Winterbourne the Fly Tyer

Fly Tying Marathon at the BFFI

2010-09-07T12:28:00.000-07:00

Keith Passant will once again be undertaking his 24 hour fly tying marathon at the British Fly Fair during October in aid of Casting for Recovery. This is a fine charity, that does some fantastic work and is worthy of any support we can give it.

To support the marathon Keith is running a raffle to raise additional funds. The main prize is a superb frame of 16 Spey Flies tied some of the best tyers in the world. Other prizes included boxes of flies, rods and reels, something for everyone. To buy tickets and view the other prizes (so far), take a look a Keith's site.

To support Keith I have been tying a box of flies, in a wide range of styles.

Pheasant Tail Flymph

2010-08-12T12:13:00.001-07:00

I have had a fair degree of success over the last month with this fly. I sensed that a little more movement in the fly was needed than I was getting from the Sawyer Pheasant Tail and after a couple nights at the vice, came up with this flymph. The Trigger Point Fibres used in the hackle tend to become less waterlogged than feathers and may just provoke a little more interest from the trout.

Recent Trips

2010-08-07T12:31:00.000-07:00

Many of the rivers are still very low, despite the recent showers which appear to have been very localised. Many of the fish are holding up in the deeper holes, which limits the fishing opportunities. You do need to question whether we should be fishing in these conditions and the welfare of the fish should always be the first priority, particularly where wild fish are concerned.

Although the fishing has not been easy, fish have been taken recently on Small Olive Goldheads, Sawyer's Pheasant Tails and a Pheasant Tail Flymph.

Reversed Parachute Emerger

2010-06-08T13:10:00.000-07:00

I have been tying a few of Roy Christie's Reversed Parachute Emergers. Having just received some Hend's wire from the Fly Tying Boutique (http://www.flytyingboutique.com/index.html), I have used the olive wire to rib this fly, creating a very subtle effect. I hope I have done the pattern justice.

More of Roy's fabulous patterns can be found here,

http://www.danica.com/flytier/rchristie/rchristie.htm

Cotswold Mayfly

2010-06-01T13:34:00.000-07:00

I took a day off last week hoping to catch the Mayfly. The river was in fine order, but a little coloured after rain the previous evening. The Mayfly trickled off the water from early morning until lunchtime, when the hatch slowed. Rising fish were hard to find, and harder to tempt. I tried Emerger patterns and Wally Winged Mayflies without any joy, but finaly took a couple of fish on an Oliver Edwards Mohican Mayfly.

Churn Pool

2010-05-19T12:04:00.000-07:00

Our Fly Tying Club are holding a fishing night and BBQ at Churn Pool this week so I have busy tying a few flies that might have some success. Churn Pool is a well run and friendly fishery in the Cotswolds, well worth a visit if you are in the area. http://www.churnpool.co.uk/

This first pattern is simply a wire body and rib and a CDC hackle. Two colours of wire are used,say black and green, this is wound in touching turns to the bend of the hook and returned to the eye as a rib. The fly is then hackled with corresponding CDC. This fly was shown to me by Phil Holding of the Fly Tying Boutique (http://www.flytyingboutique.com/) and has proved very effective on the stillwaters I fish. In smaller sizes it would make a great wet fly.

This Bloodworm pattern is a favourite of mine and so simply. The Flexifloss is whipped on to the hook leaving strands from the eye, bend and middle of the hook, to add some extra sparkle to the body of the hook, an overbody of red holographic tinsel can be added. This is a great pattern fished on the drop, when the majority of takes occur and additionally can be fascinating to watch in clear water.

Slow Start to the Season

2010-05-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

The season has begun very slowly, everthing is behind this season and the weather remains cool. Having said that, The Leach is currently looking very nice.

A minor success last week in the shape of a small Brownie, taken on a size 20 Goldhead Hare's Ear. It was very welcome on a cold and miserable evening. I would guess it was from last years spawning and a very healthy sign for the river.

