Leadwing Coachman

The Leadwing Coachman originated in England during the early 1800s as a darker variation of Tom Bosworth’s original Coachman wet fly. Bosworth replaced the Coachman’s white duck-quill wings with gray mallard or starling feathers, producing the muted, lead-colored wing that gives the pattern its name. Originally intended for low-light and nighttime fishing, it remains an effective imitation of emerging caddisflies and other dark-bodied aquatic insects.

Curated by the IdentaFly fly fishing team.

Fish the Leadwing Coachman across a shallow riffle and deliberately allow the wing to become waterlogged. The saturated gray wing turns darker and slightly translucent, closely resembling the folded wing of a caddis pupa rising toward the surface.