As a young fella back in Scotland my passion was fishing the dry fly. Summer evening saw me wading the rivers Don or Urie, flicking size 16 dries at rising trout until the light faded. Just before it got too dark I would take off the dry fly and change to a cast of sedgesContinueContinue reading “My favourite dry mayflies”
Category Archives: dryfly
My favourite mayflies.
I know it is only April but the merry month of May will soon be upon us so with that in mind here are a few of my favourite Mayfly patterns. My own fly boxes are full of old masters and new patterns and most of them will catch a fish or two. Finding consistentContinueContinue reading “My favourite mayflies.”
Casts and retrieves
Some thoughts on traditional boat fishing Casting and retrieving in traditional lough style. Now here is a subject we fly anglers can really get our teeth into! As someone who fishes a fair bit with other boat partners I get to see first-hand the wide variation of casts and retrieves employed. Experienced anglers find whatContinueContinue reading “Casts and retrieves”
Floss wing mayfly
There is usually a spool of dapping floss lurking somewhere in my bag. I rarely dap but just in case I feel the need or someone else in the boat requires some, a reel of the light brown floss is on hand. As I was tidying up my gear today I unearthed the spool andContinueContinue reading “Floss wing mayfly”
32 – Episode 10, Galway
If I am honest I should have really ticked Galway off right at the very beginning of the ’32’ project as I have caught numerous fish in this county over the years. Sea fishing out of Clifden, mackerel bashing off the rocks in Galway Bay, casting flies for brown trout on the Clare river –ContinueContinue reading “32 – Episode 10, Galway”
To wing or not to wing
I am busy topping up my river fly boxes and it has got me thinking about why I habitually tie wings on some patterns and not on others. Do a couple of slips from a starling really make all that difference to a fly? Do the fish even notice if the neatly paired wings areContinueContinue reading “To wing or not to wing”
Green tinsel
I was given a fly the other day by a highly experienced local angler who has had some success with it on Carrowmore Lake. It is predominantly black and dressed in bumble style but the thing that caught my eye was the body material – green tinsel. For years I have found this colour ofContinueContinue reading “Green tinsel”
A sedge for Lough Mask
I recently tied up a small dry sedge pattern for one of the lads. Think this is one of the late Rod Tye’s patterns and the style is the same as the Simulator. It looks good and I will make a few for my own fly box too. The fly has natural deer hair wingsContinueContinue reading “A sedge for Lough Mask”
Memory lane
So, the flying visit to Scotland is over and I am back in Ireland once again. The catch up with family and friends now over, I can reflect on the last couple of days. The weather was pretty terrible on the journey north but the East of Scotland basked in lovely near summer conditions forContinueContinue reading “Memory lane”
Leaders
Let’s talk about leaders. When I started fishing the fly for trout this was pretty damn straight forward – you tied an overhand knot on the end of the fly line and looped a 9 foot length of 4 pound breaking strain nylon on to it. Life in general has evolved in a variety ofContinueContinue reading “Leaders”
Claretbumbler 