Orvis Fly Fishing Show at Blenheim

2010-04-07T04:07:00.000-07:00

Orvis will be holding a Fly Fishing Show at Blenhiem Place on Sunday April 11th between 10.00 and 5.00.

To quote their website, where more information can be found:-

"Orvis have teamed up with Blenheim Palace Trout Fishery to bring you a day of fly fishing demonstrations, along with lectures by the Orvis Pro-Guide team, including writer and magazine contributor Paul Procter and local professional guide Jim Williams."

I have been asked to tie flies at the show along with Roy Christie, Dave Wiltshire and Dennis Shaw. This is a very exciting opportunity to tie along side these experienced tiers and I am very much looking forward to it, hopefully it will be a great day.

Fly Tying League Round 1

2010-02-07T13:17:00.000-08:00

I recieved this months Fly Fishing and Fly Tying Magazine in the post yesterday, after round 1, I am equal second in Division 1. A very pleasing start, so onward with the next round of flies.

Comparadun

2010-01-31T09:43:00.000-08:00

The Comparadun is a beautiful looking fly. I tied a few towards the end of last season and found it a lovely little fly to fish with, so delicate and with a great profile on the water.

Dave Wiltshire provides great tying instructions for this fly on his site River Fly Box, http://www.riverflybox.co.uk/cdcdun.html, it is well worth taking a look. Dave has developed many variants of this fly and I make no excuse for following his pattern.

One thing I would add is that it is essential to use good quality CDC, it makes tying so much easier. Marc Petitjean's CDC is available from several sources and the Swiss CDC from Phil Holding at http://www.flytyingboutique.com/ is superb, coming in a great range of colours. For anyone who has not seen Phil's site it is well worth a look, a great range of excellent materials.

Fly Tying League Round 1

2010-01-17T13:34:00.001-08:00

The 1st round of the Fly Tying League this year required 3 Biot Nymphs, tied on a size 12 wet fly hook, an odd combination. The additional fly I chose to tie was the Dentist's Delight. Last year I finished 7th in the Open Class, so it will interesting to see how I fair this year in the new format.

Emerger Bodies

2010-01-07T12:51:00.000-08:00

After tying the 'Once and Away' I wondered what other combinations of materials might make interest bodies. The flies below are tied with a paraloop hackle but the body was the main focus. The first body is gold tinsel alternated with black horse tail hair (see previous post), this has plenty of sparkle (perhaps too much), the photo doesn't do it justice. The second body is brown / tinsel sewing thread alternated with black horse tail hair, not so sure about this. The third, my current favourite, is Crystal Sunburst Boar Hair overlaid with gold wire, this has real possibilities.

Gold Tinsel and Horse Tail

Brown/Tinsel Thread and Horse Tail

Crystal Sunburst Boar Hair and Gold Wire

Snow in Berkshire

2010-01-07T11:50:00.000-08:00

It's been a difficult couple of days in Lambourn with the recent snow fall but we have still had to make a twice daily trip to our ponies just outside the village. This is Barney, our Norweign Fjord.

Putting a Bend in the Rod

2010-01-03T11:55:00.000-08:00

I fancied a little fishing yesterday so took an old fibreglass float rod, centrepin and a loaf of bread down to the River Windrush. The river was very coloured and fairly high so fishing was limited to a few bits of slack water. In a couple of hours I took 4 Chub and a Brownie. Interestingly, the first fish I hooked (and lost) was a Brownie which snapped the hook link and the last fish I caught, two hours later, was the same Brownie with both hooks in its mouth. The first hooking obviously did not affect the fish too much as it continued feeding during the afternoon. It was a very pleasant and enjoyable way to spend the afternoon.

Once and Away

2010-01-01T13:01:00.000-08:00

The 'Once and Away' by Hans van Klinken has featured in several books, notably

Tying Flies with CDC and Tying Emergers.

