Dry flies patterns tying instructions by Barry Ord Clarke such as Caddis dry flies, Midge flies, Grayling dry flies, Mayfly dry flies
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Purple Haze 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 fish just … Continue reading Purple Haze fly parachute
This is my super quick hot glue ant, that with a little practice and preparation, takes less that 3 minutes to tie. With this technique you can tie flying ants in all black, red or as my personal favorite here … Continue reading Hot glue ant fly
A simple yet extremely effective pattern that is easy to tie, but commands a little technique. A Deer hair drake with a parachute hackle that will float all day long and fool the most selective trout. Hook: Mustad R43 #8 … Continue reading Deer hair drake pattern
Cul de Canard, Croupion de canard or CDC as it is more commonly known has become one of the most used materials in fly tying, but its not that long ago, that there where only a handful of fly tyers … Continue reading Historic CDC flies, F-fly, Moustique du Jura
The Lady Mc Connell midge is an interesting, but yet straightforward tie that applies only basic materials. An effective still water pattern that represents an newly hatched adult midge fly. Lady Mc Connell pattern recipe How to tie Lady Mc … Continue reading Lady Mc Connell midge fly
