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Category: Dry flies

Barry Ord Clarke’s guide to tying dry flies includes step-by-step instructions for crafting a variety of designs such as Caddis flies, Midge flies, Grayling flies, Ant fly, Daddy long legs flies and Mayfly dry flies. Whether you’re an experienced angler or a beginner, mastering the art of tying your own flies can significantly enhance your fly-fishing experience. With Clarke’s expert guidance, you’ll be able to create dry flies that mimic the natural insects found in rivers and streams, effectively attracting fish and increasing your chances of a successful catch.

By using high-quality materials and following Clarke’s detailed instructions, you can craft intricate and durable flies that will hold up against the rigors of fishing. Clarke’s patterns have been honed over years of experience, and are designed to catch a variety of fish species in different water conditions.

In addition to providing instructions for each pattern, Clarke also includes helpful tips and techniques to ensure that your dry flies look and perform their best. From selecting the right materials to finishing your flies with precision, Clarke’s expertise is sure to improve your fly-tying skills.

So why settle for store-bought flies when you can create your own custom designs that will attract more fish and enhance your overall fly-fishing experience? With Barry Ord Clarke’s dry fly patterns and tying instructions, you can take your skills to the next level and enjoy even greater success on the water.

Dry flies
Clarke's caddis fly tied by Barry Ord Clarke

Clarke’s caddis fly

March 24, 2023March 24, 2023 barryoc

A very quick and easy must have caddis. With only a tiny bunch of elk hair and a little CDC, you can tie this skating caddis that I guarantee is a game changer during caddis hatches. Clarke’s caddis fly pattern … Continue reading Clarke’s caddis fly

Dry flies
Harvester Caddis fly tied by Barry Ord Clarke

Harvester Caddis fly

March 14, 2023March 14, 2023 barryoc

A quick skating caddis pattern that won’t let you down. Tie it with a natural or bleached wing for better vision. Tied with materials that I have harvested myself from the forest here in Norway. Harvester Caddis pattern How to … Continue reading Harvester Caddis fly

Dry flies
Hot Glue Para Ant fly tied by Barry Ord Clarke

Hot Glue Para Ant fly

March 3, 2023March 3, 2023 barryoc

A must have pattern that is ultra quick to tie and very realistic on the water. The hot glue rods can be purchased for next to nothing at hobby shops and one rod will make enough ants for you and … Continue reading Hot Glue Para Ant fly

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Surefire midge fly pattern tied by Barry Ord Clarke

Surefire midge fly

January 31, 2023January 31, 2023 barryoc

One of those simple patterns that never seems to fail. This little black midge fly with a trailing UV shuck is, as the name suggests, a foolproof choice when the fish are on small midges. I’v only ever needed black … Continue reading Surefire midge fly

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CDC Humpy fly

CDC Humpy fly

November 30, 2022November 30, 2022 barryoc

A CDC variant for the classic fat boy dry fly Humpy. Here we replace the traditional deer hair hump and wing with a couple of CDC hackles. If you find the original pattern with deer hair challenging, this is a … Continue reading CDC Humpy fly

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Luis Meana Baeza PM14GAfl mayfly

Luis Meana Baeza Fly PM14GAFL mayfly

November 21, 2022November 21, 2022 barryoc

This extraordinary style of mayfly dun from Spanish fly tyer Luis Means Baeza is a very interesting pattern, with several unique and innovative, techniques and uses of materials well worth watching to the very end. PM14GAFL mayfly pattern How to … Continue reading Luis Meana Baeza Fly PM14GAFL mayfly

Dry flies
October Caddis tied by Barry Ord Clarke

October Caddis dry fly

October 6, 2022October 6, 2022 barryoc

Probably the last big fly of the season. The October caddis can make a great end to the season, these huge caddis flies make a big slash and are eagerly taken by trout that are approaching the spawn. This pattern … Continue reading October Caddis dry fly

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Detached body mayfly dry fly

Detached body mayfly dry fly

August 16, 2022August 16, 2022 barryoc

Another great pattern with a simple tool. If you enjoyed the detached body crane fly you’ll love this mayfly.  Heres the full video on how to prepare the material and weld the body. Followed by the full tying sequence for … Continue reading Detached body mayfly dry fly

