History of the Trout Fly
Angling for fish such as trout with artificial flies dates back to
the 2
nd
century, when the Roman, Caudius Aelianus
wrote about the practice of Macedonian anglers on the
Astraeus River. The artificial fly used had a red wool body
with two wax coloured feathers
"which grow under a cock's wattles"
fitted over the wool. This may have resembled a
Red Palmer or Soldier Palmer trout fly of today, with the
feathers would around the wool body of the fly in palmer
fashion, or perhaps the two feathers were paired and tied in
as a wing on top of the wool. The fact that two feathers
were specified may suggest the latter.
The Macedonian Fly?
"They fasten red wool round a hook and
fix on to the wool two feathers that grow under a cock's
wattles and which in colour are like wax"
In Great Britain, little was written on
trout flies
and fly fishing until the
publication in 1496 of
The Treatyse on Fysshynge with an Angle
,
by Dame Juliana Berners. Trout fly fishing grew
in popularity through the nineteenth century. Fly
fishing clubs were established and books appeared on trout
fly tying and trout fly fishing techniques. Since then,
fly fishing for trout, and other species, has become an extremely popular and
enduring pastime the world over.
In "An Angler's Entomology", J. R. Harris wrote in
1952, "Anglers, of all human groups devoted to a hobby or a
sport, are perhaps the most strongly obsessed with their
occupation and with all that belongs to it. Indeed, the fact
that sporting fish feed primarily on insects and can be
caught by devices which simulate these insects, has been the
basis for a scientific literature and an equally astonishing
display of invention in fly tying". This sums up nicely the essence of
trout fly fishing and the preoccupation of the fly fisherman
with the artificial fly he offers to his quarry, the trout
... and perhaps explains why you are reading this now.
In most, though not
all trout fishing situations,
fly selection is often crucial to success. As A. Courtney
Williams wrote in "A dictionary of Trout Flies", "To the
fly-fisher, the artificial fly must be a vital link in his
outfit. The most expensive rod, reel and line will avail him
but little if the fly he chooses fails to attract fish".
Trout Flies - The Early Days in Scotland
That is not to say that precise imitation is necessary, a
point well expressed by W. C. Stewart in
The Practical
Angler
as early as 1857. ".... in practice it has
been proved beyond doubt that a black, brown, red and
dun-coloured fly, used together, and varied in size
according to circumstances, will at any time kill as well,
and even better, than the most elaborate collection arranged
for every month of the year. If trout are at all inclined to
rise, one or other of the above will be found inviting. It
is quite clear that whatever the angler's opinion with
regard to flies may be - whether he believes that he must
have an imitation of some insect on the water at the time,
that he must have a fly of the same colour as the majority
of those on the water, or with ourselves holds neither of
these opinions; if he has four flies such as those mentioned
above, he cannot be very far off the mark, as these comprise
all the leading colours of which insects generally are."
Stewart
promoted the use
of simple, sparse yet carefully tied, spider patterns for
the most part. He expressed the reasonable view that "The
great point, then, in fly-dressing, is to make the
artificial fly resemble the natural insect in shape, and the
great characteristic of all river insects is extreme
lightness and neatness of form".... and very effective they
were too in catching Scottish trout (and English trout, as
evidenced by the efficacy of the similar style of North
Country Spiders used south of the border), in all
probability owing primarily to their simplicity. Examples of the
kind of trout flies favoured by Stewart are illustrated below.
Stewart's Trout Flies
Examples of Stewart's style of
river trout flies
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Stewart's Black
Spider
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Stewart's Dun
Spider
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Stewart's Red
Spider
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Artificial trout flies
used by Clyde anglers were traditionally designed along
similar lines, generally sparsely and lightly dressed,
both with and without wings, which were generally slim and
delicate. We are indebted to John Reid for "Clyde Style
Flies" in which he describes in detail the unique style
of trout fishing flies, in the main river flies like the Hen Blackie, Grey Hen and Rusty, Mavis and Black, Pope's Fancy,
Sand Fly, White Tip, Magpie Tail, Lark and Grey, Cran
Swallow, and many more specific Clyde dressings, together
with
other traditional patterns, nymphs, wet flies and dry flies, such as the Greenwell's Glory,
all dressed in the sparse and slim Clyde Style, to better imitate the
insects of the Clyde. A few examples of Clyde Style flies
are illustrated below.
