Thread title should read FAO people who tie flies

Hey there lads,



Having spent years beach casting and deep sea fishing I started Fly fishing. Three years later I still consider myself an absolute beginner. I have been told that Fly fishing is a lifetime apprenticeship.

My last few years have initially been about casting, then turn over and presentation, then mending line for perfect drifts etc, reading rivers.

There is a hell of a lot to the art.

I am now happy enough about the mechanics of the sport but I feel my knowledge of entomology really lets me down. I regularly try to catch the fly that I thing the trout are taking but having done so cannot match the fly to an imitation in my fly box.

I was about to order a batch of flies online as I did last season but a conversation with a friend who has recently been made redundant has made me rethink this.

Until last year I always bought flies from my local tackle shop but I feel I need advice from somebody closer to the water. Ideally I would like to buy a March/April fly set etc., both wet and dry from somebody with local knowledge with a couple of lines blurb about the use of each fly.
I don't have the time yet to devote to fly tying but feel this would educate me more about the entomology and be more rewarding than my present day hit and hope method of fly selection.



Anybody else feel this would be a good idea?

Oh and a huge thanks to otter who sent me a batch of beautifully tied flies suitable for my local water The Liffey as a present when I first started .

I found this little pocket book useful when I started and you can't go wrong for a fiver delivered:

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Chris

www.stealth247.com

I'll 2nd that recommendation ^^^. If you're after an addition, I also have O'Reilly's book "Matching the Hatch" which has a bit more detail (but not overwhelming). It doesn't have the charts that Lapsley/Bennett's book has.

Take a look in februarys (lets tackle cancer) auction, some good flies in there, you might be lucky, b.

Yes I've got that one too.
More detailed but I found the smaller book more useful as you can keep it with you and refer to all those flies that look pretty similar.
I used to read the O'Reilly book but then by the time I got on the bank I couldn't remember which were which!

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Chris

www.stealth247.com

Pollocks...you are making it hard for yourself. In truth, you need about 6 flies fo rthe entire season....just different sizes of them. This is on the river....you didn't say if you were after proper fish or no!

A small black one like an F-fly will always work. Get a yellow bodied varient as well just for a change. Size 12, 14 and 16.

A Tups indispensible selection...12, 14 and 16

A small white fly like a light cahill works well in the autumn. 12 and 14 16 again.

Grey Duster....same sizes.

Lunns Particular.

Greenwells.

A sherry spinner if you must..I have never caught a fish on a sherry spinner in many years of fishing.

There are those who say you should have a Klinkhammer...but you know you can catch a fish on a klink, so why bother? That is just too easy..stick a Klinkhammer on and you will catch a fish any time of year...

To "match the hatch"...you don't have to be spot on. Just match colour and size. Suggestive patterns work better than imitative ones. Bring it down to basics, don't try to make it scientific....it gets too involved then and this is meant to be fun, not brain training!

I'm with Tailing Loop on this subject, don't make things too complicated match size and colour and you should do well.

One bit of advice I was given when faced with a new river or loch was try something small and black. It invariably works for me.

I agree.

Whilst I like getting all scientific because I am very interested in the natural world, I know I could go down the river any time of the year with a goldhead nymph/PTN and a klinkhamer and catch plenty of fish!

Maybe if you match the hatch perfectly you might maximise your catch but if the fish are hungry and something life-like passes their nose they'll usually have it.
One day last year I caught over 30 fish on the same kilnkhamer I'd had on all day and wondered why I'd spent all this cash on flies, fly tying gear etc.
It hasn't stopped me filling 8 boxes with every fly under the sun though!
I read an article the other day about mayfly nymphs saying not to bother with them outside the mayfly season but I could chuck one in anytime and have fish chasing them all day long but it's just not the done thing.

I soon discovered half the "fun" of this sport is making it difficult for yourself.
It always makes me laugh when I hear of waters banning a certain fly as it's too good
What kind of crazy sport is this?
We spend a lifetime deliberating over which fly to use and when but then when a really good one is found it gets banned
Imagine if footballers were banned because they scored too many goals or a Formula 1 team was banned for having a winning car

Would be a lot easier to put a float and a big juicy worm on...

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Chris

www.stealth247.com

all you need is a black pennel, this will catch brown trout on cooler days and evenings, it is a wet fly.as for dry, as mentioned, a black klinkhammer.

listen to me, lol, if only it were that simple!
im gonna try my own advise this year

peace
rusty

Thanks for all the excellent advice. I am going to relax more and not over-think it so much.

Having looked at the reviews of Match the Hatch, i will buy that and learn a little rather than the spoon feeding approach I was looking for!