Don Balke (North Carolina, B. 1933) "Fishing Flies - Royal Wulff" Signed lower left. Original Watercolor painting on Illustration Board. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. This painting was originally featured on the Fleetwood First Day Cover of the U.S. 29c Royal Wulff issued May 31, 1991. The ice has retreated from the high-mountain lake, and the resident Brook Trout have awakened from winter hungry. Cruising the shallows, a "Brookie" looks up to see a large mayfly resting on the surface. Unable to resist, it strikes at the brightly-colored fly, feels the sting of a hook and a dramatic struggle begins. Many a trout has been deceived by the Royal Wulff since it was created in the 1930s by legendary angler, author and fly-tier Lee Wulff. This dry fly pattern is a variation on the classic Royal Coachman, which has been effective since it was originated in the 1800s. But Wulff's addition of a naturally buoyant tail, easy-to-see white wings and bushy collar of hackle feather have made this a classic in its own right. Lee Wulff wanted the basic appeal of the original fly, but with more durability and higher flotation. So he replaced the original feather tail with tough, buoyant brown calf tail hairs, added lots of dark brown hackle and used wings of durable white calf's tail. Those changes, along with the original sparkling body of peacock tail and bright red floss resulted in a universally accepted and effective dry fly. Although it looks nothing like any natural insect, trout seem to find the Royal Wulff irresistible. Its creator has made many contributions to flyfishing -- including the original many-pocketed fishing vest -- but his place in angling history is assured, thanks to his buoyant, durable dry flies. Image Size: 16 x 16.25 in. Overall Size: 20.75 x 19 in. Unframed. (B12947) See More