Flies for fishing the UK’s stillwaters
Hook: Partridge of Redditch Ideal Standard Dry SUD2 #12.
Thread: Semperfli Nano Silk 12/0 Brown.
Wing: Natural CDC.
Body: Orange/Amber mixed dubbing.
Thorax/Legs: Caribou.
What I’m aiming for here is a good footprint on the water and a fly thats hard to sink. CDC tied in like a Sedgehog keeps the profile narrow and the scrunched up Caribou holds its shape well and looks quite “leggy”.
Been working well so far.
The Fox ‘n’ a Box has been tied more for a private joke than to fish with but I have fished with one similar, but made entirely with Fox, which was a fly a friend of mine picked up from Branco Gasparin when on holiday in Slovenia. That fly worked very well as I remember and floated like a cork, I should really tie more.
This fly should be fished dry as an emerger or egg laying Caddis and the fox fur used for the wing will float well for a while even without adding floatant, but as it eventually becomes waterlogged it actually works equally well as a drowned or post ovi-positing adult.
Recipe
Hook: Partridge of Redditch K4AY #12.
Thread: Semperfli Nano Silk 12/0 Brown.
Abdomen: Underfur from a Boxer Dog named Milla.
Wing, Head & Antennae: Slovenian Fox.
Hook: Partridge Universal Predator CS86 #6
Weight: None (Fish on a short leader with fast sinking line)
Thread: Semperfli Nano Silk 12/0 Brown
Tail: Mix Brown & Cream Marabou
Flash: Root Beer Midge Flash (2 strands each side at tail, 1 strand each side at head)
Body “hackle”/Rib: Copper Organza Ribbon
Body: Cookshill Seals Fur Fiery Brown
Head: Large Partridge Body Hackle
Hook: Partridge Dry Fly Supreme L5A #10
Thread: Semperfli Nanosilk 12/0 Olive
Body Hackle: Lt Dun trimmed top & bottom
Abdomen: Olive Camel Dubbing
Thorax: Dk Brown Camel Dubbing
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.
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.
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
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
Continuing to play around with the new Semperfli Nano Silk Ultra 30D thread I thought I’d have a go at a little buzzer with it, the fly below is the result.
Hook: Mustad R30 #24
Thread: Semperfli Nano Silk Ultra 30D Grey
Rib: Semperfli Nano Silk Ultra 30D Red
Cheeks: Glo Brite No7 & No2
Breathers: Tag ends of the body thread folded other to give three lengths then cut to size
Body Finish: Clear Cure Goo Hydro
I remain very impressed with this thread, very strong and incredibly fine, I had to fold it over three times to get enough density of thread just to add breathers to a #24 fly. Same goes for the Clear Cure Goo Hydro, I thought I’d toil to get a thin even coat on a fly that size but it was a breeze. As I mentioned before in previous bog posts I’m not really one for tying or fishing tiny flies so this was more an experiment for me than something I’ll be tying a box full of and casting to Trout…. that said the thread and the Hydro makes the tying that bit easier so never say never.
Jim.
