Fly Tying League Round 1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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).