Clyde Style Trout Flies
Examples of Clyde style river
trout flies
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Clyde Style
Greenwell's
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Reid's Assassin
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Clyde Hen
Blackie
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See also
this little
Book of Flies
, written by Tom Forsyth of Lesmahagow through the middle
part of the twentieth century,
transcribed from
his hand-written
notebook and published for the first time in August 2023 on
the
Trout and Salmon Fishing
website.
He lists the
dressings of the many fly patterns he and others used in a
lifetime of fly fishing on the Clyde and other Scottish
rivers. Like his contemporary, John Reid, he has given us
valuable knowledge of the trout flies which were popular in
Scotland during the last century. The listed dressings of
more than a hundred
Clyde Style
flies, slender and delicate patterns unique to that great
Scottish trout and grayling river, are of particular
interest to the modern day fly fishermen and those who tie
their own flies. He also includes a Monthly Guide to Clyde Wet Flies, which
suggests suitable patterns for every month throughout the
Clyde fishing
season. Below I illustrate just one page from
Tom Forsyth's little book:
Clyde Trout Flies
For many of us,
though, the term "Scottish
trout flies"
will bring to mind the many beautiful well known loch fly
patterns, for the most part simple flies dressed using the hair and feather
of native animals and birds,
their origins lost in time but still as effective as ever,
taking baskets of trout for those who ply their craft on the
Scottish Lochs. Some examples are listed below.
Scottish Loch Flies
See fly photographs in the panel above right.
I list below just a few of the most famous
of all our traditional Scottish loch flies, most of them
still in regular use today, filling many a fisherman's
basket on Scottish lochs large and small, and further afield
too.
Greenwell's Glory
The famous Greenwell's Glory was tied in 1854 by James Wright, of Sprouston
on the River Tweed, at the request of Canon
William Greenwell of Durham, and has since
become one of the most widely used of all
trout flies. Tied either as a wet or dry fly, or adapted as
a nymph, it is an excellent
representation of an olive.
Mallard and Claret
The Mallard and Claret, like its relative, the Grouse and
Claret, is a superb general loch fly pattern. Few loch fly
boxes will not have a few of both. A favourite as a dropper
fly for
many loch fishermen here in Scotland. The pattern is said to
have been created by William
Murdoch of Aberdeen,
Grouse and Green
The Grouse and Green
is one among a series of patterns dressed with a wing made
from the tail feathers of a grouse.
Though not as much used as the Grouse and Claret, it is
nevertheless a good sedge, or caddis fly, imitation, a good
choice for a summer evening on the loch.
Woodcock and Yellow
The woodcock and Yellow is probably the best
known and most used of
the Woodcock trout fly series, a good caddis or sedge representation used
by many loch fishermen to good effect on
summer evenings. It is also a favourite of many Scottish sea
trout fishermen who fish the rivers at night.
Blae and Black
A very old Scottish loch fly, its beginnings unclear, the
Blae and Black is likely taken by the trout for a hatching
midge. It is at its best fished early in the season as a dropper
on a cast of three or four.
Peter Ross
This loch fly
is a variant of the Teal and Red, created at the turn of the
century by Peter
Ross of Killin on the shores of Loch Tay. It is popular
among many loch fishers, though others have little luck with
it. Possibly taken by the trout for a
shrimp or, more likely, a small fish, the Peter Ross is a
sound choice as a tail fly.
Black Pennell
The Black Pennell takes its name from its creator H. Cholmondeley Pennell,
who devised it in the nineteenth century. It is popular as a
bob fly on highland lochs, particularly effective in early season
in a hatch of black midges.
Zulu
The Black Zulu is said to have
been banned from
use in fishing competitions because of its effectiveness. It is
normally fished as a bob fly, tripped over the top of the
waves with a good wind on the loch. The Blue Zulu, which
adds a blue hackle at the front, is a favourite variant,
almost as effective as the black version.
Red Palmer
On the remote lochs of the Northern Highlands, there are not
many flies which can compete with the Red Palmer as a taker
of loch trout, other than maybe the Black Zulu.
It is especially effective employed on the bob in a good wave.
Probably an even more used variant is the Soldier Palmer,
which has a tail of red wool added.
Teal Blue and Silver
The Teal Blue and Silver
is to be found in most sea trout fly boxes. A great
favourite, in sizes 10 to 6, on British sea trout rivers for
night fishing and for daytime loch fishing. In
smaller sizes, it can also be a very useful brown trout fly
in the smaller sizes of 14 to 10.
