The Brookie’s Meat Fly
The Brookie’s Meat fly pattern is a story of friendship from the mid-1900s, preserved thanks to my great-grandfather, Harry Cameron (Pop), and his meticulous documentation.
This pattern would have been lost if it hadn’t been for Pop’s little black notebook, created in the 1960s during his retirement years. In it, Pop recorded recipes for 90 fly patterns, each carefully drawn with colored pencils. Additionally, he kept a stack of index cards documenting many of the same patterns, bringing the total to 99 unique recipes.
Most of the flies were well-known at the time—classic patterns that had been tied and fished for decades. However, a few of them were unique to Pop and his group of friends who lived in Colorado Springs, CO, and fished the Arkansas and South Platte Rivers, along with other rivers, creeks, and high-country lakes in south-central Colorado. Some of these friendships likely date back to as early as the 1910s.
The Brookie’s Meat appears on page six of Pop’s journal and is attributed to Rudy Savio. Rudy and Pop were both electricians and members of the local union, IBEW 113. Presumably, they were also close friends and fishing buddies. Despite extensive research, I haven’t found any record of the Brookie’s Meat pattern anywhere else—online or in the books I’ve consulted—making it a unique legacy of their camaraderie.
Pop also included the Brookie’s Meat in a shadow box of 10 flies that he tied and mounted for display. This shadow box not only showcases the Brookie’s Meat but also features Pop’s own signature fly, the Noremac.
The photos below show Pop’s original drawings and flies tied by some of his followers, who have shared their creations on Instagram, continuing the legacy of this remarkable pattern and the friendships it represents.
