The Carey Special is a legendary stillwater wet fly pattern that originated in British Columbia, Canada, during the 1920s or 1930s. Devised as a highly versatile attractor pattern meant to mimic dragonfly nymphs, leeches, and caddis pupae, it became a foundational staple of Pacific Northwest trout and steelhead fishing.
The fly was created through a collaboration between Colonel Thomas "Tom" Carey—a British World War I veteran from Yorkshire who migrated to British Columbia for its legendary fishing—and Dr. Lloyd Day, a physician from Kelowna.
According to local lore, during a fishing trip to Arthur Lake in the Okanagan region, Dr. Day found a dead groundhog (marmot) on the side of the road. Intrigued by the texture of the fur, he asked Colonel Carey to tie a fly using the animal's hairs.
