I regard a lot of to-days fly patterns as being more or less designed to catch the eye of the angler and not the fish. and looking at some of the stunning examples from some of the, what i consider to be excellent fly tiers we have on the forum, Lucian, Scratch and so on, i think can be rather daunting for people who want to try their hand at tying flies or reach that standard.

I'd like to dispell any myth that you need to have the best of flies or be an excellent tier to tempt fish. By that i am not saying that a beautifully tied creation by one of our resident experts, will not take more fish, it may well do so, nor am i in anyway discrediting their work, as most of it is stunning, i've even purchased some from a few of them.

Personally however i have had numerous days fishing when i tried some very nicely tied creations, and fish would not look at them, however the minute i tie on a grubby looking hares ear from my fly box, or even a half chewed pattern that has been almost ripped apart over the seasons by hooking too many fish, it is usually then that i have started to interest fish, it's a strange old game fishing at times.

I bought a starter tying kit from Grommit last week, and a few materials, so i could have an attempt at tying some diawl bach variants, that someone was kind enough to give me at the Troutmasters final this year at Grafham (thanks Jimmy Mackie) as they are not available, at least to my knowledge, commercially, and they have been catching many fish, for myself and a few friends lately.

Now bearing in mind i have never tied a fly in my life, i fumbled through a few diawl bach variant efforts that sorta left a lot to be desired, but i reckon they might tempt a fish or three, i'm keen to try those, since i consider them small enough and scruffy.

I ordered size 12 and 14 hooks, as i am rarely happy fishing size 10, (even though they are more or less competition standard size), i prefer smaller, and will sometimes even fish down to 22's when fish are being shy, i also find it difficult to find good size 14 or smaller buzzers, (unless i offer Maharg my first born, or an infinite beer supply) and even though i most probably have the wrong hooks, i set about trying to tie some buzzers on the small Hayabusa 31510 shortshank size 14 hooks that Ian/Grommit had sent me, to be honest i thought they would end looking up like an explosion in a paint factory, and actually probably do to some of the wonderful tiers out there.

I wanted a simple target spot type of buzzer, and to try without an SBS, with the limited materials i had ordered, and not hotheads, those have been done to death imho. My thoughts turned towards something simple like the bibio, i always found it a good fly to fish, and decided to try black and red buzzers, (shouldnt be too hard i thought, black red black) and maybe vary them slightly, so after again fumbling through some attempts, i got some done which i thought looked 'foody', and decided to try them out before spending too much more time or wasted effort at the vice, and as luck would have it my job for the following day had just been cancelled.

So off i set at around 10am to Bangour, as i arrived 2 guys were leaving the pegs directly in front of the lodge, they hadn't touched anything so far that morning, and were making their way round to the far side of the fishery. So i set up the 9ft #6, and decided to fish one of the spots they had vacated, 13ft leader one dropper, on it was my size 14 ugly little red and black home made buzzer, and a size 12 little goldhead nymph on the point, around 5ft apart.

I started my first cast, as i mostly do, casting clockwise in a fan shape going from left, centre, right, just trying to keep in touch with my flies, or a very very slow figure of eight, on my first cast i had an offer and missed it, i was then thinking, beginners luck maybe, or a small brownie, but it actually got my hopes up, ... has something i made interested a resident ?

Second cast another offer, "damn missed it again", then i wondered, "has Grommit sold me rubber hooks ?" i then cast slightly more to the right this time, again an offer, but i lift the rod slightly to the left and up and it's hooked, and it's a good fish, by now i am bursting to see which fly it took, .. Well get me drunk !! ...it's taken the buzzer i tied, Keith comes down from the lodge as it's obviously a good fish, a few minutes later he weighs it, i have a Ten and a quarter pounder in the net, i then unhook the fish and slip the net side down and it swims safely away.

I'm honestly at this point still thinking ... maybe that fish was half blind or has a death wish or something, so cast again, another offer, missed it, 5th cast i hook into another fish, this one i only have on for a short time, a shake of the head and it's gone. so err... i'm beginning to think, 5 casts 5 offers, hmmm, i might like this fly tying nonsense, since i don't even have to be good at it... and i'm more pleased that they are hitting scruffy looking little buzzers.

This continues for a while i managed to hook and net another 3 fish, but i should have had lots more, a little while later it went pretty calm on the surface, and a few fish started to top of the water feed and i swapped for some dry fly sport, one on the daddy another on a ginked up dabbler.

I also recall one night on my local loch about 15years ago, fishing for brownies with the guy who mostly taught me fly fishing Kenny Quinn, and who in my opinion was an excellent fisher, anyway on this particular evening we couldn't tempt fish, and a guy fishing in the next boat shouted to Kenny, "they're taking small green flies", Kenny looked through his fly box, but never had anything to match the hatch, so quickly ripped a bit of green plastic from an Asda bag he had, and slipped it on a hook, my jaw dropped as he cast out and started to catch fish, i almost fell in laughing, but it goes to show you, that fish at times are not too fussy if you have something that either looks the right shade or it looks like food, such as a scruffy little hares ear, then ....... you're in.

