Charlie Meck, ever the enthusiastic showman, was demonstrating tips and techniques for fishing his beloved Pennsylvania spring creeks to an attentive group of anglers. I stood in the audience, admiring the depth of his knowledge of these waters and the insects living in them. But the longer he spoke, the more aware I became of his compassion for his listeners; he truly wanted them to know, understand, and share his passion for fly fishing. Little did I know the role Charlie Meck’s empathy and concern would play in the lives of so many people over the next eight years.

The following year, in May 2002, Charlie hosted several members of the West Point Cadet Fly Fishing Club on Spruce Creek in Pennsylvania. The officer (Major Doug Matty) and cadets (Mike Adams and Ryan Zimmerman) were from the United States Military Academy and Charlie’s generosity was a tribute to their military service. It further provided a glimpse of Charlie’s own patriotism and his unfaltering support for a nation struck by terrorist attacks the previous September.

Two years later, in a tragedy far too familiar to soldiers in time of war, Mike Adams, now an Army Lieutenant was killed in Iraq. Once again, Charlie Meck stepped forward, dedicating his next book, Fishing Limestone Streams, to the young man that once shared his favorite trout stream. In his characteristic manner, Charlie avoided the limelight, wanting only to honor Mike’s sacrifice.

Last summer I called Charlie for permission to adopt his Patriot Fly pattern as a signature fly for Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing. His unequivocal “yes” was again typical of his strong support for the country and its armed forces. And with his approval, a vibrant and enduring trout fly joined the ranks of Project Healing Waters.

Why the Patriot Fly? The red, white, and blue of Charlie’s pattern capture the patriotic colors and mission of Project Healing Water Fly Fishing; emphasizing the honor, valor, and vigilance of American service members. And, being anglers to the core, we recognized the Patriot as a fine fly with a proven record of catching trout across the country.

Charlie tied his first Patriot Fly over 20 years ago and originally called his design the RB Coachman; RB signifying the “really blue” signature of the pattern. His fishing pattern Art Gusbar took one look at the fly and pronounced it the “Patriot” in recognition of its distinct colors. The two fished the fly with considerable success that day, and many more to follow. Two decades ago on a river in southwestern Pennsylvania, these two anglers kindled a dry fly legacy that has now become a symbol of healing and hope for hundreds of American veterans.

In the mysterious manner that binds so many lives in a common thread, Charlie Meck’s Patriot Fly now represents the present generation of American patriots. The sacrifices of these men and women are viewed by some as scars, wheelchairs, and prosthetic arms and legs. To Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, and Charlie Meck, their sacrifice is a remarkable expression of courage; a debt paid on behalf of a grateful nation.

On December 12, 2008, Project Health Waters Fly Fishing officially proclaimed the Patriot Fly as the symbol and signature of organizations’ mission. The Proclamation on the Patriot Fly can be viewed in its entirety here:

Click to View Proclamation (.pdf format)

The history of the Patriot Fly:

As I travel across the United States giving talks about fly fishing I get plenty of questions about tying the Patriot. I first used the pattern in 1985 and it has proved to be an effective fly across the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Chile and Argentina.

Just this past year in Labrador, and in the middle of the day, a size 10 Patriot dry fly caught huge brook trout when no other pattern worked. Steve McDonald and I caught a half dozen heavy brook trout each over 5 pounds on the Minipi River one afternoon on the Patriot. We continued to catch trout on that attractor pattern until a heavy brook trout broke off the last one we had with us.

In New Zealand 12 of the 13 largest trout Mike Manfredo and I caught took a size 12 Patriot dry fly. The Patriot became synonymous with success in that tremendous island nation.

And the pattern had proved its merits in the United States. It works well on all rivers and streams across the United States—even the streams of the Southwest. Trout in the streams and rivers near the Phoenix, Arizona, have especially shown favor to the Patriot. Yes, I said near Phoenix. Even people who have lived here for years don’t realize that they have fly-fishing opportunities near their home. The Salt River has plenty of hatches and rising trout and a bottom release in the middle of the hot summer.

Just recently on the Salt River, in January, I used the Patriot as a strike indicator in the tandem setup and caught several trout. I used a weighted Glo Bug as the wet fly and the Patriot as the dry fly. In two hours of fishing I caught 30 trout. Two of those fish took the Patriot dry fly on top.

As I’ve repeatedly said throughout this and many other articles that I’ve written about this fly, I use the Patriot dry fly as a strike indicator when there’s no hatch on the water in a tandem setup. There are many ways you can use the tandem—it’s one of the most useful techniques a fly fisher can learn. You can use two or more wet flies, two or more dry flies or a combination of both in the setup. I most often use a dry fly as the lead fly and a wet fly as the point fly (the fly farthest from the reel). I tie the Patriot on a 4 or 5X tippet (sometimes even a smaller tippet) and connect a wet fly like the Glo Bug, Green Weenie, Bead Head Pheasant Tail or Bead Head Caddis to the dry. I add weight to the wet fly patterns (except for the Zebra Midge). On most patterns I add five to nine wraps of .005 or .010 lead to the body of the wet fly when I tie the pattern. Again, I use a 4 or 5X tippet to connect the wet fly to the dry fly. I most often start with a two to three foot connection, but if the water is fast, deep or cool I’ve often make the distance between the two flies more than three feet. On the other hand if I’m fishing an emerger to trout that are taking that phase of the mayfly I might shorten the distance between the two flies to one to two feet. I connect the tippet of the wet fly to the bend of the hook of the dry fly with a clinch knot. To make the knot twist the leader six or seven times with you hand and bring the end through the loop you’ve created. There’s no need to make an improved clinch knot. If you twist the leader material six or seven times it will be as strong or stronger than an improved one. Place that loop on the bend of the hook of the dry fly and pull tight.

It takes a bit of practice to get accustomed to casting with the two patterns. But, once you do you’ll find it extremely easy to cast and effective way to catch trout.