Cinnamon and Gold
A variant of the old pattern, the Cinnamon fly, the Cinnamon and Gold is
effective, particularly in the smaller sizes as a tail fly,
an attractor pattern which might be taken for a variety of
creatures, perhaps a small fish or maybe a hatching sedge.
Dunkeld
The trout pattern is a cut
down or modified version
of the Dunkeld salmon fly. Like the Cinnamon and Gold and
Kingfisher Butcher, it is a good attractor pattern
on most Scottish lochs. It is a great favourite of many fished
as a small fish imitation on the tail of a cast. As a sea trout fly
for night fishing it is also held in high regard.
Butcher
In the view of R. C. Bridgett, "The most deadly loch
fly ever invented, dressed with split wings well laid back,
used on the bob and made to trip across the waves, it is an
exceedingly reliable fly on every loch that I have fished.
If winged in the ordinary way it is quite a good tail fly
and used by many in this position with considerable effect".
Said to have been created in the early nineteenth century by Messrs Jewhurst
and Moon, who were butchers to trade. It was originally known as Moon's Fly,
but was renamed "Butcher", after its creators rather than
for its killing properties on the loch.
Alaxandra
The Alexandra was originally called the "Lady of the Lake"
but was renamed in the late nineteenth century after
Princess Alexandra. Some doubt remains over its creator.
Some say it was devised by Dr John Brunton,
of the Gresham Fishing Society and
inventor of Brunton's Fancy. Others give the credit to W.G. Turle
of Newton Stacey, Stockbridge. An extremely successful attractor
patter, like the Zulu it is reported to have been banned at
one time. It is also a top sea trout fly, popular for night
fishing throughout the British Isles.
Kate McLaren
First dressed in 1934 by William J. Robertson of Glasgow
for John McLaren, and named after his wife, it was
popularised by their son Charles in his book, The Art of Sea
Trout Fishing, published in 1963.
This fly has remained popular on the northern lochs for sea
trout and brown trout and has gained favour with many loch
fishermen throughout Scotland and farther afield, usually
employed as a top dropper on a loch fly cast.
Fly Fishing Worldwide
Fly Fishing for Trout and other Fish
Brown trout (
Salmo trutta
) and grayling (
Thymallus thymallus
)
were the prime quarry of early fly anglers in Europe and the
Brown Trout has since been introduced to all other
continents except Antarctica. In more recent times, to the
list of fish species now targeted by the fly fisherman worldwide
we might add several other trout species such as the Marbled
Trout of Slovenia (
Salmo (trutta) marmorata
); the Cutthroat
Trout (
Oncorhychus clarki
) of the north western coastal
streams North America; the Rainbow Trout (
Oncorhychus mykiss
)
of North America, in recent years imported into Europe and
bred as both a food and sport fish; the Steelhead, a
seagoing migratory form of the rainbow trout; the Golden
Trout of California; Several species of Char (
Salvelinus
),
including Arctic Char, Dolly Varden, Speckled Char, Lake
Trout and Bull Trout; Atlantic salmon (
Salmo salar
) and the
various species of Pacific salmon - the main ones being
Sockeye (
Oncorhychus nerka
), Chinook or King Salmon
(
Oncorhychus tshawytscha
), Chum (
Oncorhychus keta
), Pink (
Oncorhychus
gorbuska
) and Coho or Silver Salmon (
Oncorhychus kisutch
);
the Huchen of the Danube and the Taimen and Lenok of Asiatic
Siberia; Largemouth Bass (
Micropterus salmoides
) and
Smallmouth Bass (
Micropterus dololmieui
); European sea
trout; saltwater species such as Bass, Bonefish, Tarpon,
Permit, Trevally, Tuna, Dorado, Barramundi, Snook and
Barracuda; as well as European coarse fish such as pike (
Essox
lucius
), perch, chub, dace and carp.
Flies and fly fishing methods have been developed for all
the above, for example:
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Examples of Trout Flies
We generally categorise trout flies into groups, either in
terms of the stage of insect life they represent or in terms
of the way they are fished, for example nymphs, dry flies,
loch wet flies or streamers and lures. There follows a brief
description of each of these trout fly types, with a few
illustrated examples.