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Cripple stillborn caddis tied by Barry Ord Clarke

Cripple/stillborn caddis

July 27, 2022July 27, 2022 barryoc

This cripple/stillborn caddis is a sure thing during a caddis hatch. The new Mustad Heritage Alpha Point R43AP # 10 is the perfect hook for this pattern with its 3XL shank and extra fine wire. Tie it in any size … Continue reading Cripple/stillborn caddis

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Devaux style CDL Mayfly tied by Barry Ord Clarke

Devaux style CDL Mayfly

June 2, 2022June 2, 2022 barryoc

One of the classic patterns. This Devaux style Coq de Leon Mayfly creates a very attractive footprint or silhouette and floats extremely well. I use this style of fly when fishing the larger mayfly hatches for Danica and Vulgate. With … Continue reading Devaux style CDL Mayfly

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Crane fly - Daddy long legs dry fly tied by Barry Ord Clarke

Crane fly – Daddy long legs dry fly

May 12, 2022May 12, 2022 barryoc

This is a great little technique for making very realistic Cranefly / Daddy long legs bodies. For just a few Euro you can get one of these simple extended body tools (link below) and with the material from just one … Continue reading Crane fly – Daddy long legs dry fly

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Giant stonefly dry fly tied by Barry Ord Clarke

Giant stonefly dry fly

May 10, 2022May 11, 2022 barryoc

This wonderful realistic pattern uses the stonefly body tool from MvE products in the Netherlands, and CDC from David Jedlicka in the Czech Republic. Although a very realistic looking fly it’s a very easy tie and will float all day … Continue reading Giant stonefly dry fly

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Regan’s Mayfly Spinner dry fly tied by Barry Ord Clarke

Regan’s Mayfly Spinner

March 16, 2022March 16, 2022 barryoc

A very interesting pattern that puts deer hair to good use for both the body and the wing post. Often used on a # 6 XL hook for the great Hex hatch, but tied on smaller sizes it works well … Continue reading Regan’s Mayfly Spinner

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CDC Mayfly Dun tied by Barry Ord Clarke

CDC Mayfly Dun dry fly

February 25, 2022March 1, 2022 barryoc

An extremely effective Hi-Viz, Hi floating mayfly dun. This little pattern has a few interesting techniques that help make this a deadly choice on the end of your line during mayfly time.  CDC Mayfly Dun fly pattern Hook: Mustad R30 … Continue reading CDC Mayfly Dun dry fly

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Sasquatch dry fly pattern

Tying the Sasquatch dry fly

February 4, 2022February 15, 2022 barryoc

The Sasquatch was designed by George Leonard Herter in the late 1960’s and was said to be a entirely new type of dry fly! The Sasquatch floats like a cork and catches stream trout like no other fly. Named after … Continue reading Tying the Sasquatch dry fly

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Clarke’s Floating Stonefly pattern tied by Barry Ord Clarke

Clarke’s Floating Stonefly

January 14, 2022January 26, 2022 barryoc

The 2022 German Fly Tying Championship  In cooperation with EWF I have made a the step by step tying instructions for ‘Clarke’s Floating Stone’ the pattern for the 2022 German Fly Tying Competition. If I find time I will also … Continue reading Clarke’s Floating Stonefly

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Mayfly Stillborn - Cripple tied by Barry Ord Clarke

Mayfly Stillborn – Cripple

January 5, 2022January 5, 2022 barryoc

A very useful general purpose pattern, especially during prolific hatches, that you can easily match to the hatch by changing the colour combination of the moose mane body hairs. Mayfly Stillborn – Cripple pattern Hook: Mustad R30 # 14 Tying … Continue reading Mayfly Stillborn – Cripple

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Detached body fly pattern tied by Barry Ord Clarke

Detached body technique

December 15, 2021October 4, 2022 barryoc

A simple detached body technique with a twist! Using two colours of Para Post and a couple of strands of Nano Crystal flash you can create unique segmented detached bodies with a little flash in them, that work well for … Continue reading Detached body technique

