This was a reduction of a Upper Sacramento classic, Ted Fay’s Black Bomber. Plenty can be said of Ted Fay flies, most would say “really heavy.” They weren’t graceful or slender, and I dreaded a big order as it was the only fly I had to tie holding my nose. Not that the flies were bad, they just required so much lead they were unstable.

You could spin the brown or black chenille body around the hook with ease.

Gary Warren was a longtime resident of Burney, California, and knew both Joe Kimsey and Ted Fay. In between guiding Hat Creek and Fall River, he’d fish the Upper Sacramento and adapted the fly to Hat Creek and the Pit River by removing the grizzly wings and the second and third layer of lead wire.

Thankfully, you could now throw the fly without fear of concussion or outright amputation.

He kept the “Bomber” moniker, but I altered the name to distinguish the original and its adaptation.

Grizzly hackle tail, tied short. Brown or Black chenille for the body, and three turns of undersized grizzly saddle at the head. Gary preferred ring eyed hooks – as shown above.

In looking at all these flies there’s little question that simplicity rules. They sit in your fly box all alone until you’ve tried all the sexy stuff, and when you finally succumb and lash it to your leader, you remember all the superlatives your buddy used when he handed them to you.