This shad fly is part of The Pfeiffer Collection.
This is the fifth of eleven California shad flies in the collection originally found in the booklet How to Catch, Bone and Cook a Shad produced by the California Department of Fish and Game.
The California Shad Fly #5 is a oval tinsel body style fly which is very similar to the Russian River Shad Fly, the Shad Fly, and Hayden Shad Fly. I think these types of flies ended up migrating from region to region due to their effectiveness. That said, while oval tinsel bodies may have been popular at the time, it is not my favorite style fly, and I think there are better body materials to work with now. Flashabou, silver embroidery thread, and crystal flash are easier to work with and tend not to have gaps where the thread color shines through like oval tinsel tends to have.
California Shad Fly #5 Pattern:
Hook: Size 4
Thread: Yellow UTC 140
Tail: Red Kip Tail
Body: Silver Oval Tinsel
Hackle: White Saddle
Collar: Red Chenille
Head: Yellow