Now i'm not in any way saying grubby is better, all i'm saying is don't discount that little ugly looking small grubby fly in your box.

Anyway small simple flies or buzzers just might surprise you.

Best regards
Jim

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Tanta Stultitia Mortalium Est

So you're hooked then Jim.
The "bare hook nymph" was devised from a well dressed pheasant tail nymph.
I'm no expert tier, proportions can be all wrong, fly too bulky or even too skinny, but I do catch fish.
Dubbed flies often get scrubed up with dubbing brush or dubbing picker to make them a little scruffy.

Good post as well Jim. Like your style.

excellent post..food for thought..Scruffy flies often pick up the fish right enough,the reason the hairs are picked out on the bodies or scruffed up is simply to enhance the fly ie:the strands of hair as well as the body of the actual fly gather minute air bubbles which gives the fly an overall translucent effect as viewed by the fish and most natural in appearance..
But don't you think that a lot of the flies of today are variations of a theme as they say...
The fly patterns of yesteryear still catch today

John

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I have always liked this quote;

"I look into... my fly box, and think about all the elements I should consider in choosing the perfect fly: water temperature, what stage of development the bugs are in, what the fish are eating right now. Then I remember what a guide told me: 'Ninety percent of what a trout eats is brown and fuzzy and about five-eighths of an inch long." Allison Moir

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[I]"The fish and I were both stunned and disbelieving to find ourselves connected by a line." William Humphrey in "The Armchair Angler"[/I]

A very nice post Jim; I am a prolific fly tyer, as such I own box after box of flies (and I have filled many friends boxes too!). This season I have confined myself to the use of 4 patterns (although admittedly numerous variations of each as I can't keep away from the vice) buzzers, PTN's, Shipmans (the scruffier the better - I use Velcro to really 'scruff up' the dubbing) and a scruffy emerger, based on a deer hair emerger but with aerowing or polypro yarn instead of deer hair because it is far more durable. Size 14 has been the largest hook used and size 20 the smallest. I have caught my limit of fish every week including some really sizable specimens; others fishing the same water with larger offerings have often failed to catch and are loathe to try really small flies because they don't believe the trout will notice them, and yet one only has to spoon fish to see that Allison Moir's quote that Regan is so fond of is absolutely true.

Congratulations on your new found fly tying skill, I think there is that extra little bit of pleasure to be had from catching a fish on something you have created yourself, I am sure that your success will continue and I hope that your post will encourage others to do the same.

Jim you are a grubby wee c*** yourself

As for those bribes you speak of I am still waiting for that beer

Just been sorting out my fly boxes into some kind of order and I have loads more buzzers than I thought I had. Anything you need mate just give me a call. These ones are free by the way, as always

Anyway I still owe you for that wee "incident" with the outboat motor prop' and your new fly line!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ATB
Graham

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It is in truth not glory,nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting,but for freedom - for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with his life.(Declaration of Arbroath, 1320)

You don't owe me a thing, accidents happen, (sometimes with terrible consequences), the main thing, "as always", and in our case, is no one was hurt, and anyway good fishing days are such, that either party will always go away feeling you owe the other party something for a good day out.

We had an enjoyable day on the lake, we are indeed luckier than some others who do not know the essence of tranquility, relaxation, good company and enjoyment that we are adorned with each time we partner someone in a boat for a days fly fishing.

Many a person would trade more than a bit of braided nylon to have such days, myself included.

And besides i've plundered your flies lately.

Best regards
Jim

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Tanta Stultitia Mortalium Est

I've always enjoyed tying my own flies as well as trying other tyers patterns. My flies are not top quality, but they do catch fish. One of my favorite flies is the hot head hears ear. The scruffier the better, can be a deadly little fly & so easy to tie up.

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All that glitters, will catch anglers.

I know it all sounds so simple......if you get the shape, size and colour right you're going to catch a lot of fish If on top of that you get the depth and retreive right you're going to fill the boat !! What could be easier than that At no point did I mention quality of tying (but it does come into play when getting the right shape).............the possible permutations of what I've mentioned runs into hundreds if not thousands, hense we have the wonderful sport of fly fishing It's brilliant to work out the problem / situation and tie up a solution that works...........but I'm getting more and more into the 5/8" brown/black hairy thing plus a simple black buzzer of course

Jim

I doubt the trout I fish for have a look and say - F*** That thats tied too neatly and turn away

Fly tying started off with me tying poorly but I still caught fish , With years of tying you sort of become neat and tidy and the flies become a work of art But they are not tied to catch my eye but the trouts eye

The trout will still take the fly ugly or a work of art!

Col

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"It is not easy to tell one how to cast. The art must be acquired by practice.