I have admired the fly for sometime and only recently obtained some Peccary from Niche Products. Having tied a few in various sizes, I can only be impressed by the way the fly sits on the water and look forward to putting it to use next season.

British Fly Fair 2009

2009-11-15T11:13:00.000-08:00

The Fly Fair last weekend at Trentham Gardens was a fantastic event as usual. The weekend was a great opportunity to watch and learn from some of the great tyers from around the world. I took the opportunity to catch up with some of my favourite tyers including Chris Watson, Phil Holding, Roy Christie and Dave Wiltshire, these guys tie flies that catch fish, not the angler. Each time I watch them I learn so much and come away with so many ideas. The Caddis below was tied by Chris Watson and the Shrimp by Phil Holding, both superb flies.

During the show my friend, Keith Passant, under took a 24hr Tying Marathon in aid of Casting for Recovery and Help for Heroes. I donated the box below for the auction that followed, where further funds were raised for the charities. This was a great effort by Keith.

CDC Emerger

2009-11-01T13:00:00.000-08:00

I was recently bought the book 'Tying Flies with CDC' by Leon Links, this has proved an inspiration in the use of CDC. I have been tying a few flies over the last couple of weeks including this emerger. The possibilities and uses of CDC are endless as demonstrated on Dave Wiltshire's blog, http://davewiltshireflytying.blogspot.com/ and the website of Jean-Paul Dessaigne , http://www.jpdessaigne.com/index.htm.

Looking Forward to the BFFI

2009-10-16T11:20:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I spent the afternoon tying at the Orvis shop in Burford as part of their open weekend. The afternoon was very rewarding, it was good to talk and share techniques with other tyers.

Keith Passant, who works in the Orvis shop, will be undertaking a 24 hour tying marathon at the BFFI next month, principally in aid of Casting for Recovery, a very worthwhile charity. Please look up Keith if you are visiting the show and give your support. I believe there will be a raffle and auction during Sunday afternoon with plenty of items up for grabs.

If you haven't been to the BFFI before, it is well worth the trip, it is a great weekend, you can learn so much from some of the best tyers in the world. Take a look at the website, www.bffi.co.uk/

Whilst browsing the site this week I came across a link to Jean-Paul Dessaigne's website, www.jpdessaigne.com/. This is a fantastic site, with many excellent patterns, complete with tying instructions, this is worthy of a place in anybody's favourites.

Black Gnat Paraloop

2009-10-04T12:11:00.000-07:00

I bought the book 'Tying flies the Paraloop Way' by Ian Moutter a couple of months ago but had done nothing with it until now. The technique produces a neat hackle that sits nicely on the top the fly. This allows the fly to sit on top the water rather than above it and therefore improving the profile when viewed from below. This is a very practical alternative to the traditional hackle. The flies above are Black Gnats.

Pheasant Tail Nymph

2009-09-21T12:20:00.000-07:00

The Sawyer Pheasant Tail is a fly I use an awful lot, particularly in sizes 16 and 18. This season it has been my 'go to' fly and it rarely fails to produce some sort of interest.

I like to tie the flies in the traditional manner, however I do have a problem obtaining tail feathers with fibres of the right length, however I have developed a two part method of tying the fly to make use of the smaller feathers.

I have often wondered if Frank Sawyer would have used the same materials if he had designed the fly today, with the vast amount that are available. Pictured are two variations, the first using a small bead for the thorax and the second creating a body from EP-Trigger Point International Fibres (colour-March Brown).

Daddy Long Legs

2009-09-14T13:42:00.000-07:00

This Daddy Long Legs pattern is taken from Malcolm Greenhalgh book, The Floating Fly. The fly sits beautifully on the water and can be deadly at this time of the year. The takes are often very savage and spectacular, however for one reason or another there seems to have been very few around this year.

I have used ginger rabbit dubbing for the body on this fly, using a little squirrel belly to enhance the colouring. The grey poly-yarn wing has been tied in as two small wings and the hackle wound front to back between the wings and tied off at the end of the body to give the effect I was looking for.

