Search fly tying materials and tools Probably Jack Gartside’s best known pattern from the early seventies. Originally designed by Jack as a soft hackle muddler minnow but over the years has proved to be an excellent all round sub surface … Continue reading How to tie Gartside’s Sparrow
Search fly tying materials and tools One of my favourite patterns for when the fish won’t have anything bright and prefer something more buggy and natural looking. Hook: Sprite barbless streamer S2200 # 8 Tying thread: Dyneema 55 or GSP … Continue reading How to tie a Hares ear muddler
Search fly tying materials and tools 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 … Continue reading How to tie the Heinz – 57 grayling dry fly
Search fly tying materials and tools The holidays are quickly approaching us, and maybe some last minute gifts are still needed!There is still time to order ‘The Feather Benders Fly Tying Techniques’ The ideal gift for the fly tyer. Here are a … Continue reading Ideal gift for a fly tying Christmas
Search fly tying materials and tools For me this is one of the very best emerger patterns that can be used for both midges and mayflies. Named after the famous 3 dollar bridge on the Maddison river this little pattern … Continue reading How to tie the three dollar dip fly
Search fly tying materials and tools Black deer hair flies have been used for decades here in Scandinavia for night fishing in salt water for sea run browns, heres one of my favorites, the marabou muddler. Hook: Mustad S74 Salt … Continue reading How to tie a black marabou muddler
Search fly tying materials and tools This variant of the semi realistic Solomon caddis pupa is a relative easy tie and has a few nice techniques to take further on other patterns. Hook: Ahrex FW560 # 12 Tying thread: Sheer … Continue reading How to tie the Solomon caddis pupa variant
Search fly tying materials and tools 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: … Continue reading How to tie Bristow’s Bug dry fly
Search fly tying materials and tools This is my take on one of the all time classic soft hackle patterns that in recent years has experienced a comeback. Hook: Partridge_Spider # 14 Tying thread: Cobweb 6/0 Orange Hackle: Brown speckled … Continue reading How to tie a Partridge & Orange spider
Search fly tying materials and tools A little jig with a couple of nice techniques for breathing gills and a shell back. Hook: Barbless jig # 12 Bead: 4mm silver slotted Tungsten Tying thread: Sheer 14/0 Olive Tag: Red Floss … Continue reading How to tie the bottom crawler jig nymph
Search fly tying materials and tools An extremely quick and effective winter pattern for searching pocket water. Try it in smaller sizes with a green or yellow body. Hook: Mustad C49S # 10 Bead: Slotted Tungsten silver 2.8 mm Tying … Continue reading How to tie the Red hot chilli pupa
Search fly tying materials and tools 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 … Continue reading How to tie a parachute ant
Search fly tying materials and tools One of John Goddard’s lesser known but extremely effective patterns. The original JG emerger used a brown and grizzle hackle mixed for the parachute here I use only a brown dyed grizzle along with … Continue reading How to tie the JG emerger variant
Search fly tying materials and tools A little pheasant tail water boatman/Corixa that is super quick to tie and can be fished effectively both wet or dry. Tied only with pheasant tail and moose mane hair. Hook: Mustad R 30 … Continue reading How to tie the water bug / Corixa
Search fly tying materials and tools 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 … Continue reading How to tie a Ceanis / Trico spinner dry fly
Search fly tying materials and tools A quick and easy Hares ear soft hackle / wet fly that will work just about anywhere. Fish it up-stream as an emerger / semi dry, let it drift down stream and as it … Continue reading How to tie a hares ear soft hackle wet fly
Search fly tying materials and tools Over the past, 35 + years, that I have been tying flies, there are a few books that have become top reference books for me, some, that I return to on probably a weekly … Continue reading 10 Fly Tying Books my recommendation
Search fly tying materials and tools 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 … Continue reading How to tie the Green Machine
Search fly tying materials and tools A little cased caddis fly larva that is extremely simple to tie. You can mix and match the hook size and colour of hackles used to match the debris that the larva use in … Continue reading How to tie a stick fly larva
Search fly tying materials and tools Take a well known pattern and fish catcher and turn it into a Jig that has a couple of nice techniques and is super fast to tie. What more could you ask for ? … Continue reading How to tie the Brassie Jig nymph
Search fly tying materials and tools One of the beautiful bucktail’s. On May 5th 2014 Vermont’s Governor Peter Shumlin signed a law bill that designated Governor Aiken bucktail streamer as the official fishing fly of the state of Vermont, as … Continue reading How to tie the Governor Aiken bucktail streamer
Search fly tying materials and tools 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. Hook: Mustad R43 … Continue reading How to tie the October Caddis
Search fly tying materials and tools 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 … Continue reading How to tie Mallard slip wings dry fly
Search fly tying materials and tools Heres a quick tie of a Cahill variant with mallard slip wings, Coq de Leon tail & moose mane body. Slip wings are easy to tie if you know how! The video will follow … Continue reading Mallard slip wings
Search fly tying materials and tools Heres one of my moose mane nymphs, that can be fished wet or dry. Although it may look a little challenging, it’s a relatively straight forward tie that includes a few good techniques that … Continue reading How to tie the moose mane nymph
