The classics - The old master

[ickypimp]

The old master is a traditional North country soft hackled pattern, Originally dressed By Mr Bradley of Otley, Leeds. quoted to be "A capital killer from April through to the end of august on warm days or in the evenings"

Dressing from T.E. Pritt (1885)

Thread:Ash coloured thread ( Pearsalls grey 9A used)
Hook: Hook sz 1,Down eyed wet (size 14 Mustad R50 used)
Body: Tying thread
Hackle: Woodcock under covet.
Rib: Heron herl

[bobsmith]

The "Old Master" actually dates back to Pilling’s list of flies for the river Wharfe dated 1794. Pritt’s book was merely made from Swarbrick manuscript “A list of Wharfedale flies” published in 1807 plus a few more local patterns. Swarbrick’s list was itself was a copy of Pilling’s original list but also with a few additions. Bradley was merely a crony of Pritt’s and had no claim to the originality of the dressing.
I would say you need to dress it on a size 16 hook and shorten your hackle length also use a bit more herl , apart from that it’s not a bad try. Is it you first attempt?

[ickypimp]

the first old master i have tied... i went size 14 because of the length of the barbs on the feathers... .. the under covets are all huge on the woodcock i bought..

stand corrected on the history... but can only work with the information in the literature i have...

[Spider]

Icky, the Old Master is a superb fly - i used it on stillwater a few years ago and it was lethal, possibly because there were black/grey and white mottled sedge on the water,

I'd say about 20 fly fishers use it consistently between UK and Ireland !

Cheers.

[maharg]

Very nice again Martin.

[maharg]

I find it very strange that these types of flies are not used more often. I know they are used to great effect on our rivers for both trout and grayling. The thing is they are also deadly on stillwaters too.
I have lost count of the trout I have caught in the midst of a buzzer hatch to these spiders.

Why is it so many people shy away from a very very effective style?
Are we afraid they are not flashy enough?
Are they concidered "old hat" to the modern patterns?
Are we worried about the hookhold?
Your thoughts please.
ATB
Graham

[bbamboo]

Nice fly.
But not one I have tried myself.


Gary ( nicho)
Bamboo rod maker

[Spider]

Originally Posted by maharg

I find it very strange that these types of flies are not used more often. I know they are used to great effect on our rivers for both trout and grayling. The thing is they are also deadly on stillwaters too.
I have lost count of the trout I have caught in the midst of a buzzer hatch to these spiders.

Why is it so many people shy away from a very very effective style?
Are we afraid they are not flashy enough?
Are they concidered "old hat" to the modern patterns?
Are we worried about the hookhold?
Your thoughts please.
ATB
Graham

Graham...I dont know. Crazily enough, i still havent got to fish spiders on rivers ( i'm going to have to do so on a smaller rod, singly soon ) but they were lethal on stillwater for me. Probably better than any buzzer or Diawl Bach imho, especiually during a hatch. Snipe and Yellow, Hare's Lug and Plover, Greenwells Spider .....all deadly, and also the Black Snipe. Its must be an "old" thing that puts people off, but i think their dressing is so sparse that it doesnt inspire confidence, in the same way as most fly fishers dont fish flies smaller than size 18......

[Chris Reeves]

My take on this is that 99% of anglers follow trends, they tie and use whatever the latest magazine star is using, few use a Viva on the reservoirs any more, Few use spiders on rivers CDC dries and Klinkhamers have taken over on chalkstreams , Pink Nymphs are all that grayling see......so it goes on.
And when was the last time you saw a Baby Doll?

If someone well known wrote intelligently about spiders and why they work and backed it up with an article dripping with glorious illustrations I'd bet the sales of spiders would shoot up.

And finally, if you buy your own flies and a spider is the same price as say a CDC and Elk, (which it should be if tied well) ,which looks better value for money?

I carry on using flies that I have caught fish with over the years. I still tie and use the original competition patterns I started out with in the late 70's, still use old fashioned dires like a greenwells and just love the bibio and Invicta as wet flies.......

There are many of the users of this forum who probably use traditional flies , make no fuss about it and carry on catching all year long.

Cheers

[flyinghigh]

Chris you have got the problem in one I believe, I only started fly fishing recently and I too bought flies that I seen in mags and flies I thought looked good value for money but when I started on here especially fly tying I found i started to try flies that I wouldn't have ever tried had i not came on here, I have more boxes of wet flies than buzzers and lures put toghter.
Yes i might not have caught fish on them but i feel more like proper fly fisher as i would imagine one rather than pulling a blob.