Malcolm’s book is well worth reading, describing the most recent develops in dry fly design. The book contains a chapter on the flies that Malcolm uses, however tying instructions are not included. The book is written in a very engaging manner and is very readable, giving the tyer plenty of food for thought.

Perch

2009-09-09T12:35:00.001-07:00

I tied these after a friend told me about some large Perch in a lake that he fancied tackling with a fly.

The flies are not my normal type of thing but I thought they might do the trick with the Perch. The left fly is grey frosty fish fibre and black calf tail and the right fly is white antron, green streamer hair and a hint of black calf tail. We fished one evening and caught plenty of Perch but only small ones, it will be interesting to have another go, but it will need to wait until the end of the trout season.

The Stimulator

2009-08-13T13:29:00.000-07:00

Having returned from holiday in the Lake District, I visited the Windrush this week.

The river was fairly low but retained a good flow, however the water was quite coloured after some recent rain. I fished through the afternoon into the early evening without success and barely saw a rise in the time I was there. One memorable moment occured when a very large chub rose to a Stimulator but failed to take the fly, the spot has been noted for a visit with coarse tackle in the autumn.

Interestingly the Stimulator also did the trick a few weeks ago on a lake when the Rainbows were striking at Damsel Flies.

I first saw this fly demonstrated by Stack Scoville at the Fly Fair in 2008. I may have changed a few colours but it is basically the same fly. I see that Stack is demonstrating at the Fly Fair again this year, it's well worth taking a look a his flies if you get the opportunity.

Beetle

2009-07-05T13:07:00.001-07:00

The beetle pattern is based on a fly tied by Chris Watson. The underbody of peacock herl was intended to to give the blue/green colouring of the beetle. When tying this pattern you must use a fine wire hook and not overstretch the foam to prevent the fly from sinking. It worked like a dream on Friday as you can see from my previous post, but I imagine it will very effective after plenty of rain.

River Leach

2009-07-05T12:05:00.000-07:00

I fished the River Leach on Friday evening. The river is very much in need of some rain, but thankfully the flows are holding up nicely.

I took 3 fish during the evening all on a beetle pattern. It's possible the fish don't see these flies very often as they were taken fairly readily or maybe it was just a going night.

Blue Flash Damsel

2009-06-07T12:35:00.000-07:00

I fished the lakes at Albury a few weeks ago with a friend. The lakes are well kept and stocked with plenty of fish. Many fish are taken on the Blue Flash Damsel, a fly I have not come across before. I have tied a few flies for him as a thank you and created a few variations,with varying amounts of blue in the body.

River Windrush

2009-06-07T12:19:00.000-07:00

I fished the River Windrush yesterday morning and took two nice Brownies. The first to a Sawyer Pheasant Tail and second on a Black Klinkhammer. The Sawyer really is a great fly, so simply yet so effective. It was a very wet morning and I saw nobody else on the river. Although there is still a good flow on the river, this rain is much needed and will freshen everything up.

Sawyer Pheasant Tail and Stuie's Olive

2009-06-04T13:44:00.000-07:00

I have been tying a few more flies this week for Keith Passant's Fly Tying Marathon in August. The first is Stuie's Olive, featured by Charles Jardine in the April 2009 Fly Fishing and Fly Tying Magazine and the second is the Sawyer Pheasant Tail. The Sawyer really is a very underated fly, so simple but so effective, often overlooked in favour of more complex patterns.

Griffith's Gnat

2009-05-26T13:31:00.000-07:00

Griffith’s Gnat

Hook – dry fly, size 14
Thread – black, 14/0
Body – peacock herl (x3)
Rib – grizzly cock saddle hackle

I have started to tie a few flies for a Casting for Recovery fundraiser. My friend Keith Passant will again be undertaking a 24 fly tying marathon in aid of this great charity at the Orvis shop in Burford. Any donations in terms of sponsorship and raffle / auction prizes would be gratefully received by Keith.

