Hi all again.

Top 5 flies for a slow running river like the Swift are........

...........................

It depends on the time of year really. but a selection of upwing olives, Caddis and midge will stand you in good stead, so my top 5 would be:

small Balloon Caddis
Jt olive
Griffiths gnat
ducks dun
Klinkhammer (all sizes and colours)

IYHO - is there a group of flies for a newbie which would do both lake and slow river - just to get a newbie started - say this time of year or June

Hares ear in all it's forms!! Nymph - Bead head nymph - Spider - Dry Fly - Para and Klink.

Pheasant tail : Nymph - Bead Head - Spider - Dry Fly - Para Dunn and Klink.

River lake or reservoir anywhere in the world with the above selection in your fly box! You'll catch fish.

Add to the above:

The Oppo (Jeremy Lucas emerger)
John Storey, body hanging down, hackle in surface, wing poking upwards!
Cruncher nymph, various combos and sizes, nat brown, olive, black, JC or biot cheeks etc, etc.
Diawl Bach, in all its variants
Black and peacock spider, wet and dry, (lime green flouro tag at dusk can be deadly!)
Black Pennell
Woolly B*gg*r/ Humungus

All great generic patterns for still or running water.

__________________
"Angling may be said to be so like mathematics in that it can never be fully understood" - Izaak Walton