Sooty as a ‘sweep, Harry Pennell’s “The Sweep” is an English chub fly introduced in the Fishing Gazette in 1877. It later appeared with it’s simple pattern recipe in it’s originator’s book “Fishing: Pike And Other Coarse Fish; London: 1885. Pennell’s namesake iron, the Pennell Sneck, supports this simple hackle fly of black and white ostrich herl. Though Harry preferred the turn-down eye, my stock of Sneck hooks is limited to T.U.E., so it will have to suffice…
Pennell was a great advocate for the sporting qualities of chub, and I share his enthusiasm for their North American equivalent. Harry suggests ox brains as an excellent bait for chub; I think I’ll stick to “The Sweep”!
