2026 is whizzing past at a frightening rate, meaning the opening of the trout season here in Ireland is not far away. Early in the season, the Irish fly fisher has four main options, namely pulling lures close to the bottom, traditional fly fishing with dark wets targeting fish feeding on hog louse and shrimp,ContinueContinue reading “Some more duckfly patterns”
Author Archives: Claretbumbler
Tying the Raymond Variant
This fly seems to strike fear into the heart of fly tyers so I thought you might like to see how I make the Raymond Variant. It is a good wee fly to have in the box for the mayfly and it catches fish when tied on the bob position and fished in a goodContinueContinue reading “Tying the Raymond Variant”
Low Key session
Having dried out all my gear after the last outing in the rain, I decided to risk getting it all wet again by trying for some roach on Lough Key. Famous for producing the Irish record pike back in the early nineties, (a good fish of just short of forty pounds), it also holds goodContinueContinue reading “Low Key session”
Resurrection
My failing memory was brought sharply in to view when I started to write this post. The story of my favourite fly rod began so long ago that it took me a while to figure out when and how it all started. As near as I can recall, I purchased the Hardy back in 1978ContinueContinue reading “Resurrection”
Raindrops keep falling……..
Those of a certain vintage will recall a French singer called Sasha Distel and his hit ‘Raindrops keep falling on my head’. He was never off the telly when I was a kid. I thought of that ditty as I sat on the edge of a river today………………. The weather has been alternating between heavyContinueContinue reading “Raindrops keep falling……..”
Left overs
My endless ranting on these pages about the lack of maggot sellers within 50 miles of me have altered that despicable situation not one jot. The shop in Claremorris tried selling maggots the year before last but gave it up as a bad job. ‘Too much hassle and not enough sales’ was the owners takeContinueContinue reading “Left overs”
Marina
We here in the West we have been very lucky so far this winter. Some sharp frosts, a couple of days of pretty light snow, but other than that we have not suffered the harsh winter weather which has hit other parts of Ireland and Britain. My relations in Aberdeen have been snowed in sinceContinueContinue reading “Marina”
How to colour feathers
Over the years I have often written about dying fly tying materials but never gone into any great detail. Since I was dying a few things today I thought perhaps it is time to address this subject? One of the big questions is why bother? These days you can buy just about any material inContinueContinue reading “How to colour feathers”
Reminiscing
The end of the year is now upon us and by way of wrapping up 2025 here is a bit of light reading for you. Perhaps due to advancing years, or maybe it is just that I have a bit more time on my hands these days, but I have been reminiscing more than usualContinueContinue reading “Reminiscing”
1,000 up, and still going strong
Happy to report that I reached my self-imposed target of 1,000 flies this week, a full two months ahead of my plan. I guess it wasn’t too much of a stretch really, given that I don’t tie very complex patterns and had a lot of time on my hands due to the horrible wet weatherContinueContinue reading “1,000 up, and still going strong”
Claretbumbler 