Any Ideas ?

[Inchlaggan]

Parmachene Belle dates from 1878, there are no fewer that four variations of it in Terry Hellekson's "Fish Flies"- wet, Atlantic salmon, steelhead and streamer.
That should cover everything.

[Fishtales]

Taken from "Favorite flies and their histories"   Mary Orvis Marbury, Page 278 and Page 277 for the plate showing the fly. I think Mike has posted this in the Reference section.



"No. 60. The Parmacheene Belle was invented by Mr. Henry P. Wells, and named after Parmacheene Lake, in Maine. Mr. Wells's first mention of this fly is in his interesting paper on " Fly-Fishing in the Rangeley Region " in the second edition of " Fishing with the Fly." Later he writes of it again in his valuable book, "Fly Rods and Fly Tackle," saying: "My first favorite is the 'Parmacheene Belle.' Perhaps I am too partial to this fly, since it is in a measure my own child. John and I seldom fish betAveen half past eleven and four o'clock. That interval is passed prowling about the woods, or shooting at a mark with a rifle, or in some similar way. Often the fly-tying box is produced, and the word is, ' WeU, John, what shall we tease them with this afternoon ?' Thus, on joint suggestion, very many different combinations have been tried, and so some seven years ago was the ' Parmacheene Belle ' born.

It was a success, and since then I have used it four fifths of the time when fishing the headwaters of the Androscoggin River. " Unless I am deceived, these large trout take the fly not as an insect, but as some form of live bait. If this is true, an imitation of some favorite form of food is in itself sufficient under all circumstances, provided it is so conspicuous as readily to be seen. To test this theory the fly in question was made, imitating in color the belly-fin of the trout Itself. " Place the whole catalogue of known flies on the one hand, and this single fly on the other, and force me to choose and confine myself to that choice, and for fishing in those waters I would choose the ' Parmacheene Belle ' every time. I have tried it in sunshine and rain, at noonday and In the gloaming, and at all times it has proved successful."

The Coachman for many years was probably as universally popular in this country as any fly one could mention, but the Parmacheene Belle has come to be its strong rival, and we have astonishing repoi'ts of its success in all waters. Mr. Wells also recommends the Parmacheene Belle for sea troutA fly called the Parmacheene Beau has lately appeared. It is practically the same as the Parmacheene Belle, with the addition of jungle-cock feathers as shoulders, and is an infringement upon the former pattern and name. We feel sure Mr. Wells is not responsible for this latter device."

[Traditionalist]

Mr. Henry P. Wells was the inventor;

http://www.archive.org/stream/flyrodsflytackle00wellrich#page/302/mode/2up

Book  http://www.archive.org/details/flyrodsflytackle00wellrich

TL
MC

[Fishtales]

The tying is on page 131.

Parmacheene Belle: body, lemon-yellow mohair, ribbed with scarlet silk, gold or silver tinsel; wings, equal parts white goose and red ibis ; hackle, red ;  tail, goose and ibis; tag, gold tinsel. The latter is also a very killing bass fly.

[deergravy]

A gaudy lure, then.
Wild confections like this do have their place, I must admit.
When you need an outlandish wet-fly, I dare say it's as good as any number of modern fly-tying freak outs.
Gorgeous George, for example, is pretty fashionable in the Uists at the moment, it's basically a psychedelic nightmare, but with jungle cock and knotted leg 'triggers'

[Black-Don]

I've never heard of the Jersey minnow

Is this possibly the same fly created by Tom Ivens called the Jersey Herd, so called because he used milk bottle tops from bottles of milk which came from Jersey cows in the tying of the fly ?

[Malcolm]

Now that was a very good fly especially for fry feeding broonies.

[Traditionalist]

Is this possibly the same fly created by Tom Ivens called the Jersey Herd, so called because he used milk bottle tops from bottles of milk which came from Jersey cows in the tying of the fly ?

This is the "Jersey Minnow";

http://www.rareandunusual.com/gootenberg.html

TL
MC

[Black-Don]

This is the "Jersey Minnow";

http://www.rareandunusual.com/gootenberg.html

TL
MC

Seems to have been a bit of a cross between " The Jersey Herd "  a " Matuka "and a "Muddler Minnow"

Mike  :shock:

[deergravy]

The top picture there is the one from the book - I remember the peacock herl head and furnace hackle wings.
Actually, it looks pretty good 
Don't think it bears any relation to the Jersey Herd, apart from the word 'Jersey'
I think it's another American pattern, from the days before mass communication and the crossover between US and UK approaches.