2009-05-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

Not much posting recently. The final results of the Fly Tying League were published last month, I finished 7th in the Open Class, I was over the moon.

I have been tying some Mohican Mayfly's from Oliver Edwards Masterclass. The flies not only look superb, they sit on the the water upright every time and they are great fun to tie.

I'm looking forward to putting them to use in the next few weeks.

Klinkhammer

2009-04-04T13:38:00.000-07:00

I have been tying a few Klinkhammers this week. The body is black supperfine ribbed with black holographic Mylar tinsel, with a thorax of peacock herl. The wing is white antron and the hackle a Herbert Miner Dark Brown dun Rooster Saddle.

Vulnerable Dun

2009-03-24T14:03:00.000-07:00

I have been tying a few Vulnerable Duns (a Chris Watson creation) in preparation for the new season. The fly has been tied on various sizes from 14 down to 22 using Aero Dry Wing with a few strands of Krystal Flash UV Pearl for the wing, a body dubbed with Superfine and ribbed with thread (ropped and coloured with permanant marker), a shuck of white McFlylon with a few strands of Krystal Flash UV Pearl and a hackle, in this instance, from a Metz Grizzly Hackle.

FF and FT League Round 4

2009-03-24T13:29:00.000-07:00

Round 4 of the League required three Quill Dries. Dressing as follows:

Hook: Partridge Surehold Dry Barbless

Thread: Black 8/0

Wing: Mallard Feather Slips

Tail: Cock Hackle Fibres

Body: Stripped Peacock Quill

Hackle: Whiting Brown Saddle Hackle

This fly proved more troublesome that at first glance. I tried several methods of stripping the peacock quill satisfactorily including hair remover which seem to weaken the quill itself and make it impossible to tie. I eventually opted to soak the quills in water for 24 hours and strip using a very good quality rubber. The slip wings were not easy, are they ever, and after a couple of weeks of tearing my hair out, I tied them in as I usually do with the wings lying along the hook and after one loop of thread moving the waste end in a seesaw motion to create a valley in the slip.

I am third after Round 3 so have high hope of a good finish.

Back to tying some flies for the new season.

Wally Wing Mayfly

2009-02-25T13:21:00.000-08:00

At the Fly Fair last year I was impressed by the Wally Wing Mayfly tied by Chris Watson. I have been trying to master the technique on and off since then and contacted Chris who was kind enough to help. The picture is of my latest effort. On this particular fly I have used Fly Rite dubbing, #38 Pale Watery Yellow, from Niche and a Dark Smokey Dun Hackle from Collins in the US.

Fly Tying League Round 3

2009-02-18T13:40:00.000-08:00

My second fly for round 3 was a The Green Nymph Variation. This was tied on a size 14 wet fly hook. The body is flourescent green floss overlaid with monofilament, the hackle brown Partridge and the head Peacock herl. The hackle was very difficult to get as full as the fly in the magazine even if it was doubled using conventional tying. I decided to cut hackles from the feather and tie them in forward over the eye and then stroke them back once I had formed the body. The picture shows more of the thread at the end of the body than I would have liked but the hackle looks nice.

Fly Tying League Round 3

2009-02-18T13:03:00.000-08:00

After round 2 of the league I am equal 2nd, can't quite believe it!

The 3rd round flies are Czech Nymphs. These were tied using the following materials.

Hook: Partridge Fine Wire Czech Nymph, size 12

Underbody: 0.015 Round Lead Wire

Outer Rib: Monofilament

Shellback: Clear Thin Skin

Inner Rib: Sulky Gold Holoshimmer (from sewing shop)

Body: Rabbit Dubbing in Olive and Rusty Brown

Head: Thread colour with marker and varnished

Not totally happy with these flies, I should have paid more attention to the number of ribs on each fly to be more consistent and the head can be difficult due to the bulk of materials to tie in. The lead underbody has the thread ramped up at either end to give a smoother outline prior to adding any other materials. The shellback is coloured using Stazon Timber Brown ink from a craft shop. I have also started to paint the head with a small brush and several coats of head cement to get a better finish, particularly on flies similar to this

The Floating Fly by Malcolm Greenhalgh

2009-01-14T13:06:00.000-08:00

This is a great book that cleverly combines the development of the floating fly, as Malcolm describes it, with examples of the latest ideas working in practice.

