that ran from 1980 to 1984, each year showing five different fly patterns printed se-tenant on one sheet. A nice piece of trivia behind this unusual series is that it's said to have originated with Transkei's own president at the time, who was an avid fly fisherman himself. Among this year's patterns, Kent's Marbled Sedge stands out as a genuinely original design, created by Barry L. Kent specifically to imitate trout that had grown wise to ordinary dry sedge patterns.

Theme: Heritage

Condition: FineGood condition. Minor wear or small imperfections, but overall well-presented.

Addressed: No

Signed: No

Stamp denomination: R1 (ZAR)

Estimated value: ~US$0.1

This is a high-level, subjective estimate only, not a professional appraisal.