Jock Scot has been rumbled..!

[Troglodyte]

Jock Scot, you have been rumbled..!

I've got you sussed..!

And it happened like this.

Just yesterday, I was trawling through the second hand books in our local charity shop, and I chanced upon a nice little volume in splendid condition, with the compelling title Spinning Up To Date - Salmon, Trout and Pike.

Oh, yeah? So what..?

Well, you are perfectly right to ask, thank you.

Always needing to keep up to date with my spinning of salmon and trout (and, of course, pike), I gave the book a flick-through and was delighted to see a wide selection of how-to illustrations and photos of tweed-clad sportsmen of the inter-war era. The book was printed in 1937.

Then I noticed the author's name...

Jock Scott.

Eh..? What..? Could this be our fellow XMarker, or a benign influence acting upon him..? I do hope so!

There is the little matter of the extra 't' in Scott, but we can forgive a typo' like that, so what we all now want to know is, are you in any way related to this salmon-spinner, and if not, why not..? He seems a splendid chap.

The time has come.

Will the real Jock Scot please stand up...

[figheadair]

And I think he, the author, was the inspiration for this - https://www.flyanglersonline.com/fea...es/part474.php

[Bruce Scott]

The author of Spinning Up To Date - Salmon, Trout and Pike was Donald G. Ferris Rudd who used the pen name "Jock Scott" and produced several fishing related books under this name, presumably taking the name of the well known fly . . . or it's inventor.


“Jock” – for the inventor of this renowned fly was hardly known as John Scott – was born at Branxholme early in February 1817. When thirteen years of age he began his Salmon-angling career under the directions of Robert Kerss, head keeper to the (then) Marquis of Lothian. In two or three years, on leaving his situation, he entered the service of that Prince of sportsmen, the late Lord John Scott, with whom he remained, as Fisherman, for full five-and-twenty years of his life. Afterwards “Jock” spent a year or two at the fly-table, and lived honourably by the constant practice of that art which he was born to enrich. He then became keeper to the present Earl of Haddington M.F.H. in whose service the poor old fellow died, 24th January, 1893. “Jock” was no giant, but had a big heart and a constitution of iron. Second to none at other sports and pastimes in the North, his soul was chiefly in fishing and most of his time was spent in the water without waders.

Admired by many, respected by all, trustworthy to a degree, good at fishing, excellent at fly-making, he distinguished himself for his inventive genius in connection with this particular pattern. Not long before his death (he had been my attendant when young) he gave me a specimen of his own make, and said that he set about the original in 1850.

“When you are too old, Sir,” he added, “ send to Kelso for them Neither Forrest nor Redpath* ever have that nasty dark coloured silk in front (meaning in the order of construction) and know how to keep yellow silk a good colour when put there by themselves.” *Redpath and Co. are wholesale people well known in the trade for their beautiful flies, etc., etc.

It is hardly necessary to say that the utmost triumph of two essential qualities, namely, harmony and proportion, is admirably illustrated in this one of the most popular fancy patterns ever designed by man.

It is only just possible to find a river or a catch, be it in pools, streams, rapids, or flats, shaded or exposed to the light of day, in which a “ Jock Scott,” when dressed properly, has not made for itself a splendid reputation. Remembering what has been urged in these pages with regard to judging at the riverside which kind of fly is best for the time being, we shall find that no pattern illustrates my theories so perfectly and so satisfactorily as this one.

But it should be borne in mind that orange silk (too often used instead of yellow) even closely coiled on the hook, once saturated, always turns a dirty brown shade, intensified in many cases by the roughly waxed tying-silk underneath. That colour is not only objectionable, but undesirable, the material features of the fly in this instance being altogether robbed of both beauty and effect while doing duty in clear water and bright weather.

The only correct account of the life and exploits of the inventor appeared in the Field 18th February, 1893, over the signature of “Punt Gun,” a gentleman who knew “ Jock ” intimately as a Fisherman on the Tweed. “Every word,” says the writer of it in a recent letter to me, “ was taken from his own life, or the writings of his son and family. I was very fond of him ; and it was a labour of love to me to write all I knew of the poor old fellow.”

The interesting biography concluded with these words: “With ’ Jock’s ’ death has passed away another link with old days, when to be a sportsman was, at any rate, to be a man. . . May he rest in peace.”



Copied from: https://flytyingarchive.com/jock-sco...n-fly-pattern/

Some more books by "Jock Scott" are shown here: https://www.goodreads.com/author/lis...087.Jock_Scott

[Jock Scot]

We have had this conversation on this website a few times before. To be absolutely clear, I have no direct connection to Jock Scott, which is why I only use one "t". As a salmon fisher I have caught many a salmon on a Jock Scott fly. In fact as a wee lad I caught my first salmon with a Jock Scott.

When I joined this website many moons ago I was informed by those that know(?) that a "nome de plume" might be a good idea for security reasons. So "Jock Scot" -------without the second "T" was my deliberate choice.

I wish that we had as many salmon in the rivers as there was then!

[Troglodyte]

We have had this conversation on this website a few times before. To be absolutely clear, I have no direct connection to Jock Scott, which is why I only use one "t". As a salmon fisher I have caught many a salmon on a on a Jock Scott fly. In fact as a wee lad I caught my first salmon with a Jock Scott.

When I joined this website many moons ago I was informed by those that know(?) that a "nome de plume" might be a good idea for security reasons. So "Jock Scot" -------without the second "T" was my deliberate choice.

I wish that we had as many salmon in the rivers as there was then!

I had guessed as much...

I was only joshing you in jest.

By the way, do you have a copy of Fly Fishing by J. R. Hartley..?

I'll get my coat..

[Jock Scot]

I had guessed as much...

I was only joshing you in jest.

By the way, do you have a copy of Fly Fishing by J. R. Hartley..?

I'll get my coat..

No I haven't , but I do have a signed first edition of, Thelwell's "Complete Tangler".

No worries my dear chap.