The Icelandic origin of the Crosfield
We found this pix of the Yellow head on the Internet.
Most salmon fly fishermen know the classic fly Crosfield. It used to be a very popular fly on Icelandic rivers, used mostly during bright and sunny days. These days other flies have taken its place but it still remains one of the best. Its origin is Icelandic, although the author was an Englishman.
Most people who come to fly fish for Atlantic salmon in Iceland want to find out what flies to use. Often listed is the good old Crosfield although it is little used anymore. In 1968, Icelandic author Gudmundur Danielsson wrote a book on the Ellidaar, Reykjavik‘s unique mid city salmon river. Among other items, there was an interview in the book with Pétur Gunnlaugsson who had guided British anglers on the river during the late nineteenth century and the start of the twentieth. In some salmon fly bibles the Crosfield is named as an Icelandic fly but that may be a slight overstatement. It was though first tied in Iceland, on the banks of Ellidaar. The author was Englishman Shetney Crosfield who fished the Ellidaar for several years back then.
Here we have some sort of blue variety.
In the interview Pétur says: „For me, Shetney Crosfield was probably the most memorable of the British anglers. He was indeed by far the best fly fisherman of the lot. I have seldom seen a fly fisherman change flies as often as Shetney did. He used to tell me that he would any day prefer one fly caught salmon to ten caught on the worm. Indeed he never fished with the worm. I learned a lot by watching Shetney fly fish. Shetney‘s brother Ernest fished with him in Ellidaar one summer. He was older and worked as a farmer up in Scotland. He was a very able fly fisherman as well and well known in Britain. His name often cropped up in angling books at the time when the greased line method was discussed and widely used, for instance in the book Greased line fishing for salmon. He held a record catch on Ellidaar. Fishing the upper part of the river , he one day caught 40 salmon, every one on the fly. Nobody has equalled it as far as I know. Shetney was fishing the lower river the same day and caught 28 salmon, so that particular day produced 68 salmon for two rods.“
Ellidaar is a delightful little river within Reykjavík's boundaries. Photo by Heimir Óskarsson.
I fished with Shetney for three seasons. He loved to teach others and he taught me how to cast a fly. He was a great sportsman and indeed a fine man and I have only fond memories of him. He was only just over forty when he passed away. Mr.Payne wrote to my father to tell us of his passing. It was easy to read between the lines that Shetney had died of tobaco poisoning or lung cancer. He was the heaviest smoker I ever met and hardly ever took a cigarette from his mouth unless the next one was ready.
Now, about the fly, the Crosfield. Every salmon fly fisherman has heard of it. We were once walking along the banks of Ellidaar when Shetney bent over and picked up a leg feather from a Mallard. He took it to the lodge and tied the fly. He aquired more feathers and made three types of the fly:
1) Silver body, yellow head, blue hackle, grey wing and yellow tail. He called it Yellow head and it was the first type.
2) Identical to the Yellow head, the wings though darker.
3) Identical fly to the others except for the nylon ribbing
The first fly was the most widely used and it proved to be outstanding. They all were in fact. It was very good in Britain as well.“
