First spiders

[zonnkers]

I was given a whole Jay at the end of the shooting season and have been playing around with Spider patterns using the Fawn neck feathers but as I only fish small stillwaters "down south" I'm not sure how and when to use them.





Any advice on how to improve them would be gratefuuly accepted

[Brook]

You Don't need to improve them.Cast them near some rising fish and You'll catch for sure.
Thanks for posting.

[bill1]

Brook's right. They'll catch. No question and I'd happily fish them.

Among people who use spiders you would get a raft of opinions on length and thickness of hackle, length of body, angle of hackle etc etc.
For what it's worth, I'd prefer the body a little shorter and the hackle a tad more sparse.
Personally, I suspect that the jay hackle is a little too soft to be ideal.

If you are interested in traditional patterns, Mike Harding's book is worth the tenner you can get it for. Mostly recipes but some instruction on tying, history and fishing included.

If they are your first spiders - well done

As for fishing them - they'll catch throughout the season on rivers - across and down or upstream. They'll also catch on stillwaters fished like a buzzer - a very slow twitch retrieve often works. A Stewarts Spider can be deadly in or just below the surface film. Snipe and Purple also does well whilst Wobbly Face on here is currently doing well with a Williams Fancy.

[zonnkers]

Originally Posted by bill1

Brook's right. They'll catch. No question and I'd happily fish them.

Among people who use spiders you would get a raft of opinions on length and thickness of hackle, length of body, angle of hackle etc etc.
For what it's worth, I'd prefer the body a little shorter and the hackle a tad more sparse.
Personally, I suspect that the jay hackle is a little too soft to be ideal.

If you are interested in traditional patterns, Mike Harding's book is worth the tenner you can get it for. Mostly recipes but some instruction on tying, history and fishing included.

If they are your first spiders - well done

As for fishing them - they'll catch throughout the season on rivers - across and down or upstream. They'll also catch on stillwaters fished like a buzzer - a very slow twitch retrieve often works. A Stewarts Spider can be deadly in or just below the surface film. Snipe and Purple also does well whilst Wobbly Face on here is currently doing well with a Williams Fancy.

Thanks for that
They are my first spiders although I didn't mention that I have been tying for 40 odd years just never had the need to tie spiders.

[bill1]

Originally Posted by zonnkers

Thanks for that
They are my first spiders although I didn't mention that I have been tying for 40 odd years just never had the need to tie spiders.

Aye, but they can be bu&&ers to get just right. I would say that when I'm tying them I'm only completely happy with one in five. I spend most of my time retying them.

[Chris Reeves]

Nice work mate, Try some with a little less dubbing and two turns of peacock herl in front of the hackle, improves them no end!

Cheers

[woodcock and harelug]

The first fly looks great as it is,you might try a gold rib on the second fly either very thin flat gold or wire ....both look fishy

[dwiltshire]

They are excellent - well done.
As for fishing them, they work well on stillwaters too. I like to fish them on droppers with dry on the point when drifting. Good for buzzers hatching and even corixa.

Good work