Search fly tying materials and tools A quick and super easy wire body midge pupa that is almost indestructible. Tie it in whatever colour and size you like. Hook: Mustad C49S # 14 or smaller Tying thread: Sheer 14/0 Black … Continue reading How to tie the Ultra midge
Search fly tying materials and tools One of my ‘go to’ patterns for searching big fish. This great nymph/streamer pattern is a relative easy tie, again using only basic materials. The zonker strip used here is mink but all manner … Continue reading How to tie a strip nymph
Search fly tying materials and tools 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 … Continue reading How to tie the Poly wing caddis
Search fly tying materials and tools A nice pattern for most of the larger mayfly nymphs. Not only an easy but semi realistic tie but an extremely effective pattern with some good techniques that can be used for other nymphs. … Continue reading How to tie a large mayfly nymph
Search fly tying materials and tools This 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 … Continue reading How to tie the Purple Haze parachute
Search fly tying materials and tools A superb little CDC generic mayfly emerger that ticks all the boxes when the hatch is on. Tied in most sizes and colour combinations this is one of my top trout flies. Hook: Mustad … Continue reading How to tie a CDC mayfly emerger
Search fly tying materials and tools 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 … Continue reading How to tie the hot glue ant
Search fly tying materials and tools A very simple yet functional caddis larva that can be tied in various colours and sizes. If you would like a lighter weight larva that can be fished closer to the surface just omit … Continue reading How to tie a simple caddis larva
Search fly tying materials and tools Hook: Mustad SL53UBL # 4 Tying thread 6/0 Red Tip: Fine oval silver tinsel Tag: Yellow silk Tail: Golden pheasant crest veiled with Asian Kingfisher feather Butt: Red wool Body: Flat silver tinsel Rib: … Continue reading The Nighthawk feather wing
Search fly tying materials and tools One of the legacy patterns from the late Andre Puyans. An ultra simple may fly emerger that only requires basic skill and materials. Tied correctly it will take fish just about all year round … Continue reading How to tie the AP Pontoon emerger
Search fly tying materials and tools Although this nymph is approaching 70 years old, it’s originator, Artist & illustrator John Atherton used European kingfisher for the original wing case. Perhaps using its iridescent blue to imitate the gas filled wing … Continue reading How to tie the Atherton Medium nymph
Search fly tying materials and tools 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 … Continue reading How to tie a deer hair drake
Search fly tying materials and tools Heres an older pattern for a wet mayfly that can still hold its own today. Although not fished so much any longer this elegant style of mayfly is a pure pleasure to tie with … Continue reading How to tie a mayfly wet
Search fly tying materials and tools 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 … Continue reading Historic CDC flies, F-fly, Moustique du Jura
Search fly tying materials and tools One of my favorite Autumn patterns to fish. A soft hackle emerger that incorporates some classic materials and a couple of useful techniques. If you pull it through still water or swing it down … Continue reading How to tie a soft hackle emerger
Search fly tying materials and tools Here I would like to familiarize you with the different deer used in fly tying, the location of the hair on the animal, sex, age, colour, length and applications. Antelope This deer like Antelope … Continue reading The ultimate guide to deer hair part 3
Search fly tying materials and tools In this second part of the guide to tying with deer hair I will describe the different hairs from different locations on a deer hide. Hair from each part of the hide, right from … Continue reading The ultimate guide to deer hair part 2
Search fly tying materials and tools 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. Hook: Mustad R30 # 16 … Continue reading How to tie the Lady Mc Connell dry fly
Search fly tying materials and tools Having been a passionate fly tyer and deer hunter for the best part of my life, It became a natural progression for me to embrace the material these animals have provided me with over … Continue reading The ultimate guide to deer hair part 1.
Search fly tying materials and tools Jack Gartside’s soft hackle streamers must be one of the most simple but effective streamers ever devised! Jacks original recipe: The soft hackle streamer Hook: Mustad 34007 Salt Water, 3406 Fresh Water Tying thread: … Continue reading Gartside’s Soft hackle Streamer
Search fly tying materials and tools As the name suggests, the Matarelli special is a truly special fly. The under body is constructed of a double length of heavy gauge copper wire that is twisted together. The two ends of … Continue reading Matarelli Special Salmon fly
Search fly tying materials and tools A cracking little nymph with lots of bling. Three great materials, copper wire, Pheasant tail and peacock herl make this a great pocket water pattern that gets down deep quick. Hook: Mustad R73 # … Continue reading How to tie the Copper Nymph
Search fly tying materials and tools One of the original flies I have in my collection from the great Japanese fly tyer Ken Sawada. The great sedge is one of his original patterns from, I believe 1984. TAIL — Very … Continue reading Great Sedge – Ken Sawada wet fly
Search fly tying materials and tools One of the most highly regarded Irish wet flies tied here for both trout and sea trout. Not only a killer pattern but a great fly for the new beginner to tie and have … Continue reading How to tie a Bibio & Jungle Bibio
Search fly tying materials and tools One fly to match them all. A simple but extremely effective cripple mayfly pattern that with a little adjustment to size and colour will produce fish in most hatches. Hook: Mustad C49S # 10 … Continue reading How to tie a cripple mayfly emerger