Tups Indispensible

The Tups Indispensible fly was invented by RSAustin around the year 1900; a 'Tup' is the name use in the north of England to describe a male sheep (ram) and the wool from around the testicles is said to be used in the Tups Indispensible ; the Wool from this source is usually stained yellow with the ram's urine.

One suggestion is the pink / red color comes from the dye of the farmers use to paint on the rams testicles and it rubs off on the female when the sheep mate, showing the farmer that the female is pregnant - I've never seen red with rams gonads! Farmers in the UK use dye to mark their ownership of sheep that are often left to roam free in the summer months on the mountains.

Another story is the original fly was developed by Austin when GEMSkues suggested the addition of some red fur seals.

I do not know what is the truth or what are lies - I only know that the pink fly most people call a Tups Indispensible is not much like anything you see in nature and is not a pattern I like much. And I do not believe that a keen observer of nature like Skues or even Austin would have tied a pink fly to imitate the Spinners of the Pale Watery Dun (Baetis fuscatus).

I tie a Tups Indispensible with my own mix of furs as follows: Mix well - 6 parts cream natural seal's fur with a pinch of chopped up Antron dub mixed in cream, 2 parts Spaniel's beige brown fur, 6 parts yellow seal's fur, 1 small pinch of red seal's fur. The original hack used in the Tups was a brassy blue dun - I tend to use a honey colored hackle.

My tying is so different to the modern pattern for the fly and I'm not sure if I should call it a Tups Indispensible - but I suspect mine is much nearer the original, a photo of the finished fly is attached below.

Another good imitation of nature is the Lunn's Yellow Boy that uses orange yellow thread with a hack for the body stalk, pale buff hack point spent wings and pale buff hack and tail.

Ray

Hi Alex
It is a pleasure to post on this forum - the welcome is very friendly

UK grayling also like pink flies - most anglers will use a heavily weighted pink nymph at some time during a day fishing for grayling.

We have plenty of sheep in Wales but I've never tried to persued a ram to part with any of its yellow stained wool - that is why I use yellow seal's fur

Many thanks

Ray

Very good story about history of The Tups Indispensible Fly. It should be in the Mary's Marbury book "Favorite Flies and Their Histories".
Thanks Ray.
Mersad

Hi Ray
Tups Indispensible made a lot of debate ,almost fight ,in our fishing magazine 15-20 years ago.....You easy can imagine why
Autor of that article was well,object of joks for a long time on the teritory of Ex-Yu.
Maybe that is why this fly never become popular here.
But,I like your patern ....Tups with no tups in it
regards

Hi Mesad

Many thanks

Madjoni

Lets hope no one makes a joke out of me this time
I suspect my pattern is more like the original with just a hint of pink or red in it. I just don't believe the modern dressing with all that pink in the body would have been tied by R.S.Austin as an imitation of the Pale Watery

Ray

Ray Lockyer ::

Madjoni

Lets hope no one makes a joke out of me this time
I suspect my pattern is more like the original with just a hint of pink or red in it. I just don't believe the modern dressing with all that pink in the body would have been tied by R.S.Austin as an imitation of the Pale Watery

Ray

Dont vory mate....you are favorite foreigner to us
About Tups fly.....patern that was presented to us long ago,if my memory still works ,was yellowish body with pink thorax...I ll try to find that artical

An interesting story about testicles and fly fishing. I think the key to the success of this fly is in the smell. Ray, do not change the old pattern, take the scissors and go to the hills!
Do not forget that you imitate the male spinner of Baetis fuscatus during mating.

Hi Mixmaster
I would it prefer if you gathered a supply of wool for me.
Welsh rams are fierce animals when they see a scissors.

Ray