Deer Hair techniques, Dry fliesLeave a comment
Deer hair mayfly dun tied by Barry Ord Clarke

Deer hair mayfly dun

October 1, 2021October 6, 2021 barryoc

With a little preparation and practice of the special techniques, my all deer hair mayfly, can be tied in just a few minutes with a single dubbing loop. Resulting in a extremely buoyant pattern with a super dense deer hair … Continue reading Deer hair mayfly dun

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CDC-para-weld-caddis tied by Barry Ord Clarke

CDC para-weld caddis/sedge dry fly

August 23, 2021February 20, 2022 barryoc

An extremely buoyant caddis pattern with a special CDC parachute hackle technique, that ticks all the boxes. Tied in a little larger sizes it doubles as a great stonefly and with legs makes an exceptional hopper! CDC para-weld caddis/sedge pattern … Continue reading CDC para-weld caddis/sedge dry fly

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CDC Spent wing midge tied by Barry Ord Clarke

CDC Spent wing midge

August 17, 2021October 4, 2022 barryoc

Tying thread, one CDC hackle and a pinch of dubbing, makes one of the most essential patterns in my fly box! A quick and easy CDC spent wing midge fly that can be fished just about all year round. CDC … Continue reading CDC Spent wing midge

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Gravy Train Midge tying by Barry Ord Clarke

Gravy Train Midge

July 6, 2021September 20, 2021 barryoc

As the name suggests, the gravy train midge will give great rewards for little effort. A quick and simple all year round midge that works in most midge fishing situations. Give it a go, you won’t be disappointed! Gravy Train … Continue reading Gravy Train Midge

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Deep sparkle pupa variant tied by Barry Ord Clarke

Deep sparkle pupa variant

June 29, 2021September 20, 2021 barryoc

A little variant of the LaFontaine classic. An absolute must have pattern if you are fishing still water caddis fly hatches. Here I demonstrate a good technique for getting the Antron shuck in place. Deep sparkle pupa variant pattern recipe … Continue reading Deep sparkle pupa variant

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PDQ caddis tied by Barry Ord Clarke

PDQ Caddis/Sedge dry fly

June 23, 2021February 20, 2022 barryoc

Continuing the quick flies to tie,the PDQ (pretty damn quick) caddis will not only float all day long, but it also takes under 4 minutes to tie! This very simple technique, uses a single natural CDC hackle and a small … Continue reading PDQ Caddis/Sedge dry fly

Dry flies
Pmd fly tying by Barry Ord Clarke

Pmd fly

June 21, 2021September 20, 2021 barryoc

This Pale Morning Comparadun demonstrates a little different technique for the regular comparadun wing. This technique results in a slimmer abdomen and greater buoyancy. It’s also an extremely effective pattern for a Heptagenia sulphurea dun. PMD fly pattern recipe Hook: … Continue reading Pmd fly

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Fur hackle mayfly tied by Barry Ord Clarke

Fur hackle mayfly

June 11, 2021September 20, 2021 barryoc

Although it requires a little practice, this fur hackle technique produces a much softer presentation that floats extremely well. Here I use natural hare crosscut strip but any fur or hair can be adopted to this method. Fur hackle mayfly … Continue reading Fur hackle mayfly

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Fly tying for beginner’s – Elk hair caddis

April 29, 2021May 7, 2021 barryoc

A new series of videos for those that are new to fly tying, to accompany my new book, ‘fly tying for beginners’ out later this year. Here I am showing techniques that may look challenging, but are totally achievable with … Continue reading Fly tying for beginner’s – Elk hair caddis

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Fly tying for beginners – Hair wing Dun

April 27, 2021May 7, 2021 barryoc

A new series of videos for those that are new to fly tying, to accompany my new book, ‘fly tying for beginners’ out later this year. Here I am showing techniques that may look challenging, but are totally achievable with … Continue reading Fly tying for beginners – Hair wing Dun

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Fly Tying for beginners – Flying ant

April 12, 2021April 18, 2021 barryoc

A new series of patterns for those that are new to fly tying. Here I am showing techniques that may look challenging, but are totally achievable with a little patience and practice. I have slowed down the tying and explain … Continue reading Fly Tying for beginners – Flying ant