Scottish Loch Trout Flies (Wet Flies)
Simple Flies for Loch Trout Fishing
The history of Scottish
trout flies
is a rich and colourful one. The origin
of many of the famous trout fly patterns of the last century, wet
flies
still in common use today, is unclear, lost in folklore and
legend. But of one thing we can be sure. The
many traditional loch wet fly patterns still in use today,
survived because they
have continued to catch trout. The have proven their worth
over the centuries, rewarding
generations of Scottish loch fishers with baskets of native
brown trout. Many have names renowned among trout fishermen - Black Pennell, Greenwell's Glory, Mallard and Claret,Cinnamon and Gold, Silver
Butcher, Blae and Black, Woodcock and Yellow, Peter Ross,
Soldier Palmer, Teal and Silver, to name but a few.
Trout Fly Tying
Illustrated
below, along with the materials required to tie them, is a
small selection of some of these most famous traditional
Scottish loch trout flies, usually fished on a cast of three
flies, from boat or bank. Most are
old patterns, their creators unknown, which have survived
over the years because they work. They can be relied upon to
take baskets of loch brown
trout throughout the Scottish mainland and the Islands, and elsewhere too.
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Blae and Black
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Grouse and Green
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Hook:
14 to 10
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Tail:
golden pheasant tippets
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Body:
black floss, wool or seal's fur
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Rib:
oval silver tinsel
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Wing:
grey mallard
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Hackle:
black hen
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Hook:
14 to 10
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Tail:
golden pheasant tippets
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Body:
green wool or seal's fur
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Rib:
oval silver tinsel
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Wing:
grouse centre tail
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Hackle:
brown hen
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Cinnamon and Gold
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Greenwell's Glory
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Hook:
14 to 10
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Tail:
golden pheasant tippets
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Body:
flat gold tinsel
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Rib:
oval gold tinsel
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Wing:
speckled hen
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Hackle:
brown hen
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Hook:
14 to 10
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Body:
waxed yellow silk
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Rib:
fine oval gold tinsel
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Wing:
grey mallard
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Hackle:
greenwells hen
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Mallard and Claret
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Dunkeld
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Hook:
14 to 10
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Tail:
golden pheasant tippets
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Body:
claret wool or seal's fur
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Rib:
oval gold tinsel
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Wing:
bronze mallard (folded)
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Hackle:
brown or black hen
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Hook:
14 to 10
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Tail:
golden pheasant crest
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Body:
flat gold tinsel
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Rib:
oval gold tinsel
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Wing:
bronze mallard (folded)
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Hackle:
orange cock palmered
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Jungle cock cheeks may be added
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Butcher
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Red Palmer
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Hook:
14 to 10
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Tail:
red ibis or substitute
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Body:
silver tinsel
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Rib:
oval silver tinsel or wire
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Wing:
mallard blues
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Hackle:
black hen
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Hook:
14 to 10
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Body:
red wool or seal's fur
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Rib:
oval gold tinsel
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Hackle:
palmered brown hen
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Peter Ross
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Zulu
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Hook:
14 to 10
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Tail:
golden pheasant tippets
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Body:
silver tinsel/red seals fur
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Rib:
oval silver tinsel or wire
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Wing:
teal
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Hackle:
black hen
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Hook:
14 to 10
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Tail:
red wool
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Body:
black wool or seals
fur
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Rib:
oval silver tinsel or wire
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Hackle:
black hen palmered
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Woodcock and Yellow
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Black Pennell
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Hook:
14 to 10
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Tail:
golden pheasant tippets
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Body:
yellow wool or seal's fur
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Rib:
oval gold tinsel
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Wing:
Woodcock
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Hackle:
brown hen
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Hook:
14 to 10
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Tail:
golden pheasant tippets
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Body:
black floss
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Rib:
oval silver tinsel
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Hackle:
black hen
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Trout Dry Flies
In
traditional dry fly fishing, as practised throughout the
British Isles - from the great loughs of Ireland to the
famed chalkstreams of southern England (e.g. Test, Avon,
Itchen); from the grand trout rivers of Scotland (e.g Don,
Tummel, Tay, Tweed and Clyde) to the border streams of
Wales; from the Scottish Highland lochs to the English North
Country streams and becks - and indeed on trout waters the
world over, the angler generally sets out
to
match the hatch
, i.e. to present an imitation which
resembles, as closely as possible, those flies observed on
the water surface and on which the trout appear to be
feeding at the time. He will aim to select an artificial fly
from his fly box similar, in size, shape and colour, to the
insects the trout are taking on the river, or lake, surface.
