Brilliant: Barbless Flies

Commercially tied flies are ofetn the way fly fishers begin their journey into fly fishing. As their passion grows, many turn to the vice as a way to extend their interest in all things piscatorial. Those that think they'll save money by tying their own are very much mistaken!

However,  whilst standards have risen in the quality of the flies available, some are still a little below the high standards that many demand. Hence the fact that people are also pushed towards their own vice to try and produce flies that meet their requirements. Sub-standard materials, issues with hook choice, over-sized heads and incorrect propertions are all criticisms I hear of many commercially tied patterns. In addition, those that of better quality are often really quite expensive and often in limited sizes. Add to this the fact that many want to fish with barbless patterns and it is easy to see why people turn away from these pre-tied creations.

Now as many of you will know, I spend quite a bit of time at the vice. As a result, pretty much all the flies I use are either tied by me or my fishing friends. However, I am always really keen to keep abreast of what is available. So I was intigued when I heard of a new venture called 'Barbless Flies'.

I stumbled across their 'Tungsten Nymph Selection' and was immediately impressed by what I saw. A range of bead headed nymphs that appeared well tied in sensible sizes: #16, #18 and #20. They are available in either a slotted, threader box or a fly protector. They are all tied on Varivas Wave Barbless 2120WB hooks (a real favourite of mine) and come in at a very resonable price: you get 30 flies and a box for £26!

So I had to order a set and check them out. I was NOT disappointed either.

The selection of 30 tungsten nymphs

The threader box is solid box with slotted foam

Four threaders are included with the box

The Olive Quill nymphs

The Copper Head Mary

The Orange Head Mary

The Red Neck PTN

The flies are well tied and proportions are good. The beads feel heavy (I am sure they're tungsten) and there is consistency within the sample. Sure, I may like a different sized beads on some hooks and perhaps I would tie some of my nymphs with fractionally shorter tails, but these flies are really good. A better selection for the money I am yet to find.

So if you're struggling to tie small nymphs in time for your grayling season, struggle with the smaller sizes of hooks, or simply want to add to your current selection, these come highly recommended.

Well done to the team at Barbless Flies. They are on to a good thing here!

They also produce a Klink & Dink Selection.


~Dave