The Classics: Little Dark Watchet

[North Country Angler]

Couldn't resist this. It's not a fly I use, but some old school sneck bend hooks kindly donated by Midlander just screamed to have a trad north country spider tied on them......so I went for the Pritt tying of the dark watchett, which I believe was intended to imitate the iron blue dun. If anyone has any more detailed history of this fly to impart, I would be interested to hear.

I've tied this one sans water rat fur for obvious reasons, but I will knock one out later with mole fur and post it up for you to have a looky.

Little Dark Watchet



Hook: sneck size 12-16
Silk: orange and purple pearsalls twisted
Hackle: jackdaw neck or coot covert (I've used the latter)

Happy Easter,
Matt

[dexfab77]

Really nice combination the hook does suit it well.

[yorkio]

Originally Posted by North Country Angler

Silk: orange and purple pearsalls twisted

How do you tie the body? It almost looks like you've laid down a bit of orange silk and then added a purple rib. Whenever I've tried twisting the threads, I just get a bit of a mess. I managed a nice neat one once by having two bobbins side by side in my bobbin holder and tying the two threads simultaneously. It was a bit of a faff though and the whole thing was threatening to fall apart at any minute, so I'm sure there's something I'm just not getting.

[Highlander]

Nice Tying.
The Iron Blue is one of our earliest flies. The natural emerges in March/April & can be found on even the coldest days of Spring. The above fly is a nice representation of this. The dressing shown is "fairly true"to tying. though I would have added a smidgin of dubbed Mole fur & twisted the two threads.
The Watchet is probably an older fly than the black version & dates back to the eighteeth century.Courtney Williams states that the word Watchet refers to light blue colour but I can not see that in this fly. Elsewhere it read as a corruption of night watchman possibly inferring darkness but I like the French association of a cloth of a blue /grey colour. Other North Country Flies, I have never liked the term Yorkshire Flies as I feel they cover a larger geographical area than that county. Others of the same ilk are the Dark Drake & the Dark Bloa & perhaps the more famous Snipe & Purple. Give the Dark Bloa a wing & it becomes the Broughton Point a favourite early wet fly of mine.
My thanks to Rodger Fogg for supplying the info from his book
A Handbook of North Country Flies
Tight Lines

[North Country Angler]

Originally Posted by yorkio

How do you tie the body? It almost looks like you've laid down a bit of orange silk and then added a purple rib. Whenever I've tried twisting the threads, I just get a bit of a mess. I managed a nice neat one once by having two bobbins side by side in my bobbin holder and tying the two threads simultaneously. It was a bit of a faff though and the whole thing was threatening to fall apart at any minute, so I'm sure there's something I'm just not getting.

I think the key is to not twist together too tightly. It's a bit of a trial and error thing. The dubbing of water rat (or mole) fur does hide a multitude of sins....will try and post one later.

M

[flyfishwithme]

Very nice tie Matt and I love the hook. I have a packet of them somewhere. Here is my version:

[yorkio]

Originally Posted by North Country Angler

I think the key is to not twist together too tightly. It's a bit of a trial and error thing. The dubbing of water rat (or mole) fur does hide a multitude of sins....will try and post one later.

Heh, yes, I think I need a bit more practice on this one.

[midlander]

Glad you like the snecks Matt, nice wee fly that. Instead of mole, get yourself a slicker brush, head over to Castle Densonstein and brush some squirrel under fur off one of those squirrel skins I sent him. I'll try to scrub some out of a brown dyed skin I've got too.

Watchet, definitely a sort of blue/grey. Dark watchet therefore being an iron blue. Odd coincidence that eh?

Still waiting on my Chetham's Vade Mecum so no further history forthcoming I'm afraid.