Kicking Off

So tomorrow is the start of the river trout season and it will be most welcome to have the chance to be in wading the rivers and streams again in pursuit of trout. Other rivers, not too far away. have already opened, but it is my local rivers I have been wating for. It may be tricky to fish the first day, but rest assured the next few weeks, wether permitting, will see me on the Wellow - and hopefully catching a few.


Anyway, I have added a few new additions to the 'experimental' fly box, using rubber legs:

Kicking Klinkhamer

Hook: B100 #18 - 12
Thread: 14/0 Sheer, tan
Dubbing: Awesome Possum, olive / yellow
Thorax: As body, mixed with dark olive
Hackle: Ginger
Wing: TMC Aero wing
Legs: Yellow, speckled rubber



Kicking Elk Hair Caddis

Hook: Grip 14723BL #16 - #12

Thread: Benecchi 12/0, yellow

Dubbing: Awesome Possum, orange

Hackle: Silver badger, palmered

Wing: Elk

Legs: Yellow, speckled rubber

Kicking CDC & Elk

On a Grip 14723 #12:

...and on a TMC 100 #14:

Thread: 12/0 Bennechi, yellow

Body: Natural CDC

Wing: Elk (Instead of Hans' prefered Deer Hair)

Legs: Speckled rubber

Not for the purists, perhaps. However, it'll be alot of fun trying them out.

I'll report back soon with tails of the river... and hopefully some tight lines.

Catch Magazine #4 March '09

I have mentioned this before and just think it's fantastic. Beautiful photographs of fish, fishing and casting.

Follow the link and enjoy their latest offerings!

http://www.catchmagazine.net/

Dave.

Bristol FDG Tying Demonstration

This has been a busy week for work, which has kept me away from the vice. I am anticipating the start of the season and starting to really look forward to the first session. Chew Valley Lake opened and reports are pretty good - fish coming from lots of areas. However, it's the Wellow Brook I really want to get onto - so I'm awaiting the start of April.

Despite the lack of tying, I had been asked to do a demo for the Bristol Fly Dressers' Guild on Wednesday night. It seemed to go pretty well: I guess about 30people attended. I had met some of the people there before whilst helping out with a few tying classes in previous weeks. It always a pleasure to tie for interested people.

I guess I tied about 6 or 7 flies over two hours - it's amazing how long they take when you break them down into steps with instructions. Here are some pictures of just a few flies from the evening:

Raffine Spent Spinner


Para-Duns



CDC Loop Emerger


Dave.

Diving Raffine-Caddis

To imitate those deep-diving, egg laying caddis:



Hook: TMC 2488H #14
Bead: Gold
Thread: Moser Powersilk, ornage 10/0
Abdomen: Hare, natural
Thorax: Hare's mask, yellow
Wing: Raffine

Trapped Raffine-Caddis

Another raffine-led caddis pattern. This time the hackle is clipped underneath so the wing and thorax sit in the surface film with the abdomen piercing through. A little floatant through the hckle and smeared lightly on the wing will keep it bouyant. With these patterns, if they do sink, let them fish wet - for the fish will happily take a drowned, spent or diving caddis

Hook: B100 #14
Thread: Moser Powersilk 10/0, Orange
Hotspot: Fluo green floss
Hackle: Rooster, Badger
Abdomen: Wapsi Superfine, blended olive
Thorax: Hare, dyed yellow
Wing: Raffine

Raffine & CDC Caddis

Here's the first of a few caddis patterns using raffine for the wing. A simple 'gable' of raffine is tied in and then trimmed to length. The CDC is spun in a split thread loop and then wound forwards. The fibres visible behind the CDC are hare's mask, dyed a light yellow / olive colour.



Caddis patterns are essential for those warm evenings. We may be a little way off them yet, but there's great enjoyment to be taken in tying them in preparation.




Hook: B100 #16 -12
Thread: Moser Powersilk, orange
Thorax: yellow / olive hare's mask
Wing: Golden Brown raffine
Hackle: CDC

Firey Caddis Pupa

Hook: Grip 14723BL #12

Thread: 8/0 Petitjean, olive

Underbody: Flat, adhesive lead
Body: Olive floss

Rib: Fine silver wire

Hackle: Hare, dyed orange

Sub-surface CDC - two more

Another couple of weighted patterns, coninuing the theme:

Hook: B100 #14

Bead: 2mm gold & black glass

Thread: 10/0 olive powersilk

Tag: as thread

Abdomen: Olive hare

Thorax: Hare

Wing: CDC

Hook: TMC 2488H #14

Bead: 2.3mm tungsten

Thread: 10/0 olive powersilk

Rib: Spun & waxed thread

Collar hackle: CDC fibres in split thread loop

Thorax: Hare

DW.

Sub-Surface CDC Loop

We all know about the fantastic, natural floating propeties of CDC. But when you look at a CDC fly submerged, you see the hundreds of tiny air bubbles that get trapped in the feather. I showed this with a couple of earlier emerger pictures. Now that got me thinking. I have used CDC in wet flies for collars, but it's not really something I've used much for nymphs - but the trapped air gives a superb trigger to the flies -especially those preparing to ascend to surface. Hans Weilenmann's Diving CDC & Elk uses the idea. Here I have taken the idea to some of my own patterns...



Hook: B100 #14
Bead: 2.3mm Black tungsten
Thread: 10/0 Olive powersilk
Abdomen: As thread
Rib: Spun and waxed thread
Wing: Natural CDC
Thorax: Hare



Hook: TMC 2488H #14
Bead: Orvis Tungsten
Thread: 10/0 Olive Powersilk
Abdomen: As thread
Rib: Spun and waxed thread
Wing: Natural CDC
Thorax: Hare

With a couple more to follow soon.

Cheers,
Dave.

Spring has sprung...

We have been away this weekend and I started to get the feeling that Spring has started. Whist walking the course of a tiny stream and, with the sunshine pouring through the tree canopy, we started to see the tell-tale signs of warmer weather.



Birds were out and feeding hard and the squirrels made there presence known when jumping through the trees. In the evening, there were lots of toads making there way from the hibernation sites, across the road and towards the lakes. Later the Tawny Owls were hooting and calling. Despite the forecast for colder weather, it just feels as though we are getting into the new season.

As for the tying, I am away from the vice alot at the moment. However, here are a couple of patterns to consider:

I like the look of wire on Brassies and, therefore tried to use the same idea on dries - but with monofilament for the body:



Hook: Partridge 15BN #20 - #14
Thread: Benecchi 12/0, yellow
Body: 3lb monofilament, over thread
Thorax: Fox Squirrel & Rabbit
Post: TMC Aero-wing, white
Hackle: Medium blue dun



Hook: Partridge 15BN #20 - #14
Thread: Benecchi 12/0, yellow
Body: 3lb monofilament (coloured black)
Thorax: Fox Squirrel
Hackle: Medium blue dun, in a mono-loop.

DW.