Posts tagged as:

double half hitch

The Jersey Herd

Beginners Lessons
The Jersey Herd

  The Jersey Herd was created by Tom Ivens for reservoir fishing in the early 1970s . It derived it’s name because the early pattern’s body was made from the gold colour foil on the milk bottles known as gold tops. At that time the Jersey cows were the ones milked to give the best […]

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The Yellow Dancer

Intermediate Lessons
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The Yellow Dancer is a relative newcomer on the fly fishing scene.  It is a ‘sport’ of the original Woolley Bugger devised by our friends north of the border. It has proved to be a ‘must have’ fly on most Scottish still water trout fisheries. As is always the case it has spawned the usual […]

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The Dark Stone Fly

Beginners Lessons
dark stone fly

This is a pattern more popular in the USA , and New Zealand , than here in the UK. It is a large fly that makes only a brief appearance as an adult fly. In it’s nymphal stage it is a generous morsel for a trout. I would suggest a long shank 8 hook for […]

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Palmered Hackle Alternatives

Techniques
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Palmered hackle flies have been popular from the early days of flytying and were a feature of many of the early salmon flies. They still are popular with many of the traditional flies and are increasingly used on modern lures to impart movement on a fast retrieve, ie. Woolley buggers, Damsel nymphs  and Yellow dancers. […]

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The Sedge Fly

Intermediate Lessons
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This pattern sits better in the water and either static or moving it does behave like a sedge. I even found that when it was gunged up with slime and sunk it still caught fish. I suggest you tie some up in 10s and 12s and and keep them ready in your fly box. I […]

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The Double Half Hitch

Techniques
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Those of you who have watched my flytying lessons will know that I favour the double half hitch for finishing off my flies rather than the whip finish. Do not be deterred from learning the whip finish either manually or by one of the various tools available. I learnt my fly tying over sixty years […]

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The Baby Doll

Beginners Lessons
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This fly originated in the very early 1970s and was attributed to a Brian Kench. It differs from earlier more traditional patterns in as much that there were no moving parts. Despite this it quickly found favour with the fly fishers of the day on the reservoirs and still waters, thanks mainly to the publicity […]

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The Shipmans Buzzer

Beginners Lessons
Shipmans Buzzer

This fly pattern was originated by Dave Shipman over 20 years ago. The original pattern was tied using white antron to make the fly float on an even keel in the surface film, imitating the midge emerging from its nymphal shuck. In recent years, CDC., because of its excellent floating properties, has become more popular. […]

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Daddy Longlegs (Crane Fly)

Intermediate Lessons
The Daddy Longlegs [Crane Fly]

The crane fly is a land based insect which features in the fly fisher’s armoury because it is an ungainly flier and regularly finds it’s way on to lakes and rivers by accident. They usually appear about August time and can be quite an abundant food source for the trout either on the surface or […]

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The Woolley Bugger

Beginners Lessons
The Woolley Bugger

This is a lure which is equally effective in rivers and stillwaters, particularly for rainbows. The most popular colours are olive, black, orange and red. Can be tied on longshank 8s, 10s, and 12s. For rivers I prefer a size 8 wet fly hook. Early season on stillwaters a size 8 L/S olive fished on […]

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