From the category archives:

Beginners Lessons

The Cormorant

Beginners Lessons
The Cormorant

This fly has its origins in fly fishing competitions.  It is neither a nymph nor a lure but can be fished as either. Primarily a still water fly it can also be used on rivers and tied with  a silver or holographic body.  It bears more than a passing resemblance to a butcher , only […]

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The Stickfly

Beginners Lessons
The Stickfly

This fly has been popular with reservoir and stillwater trout fisherman since the seventies. It is an imitation of the caddis grub in its shell. The caddis grub eventually matures to be a sedge which is also popular with the trout. This fly can be tied on all sizes down from long shank 10s. Smaller […]

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The Minkie

Beginners Lessons
The Minkie

This fly has been around on UK stillwaters for about ten years now. It was not mentioned in the 1992 edition of Fly Patterns by Taff Price. I first heard about it when I was working as a warden at a local trout lake. Until that time I had been tying zonkers. The principle for […]

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The Soldier Palmer and The Zulu

Beginners Lessons
The Zulu

The Soldier Palmer is an old pattern which still finds favour as a bob fly by boat anglers. There are three flies of a similar vein which are tied in basically the same way, the others are Grenadier and Zulu. If you can tie one you can tie them all. There is a more recent […]

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The Partridge and Orange and The Greenwells Glory

Beginners Lessons
The Partridge and Orange

Today we will be explaining how to tie wet flies and spider patterns, the old standard, partridge and orange popular in the north country and the Greenwells Glory, which is more universal, and has also stood the test of time. You will find them both easy to tie and well worth a place in the […]

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The Montana Nymph

Beginners Lessons
The Montana Nymph

This was originally an American pattern which became popular in the UK in the early 1990’s for reservoirs and stillwaters. It has now become a very popular fly which features in most fly boxes. The American original was dressed as an imitation of the larva of the stonefly in the rivers in the Montana region […]

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The Cats Whisker

Beginners Lessons
The Cats Whisker

Today we will be showing you the Cats Whisker, a fairly modern lure for stillwaters. Do not be put off by this fly’s flashy appearance. It is relatively easy to tie and can be very effective. It was always the first choice of my fishing colleague Ken until I managed to convert him to nymphing. […]

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The Pheasant Tail Nymph

Beginners Lessons
Pheasant Tail Nymph

This fly can trace its origins back to Frank Sawyer the legendary river keeper on the Itchen many years ago. The original was tied with just cock pheasant tail fibres and copper wire. As is always the case, in the course of time, it has had many improvements. It is another old pattern which has […]

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The Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear

Beginners Lessons
Thumbnail image for The Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear

The Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear has been in use by the river fly fishers, in smaller sizes, for many years but without the gold bead head. In the early 1970s that renowned Rutland fly fisher, John Wadham, brought this fly back into prominence. He fished the reservoir with the fly in larger sizes with a […]

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The Diawl Bach ( Little Devil )

Beginners Lessons
The Little Devil

The Diawl Bach has been a popular fly in Wales for many years. In recent years it has become very popular on the stillwater scene throughout the UK. It is a reliable fly to have in your box for both rivers and stillwaters. The original pattern is simple to tie but as with every successful […]

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