Throughout the fly fishing season the fly angler may expect
a large variety of different species of fly to appear on the
river, depending on the time of year, the time of day, the
state of the river and the prevailing weather conditions and
he must be prepared to adapt his approach, and his choice of
fly, accordingly. Very early in the season he might expect
to see the March Brown (
Rhithrogena germanica
) and he should
be prepared to match a hatch with a suitable imitation; the
large Dark Olive (
Baetis rhodani
) might make an appearance,
particularly around the middle of the day, which he might
try to emulate with a Rough Olive dressing or perhaps a
Greenwell's Glory. Later in the season, an appearance of
pale wateries (
Baetis fuscatus
) might be matched by a
suitable likeness in the form of a Blue Quill or Pale Watery
Dun; High summer might see a hatch of the Blue Winged Olive
(
Ephemerella ignita
), to be matched with an artificial of
that name or perhaps a Pheasant Tail; Medium Olives (
Baetis
Tenax
) might be appropriately matched by a Medium Olive Dun
or a Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear; A Blue Dun or Olive Quill might
be employed to imitate an Olive Upright (
Rhithrogena
semicolorata)
, while a Coch y Bonddu might be presented
as a beetle imitation; A Black Spider of Black Gnat might be
selected to represent a midsummer swarm of Black Gnats
(Bibio
johannis)
; A Silver, Brown or Cinnamon Sedge imitation
might do the job on those long summer evenings on loch or
river. A few popular examples of a wide range of British
Traditional dry fly patterns are shown below.
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Black Gnat Dry Fly
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Hare's Ear Dry Fly
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Lunn's Particular Dry Fly
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Blue Quill Dry Fly
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Trout Nymphs
It may not be
quite so easy for the fly angler to discern what is going on
under the river or lake surface. However, personal
experience, a grounding in entomology together with some
familiarity with angling tradition, custom and practice,
will allow him to make a sound selection of a suitable fly
imitation to represent whatever the trout may be feeding on
below. Regardless of what the trout are feeding on, a
suitable imitation should be found to represent it, to be
presented at an appropriate depth and behaving in a way
which will deceive the trout into thinking it is real and
edible. An example of this is Euro Nymphing. He might select an imitation of the nymphs of the
various upwinged flies
(Ephemeroptera)
, the olives
and mayflies of river and lake; or the Sedge or Caddis fly
(Trichoptera)
, in various stages of the life cycle,
first as cased caddis
(sedge larva)
and later as the
more mobile plump pupa, taken eagerly by the trout as it
emerges as an adult sedge; one of the stonefly nymphs
(Plecoptera)
of the river or the midges or buzzers
(Chronomids)
of
the lake, in their various incarnations of bloodworm or
midge larva, free swimming midge pupa or hatching midge; the
Corixa of the stillwater shallows or the larger nymph of the
Damsel fly
(Agrion virgo)
or perhaps the tasty
looking imitation of a freshwater shrimp.
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Black Nymph
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Hare's Ear Nymph
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Pheasant Tail Nymph
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Amber Nymph
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Trout Lures and Streamers
Lures and
streamers, representing either small fish, leech or the
larger species of nymph, can vary in size from an inch or so
to several inches, depending on the quarry species and the
bait the streamer is intended to imitate. For trout fishing, they
are normally up to a few inches in length. Widely used for
wild trout in North America and other species worldwide,
streamers are most commonly used in the UK for rainbow trout
fly fishing
in stocked fisheries and sometimes for brown trout inriver
or lake but may also be used for other predatory species,
such as pike, perch or zander in fresh water or for
predatory saltwater species such as mackerel, pollack and
bass. It is important to be able to distinguish these when selecting your lures in a tactical fly fishing scenario according to award winning fly fisher David Olsen. Just a few from the great variety of popular trout
streamers and lures are shown below.
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Trout Lures and Streamers
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Boxed Selection of Scottish Trout Flies
Boxed selections
of salmon, sea trout and trout flies are
available online, with free worldwide shipping, from
Grays of Kilsyth
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Online Trout Flies
Trout Flies, including boxed selections of
Scottish Loch Flies, Dry Flies and Trout Nymphs, can be
purchased from Grays of Kilsyth with free worldwide shipping
ONLINE FLY SHOP
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