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cdc ant tied by barry ord clarke

Cdc ant fly pattern

March 3, 2021September 20, 2021 barryoc

A lovely little CDC ant pattern, that is tied with only one CDC puff and a few turns of hackle. A quick and easy pattern for the most important terrestrial, no matter where you live, that will float all day … Continue reading Cdc ant fly pattern

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detached bodied daddy long legs tied by Barry Ord Clarke

Detached bodied daddy long legs

February 5, 2021September 20, 2021 barryoc

Detached bodied daddy long legs a very simple detached body technique for a good daddy long legs that will float all day long. It can also be applied to all manner of extended bodies. Detached bodied daddy long legs pattern … Continue reading Detached bodied daddy long legs

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fly tying Heinz – 57 grayling dry fly

How to tie the Heinz – 57 grayling dry fly

December 22, 2020December 16, 2021 barryoc

A wonderful little pattern that, as the name suggests, is a composition of several better known patterns. This is a simple tie that will cover most dry fly situations when grayling fishing. Hook: Partridge_Sprite S2401 # 14 Tying thread: Sheer … Continue reading How to tie the Heinz – 57 grayling dry fly

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Bristow's Bug dry fly fly tying by Barry Ord Clarke

Bristow’s Bug dry fly

November 30, 2020September 19, 2021 barryoc

One of the lesser known but still effective old grayling and trout patterns, with a couple of nice body techniques with peacock herl. Hook: Mustad R50U # 12 Tying thread: Sheer 14/0 Black Tail: Goose or duck quill slips dyed … Continue reading Bristow’s Bug dry fly

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parachute ant fly pattern tied by Barry Ord Clarke

Parachute ant fly

November 3, 2020September 12, 2021 barryoc

Being the most prolific terrestrial on just about every river and still water, this extremely simple but effective parachute ant will not only float high and dry, but tick all the boxes for ant feeding trout no matter where you … Continue reading Parachute ant fly

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Ceanis Trico spinner tied by BArry Ord Clarke

Ceanis / Trico spinner dry fly

October 14, 2020August 21, 2021 barryoc

The smallest of the up-winged may flies. Although ideally matched on a # 20-26 hook it is possible to get away with a # 18. A couple of interesting techniques here for the tails and wing. Just change the colour … Continue reading Ceanis / Trico spinner dry fly

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Green machine salmon fly tied by Barry Ord Clarke

Green machine salmon fly pattern

October 8, 2020September 19, 2021 barryoc

One of the great Canadian surface flies for salmon and steelhead. As you are probably aware I’m a sucker for deer hair patterns and this is one of my favorites for salmon and sea run browns. Green Machine pattern recipe … Continue reading Green machine salmon fly pattern

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October Caddis fly tied by Barry Ord Clarke

October Caddis/sedge fly

September 28, 2020February 20, 2022 barryoc

A quick but effective pattern for one of the last large bugs of the year. An easy tie with a couple of good techniques that can be used in other patterns. October Caddis/sedge fly pattern recipe Hook: Mustad R43 # … Continue reading October Caddis/sedge fly

Deer Hair techniques, Dry fliesLeave a comment

Mallard slip wings dry fly

September 25, 2020August 21, 2021 barryoc

Over the past few days I have been tying up an order of several dozen traditional dry’s with mallard slip wings. I have found this extremely therapeutic , almost Zen like! But tying slip wings can prove to be challenging … Continue reading Mallard slip wings dry fly

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How to tie Poly wing caddis

How to tie the Poly wing caddis

September 16, 2020August 24, 2022 barryoc

A great pattern when the trout are selective. Only basic materials are needed for this ‘ must have’ pattern for the caddis specialist, that can be fished static or as a skater. An easy fly to tie with a couple … Continue reading How to tie the Poly wing caddis

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purple haze fly tied by Barry Ord Clarke

Purple Haze dry fly parachute

September 10, 2020March 7, 2023 barryoc

Purple Haze dry fly is extremely popular attractor started life as a parachute Adams with a purple body. There are many interpretations of the purple haze, this is just one of them. Why it works, we don’t know but the … Continue reading Purple Haze dry fly parachute

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