Sighter Sedge

Sighter Sedge

Sighter Sedge 03

Tied to be as visible as possible and to float in the roughest water to work well as an indicator trailing one or two nymphs while still offering a good silhouette that can be a decent representation of Sedges and Stoneflies. Late into the evenings I use it with Fluoro green sighter wings to let me see the fly in near dark conditions and add a half hour or so onto my fishing where the fly is still visible. Even after dark or at a longer distance the high floating properties of the fly mean it is an effective pattern to use twitched or skated on the surface where you can feel the takes rather than see them.
I like to carry different versions of the fly with Fluoro Pink, Fluoro Green and Black sighter wings as this gives me the highest visibility in all types of water however some people see colours in different ways so it’s worth experimenting with Yellow and Orange as options.

Hook: Partridge Dry Fly Supreme L5A #10
Thread: Semperfli Nanosilk 12/0 Olive
Body Hackle: Cree saddle trimmed short
Overbody: Olive Razor Foam
Underbody: Olive Kapok dubbing
Wing: Yearling Elk
Sighter Wings: Aero Dry Wing, Fluoro Pink, Green or Black. Two sections tied in as a wide V.

Sighter Sedge 05

Sighter Sedge 04

Sighter Sedge 02

Sighter Sedge 01

Sculpin

Sculpin

Sculpin 01

Hook: Partridge Universal Predator CS86 #2
Thread: Semperfli Nanosilk 12/0 Brown
Tail: Mix of Brown & Cream Marabou
Body: Mix of Semperfli Ice Dub Yellow & a little Gold Holographic Dubbing
Wing: Magnum Rabbit Zonker tied in near the head only with skin shorter than hook length
Collar: Small/short bunch of tail Marabou on top with bunches of Magnum Rabbit on each side. Nothing on underside.
Head: Fish Skull Sculpin Helmet Brown
Plenty movement and the Rabbit near the head keeps a good wide shape.

Sculpin 02

Mayfly Shuttlecock

Mayfly Shuttlecock

Mayfly Shuttlecock

Hook: Partridge Klinkhamer 15BN #14
Thread: Semperfli Nanosilk 50D White
Rib: Hends Body Quills BQ-12 March Brown
Body: Mix Cream/Tan/Yellow Camel Dubbing
Gills: CDC Oiler Puff Cream
Wing: CDC Cream
Abdomen: Mix Cream/Tan/Yellow Camel Dubbing
Legs: Carabou fibres in split thread palmered over the abdomen then clipped underneath

BFFI 2014

BFFI 2014. That was the weekend that was.

BFFI is always one of the highlights of the fly fishing and fly tying year, has been for a lot of years. By far the biggest and best show in Britain it’s been a great honour to have been invited to demonstrate at it for the last couple of years.

Along with the great fly tyers on tyers row the trade stands often have new materials and great tyers of their own to demonstrate them…. every year I come home having learned something new or improved in some way. It really is the show with something for everyone. Continue reading BFFI 2014

Sparkle Gnat Step by Step

My preferred way of tying Sparkle Gnats and Griffiths Gnats has long been to wrap the body herl and hackle around the thread before winding the whole lot up the shank to form the body. There are a few advantages to doing it this way 1. It makes a stronger body. 2. If you use a good genetic hackle and just palmer it up the body it can act like a propeller and impart a lot of spin to the fly…. not good…. wrapping the hackle around the thread prevents this. and 3. The hackle footprint is a good bit more messy, like the fly in general, I like the slightly more chaotic look of the fly.
Continue reading Sparkle Gnat Step by Step

Fly Tying & Fly Fishing by Jim Lees