The book follows the history of the dry fly and refers to earlier writing on the subject, where significant developments have taken place. This is particularly useful, if like myself you are fairly new to fly fishing. Malcolm brings each thread up to date with the most recent thinking. Each subject is supported by stories from Malcolm's own experiences, either rejecting or supporting various ideas.

The latter part of the book provides details of some of the patterns that Malcolm uses, how they were developed and situations where they might be used. They are described as "Dry flies that catch fish" and give the impression that is what they do, they are not flashy flies for the angler, but in the most part very simply flies. The book does not give tying instruction, there are plenty of others to give you the infomation you need to tie the patterns.

A book well worth reading, written as though you were just chatting at the bar, very readable.

Fly Tying League Round 2

2009-01-14T12:35:00.000-08:00

Round 2 of the Fly Tying League required three CDC Loopwing Emergers to be tied. The fly is very straight forward to tie, however I found that the CDC loopwing either worked first time or not at all and it was pointless messing about trying to make it look good.

Hook - size 14

Thread - brown

Tail - brown partridge fibres

Abdomen - Arizona dubbing

Wing - Natural CDC

Thorax - Arizona dubbing

The results of Round 1 have just been announced, I am equal 30th, a very pleasing start.

Fly Tying League Round 2

2009-01-14T12:18:00.000-08:00

For the additional fly in Round 2 of the Fly Tying League I have tied John Goddard's Poly May Spinner.

Hook - size 12

Thread - black

Tails - 3 or 4 black microfibetts

Wings - black and white calfs tail

Body - white poly yarn

Hackle - 3 turns of black cock

Pheasant Tail Spider

2009-01-04T13:07:00.000-08:00

The Pheasant Tail Spider.

The body is pheasant tail fibre, I used two fibres, and the hackle is Grey Partridge.

Partridge and Yellow

2009-01-04T13:06:00.002-08:00

The Partridge and Yellow Spider

The body is yellow thread and the hackle Grey Partridge.

The hackle is a little heavy in this example.

Lurex Spider

2009-01-04T12:59:00.000-08:00

The Lurex Spider.

I have changes the pattern slightly using white uni-floss for the body and a Jackdaw's hackle.

Greenwell's Spider

2009-01-04T12:52:00.000-08:00

The Greenwell's Spider.

The body is yellow thread (dark waxed) with gold wire rib. The hackle from a variegated dun hen.

Black Spider

2009-01-04T12:46:00.000-08:00

The Black Spider.

Black thread body and black hen hackle.

Phil Holding at the Fly Fair recommended that the body should go back as far as the hook point and the head should be finished with 2 half hitches to minimise bulk. Using a finer thread will also give a neater finish.

Black and Peacock

2009-01-04T12:39:00.000-08:00

Having been busy completing some decorating, there was no tying until after Christmas.

Encouraged by Phil Holding at the Fly Fair and the Spidersplus website I have been tying a few spiders and hope to fish with them more often next year.

The first is the Black and Peacock. A peacock herl body and black hen hackle.

This, and all the following spiders are tied on 14 and 16 wet hooks.

Fly Tying League - Round 1

2008-12-09T13:41:00.000-08:00

I have just completed the three Yellow Dancers for the Fly Tying League and sent them off today. An interesting fly to tie and not something I would use very often. I finished 46th last year, so it will interesting to see if I can progress this year.

Fly Swap

2008-11-30T08:14:00.000-08:00

For the club fly swap I have tied Alan Bitchell's Bi Colour Nymph. It's a lovely simple pattern which produces an effective nymph that is pleasing to the eye. You need to tie a few to get your eye in as the pheasant tail that forms the thorax is brought down the back to form the tail, getting this right is tricky, in this example the tail is bit long.

The fly has been tied as follows:-

Thread - brown

Underbody - copper wire to suit

Body - tan rabbit dubbing

Back/Tail - golden pheasant tail

Rib - fine copper wire

Fly Fishing and Fly Tying Magazine Competition

2008-11-23T12:08:00.000-08:00

Having been laid up with a cold for sometime and busy horse racing at Cheltenham last week, not much fly tying has been done.

I need to get my finger out and complete the flies for the first round of the Fly Fishing and Fly Tying Magazine Competition. Oddly I have tied the additional fly first. I have elected to tie (Rob's) Welsh Green Peter. It seemed a very straight forward fly, however getting the wing to lie at the correct angle proved troublesome. The fly is tied on a size 14 Klinkhamer using olive thread. The body is Arizona Synthetic Dubbing ribbed with silver tinsel. The tail is a small red feather and the wing tied from bronze mallard.

So on now to the Yellow Dancer.

I have been reading the The Floating Fly by Malcolm Greenhalgh. It's a good read, a nice mix between history and opinion.

BFFI 2008

2008-11-03T13:40:00.000-08:00

I arrived back late yesterday after two days at the show. Once again it was a great show. I enjoyed watching and speaking with both Roy Christie and Chris Watson both of whom tie flies to catch fish. Chris's fly, pictured, is just fantastic. Roy as ever, was interesting to watch and listen too, you will always learn something.

I bought plenty this year including a nice furnace hackle and Malcolm Greenhalgh new book, The Floating Fly. One of the tyers had a silver badger hackle in a colour called champagne, it looked lovely, but I never found one at the show.

Light Cahill for Izaac Walton Trust

2008-10-31T13:05:00.000-07:00

Last night was club night, we tied flies for the Izaac Walton Cottage Trust with a view to giving them to the trust this weekend at the BFFI for fund raising.

I chose to tie a Light Cahill on a size 14 using yellow thread, wood duck for the tail and feathers, pale yellow superfine dubbing (I found the light cahill a little pale) for the body and a light ginger Whiting saddle hackle. I ensured I had a couple of layers of yellow thread over the hook before dubbing to give a depth of colour. In this instance I did not split the wings.

I always look forward to this show, and will stay over for the weekend. I like to take in as many demonstrations and talks as possible over the days but predominantly watch the tyers, you cannot fail to pick up new ideas and techniques.

Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear Nymph

2008-10-29T14:31:00.000-07:00

I have good intentions next season of returning to more basic traditional patterns, I think sometimes we over complicate our patterns. With this in mind I have been tying some Gold Ribbed Hares Ear's.

To add some interest I have tied them using Arizona Simi Seal Dubbing in amber olive for the body and Arizona Synthetic Dubbing in dark hare's ear for the thorax. The dubbing was recommended to me by a friend and I obtained some from the US. The wing case is golden pheasant tail fibres.

2008-10-28T13:02:00.000-07:00

Hello, welcome to my Fly Tying Blog.

I have been fishing since the age of 10, and up until 5 years ago fished mainly for coarse fish. I became increasingly frustrated with crowded banks and over fished lakes and so turned my attentions to fly fishing. For the first 3 or 4 years I fished almost exclusively on lakes, but this year I have broadened my horizons to some small rivers in the Cotswolds.

I started fly tying at an evening class run by Ian Hockley of Westlake Fly Fishing. This was a superb course covering all the basic techniques and I would recommend Ian’s courses to anybody, more details of which can be found at www.westlakeflyfishing.co.uk/

Fly tying has really captured my imagination. I tie mainly trout flies; enjoy learning new techniques and applying them to flies that I use, but equally respecting the history behind many of our traditional patterns.

I have set up this blog to record the patterns I tie and use, and maybe provide some encouragement to others.

I hope you find your visit my blog worthwhile.