As mentioned before Frank Sawyer had 5 patterns that he fished ,which flys were these. I know the about the killer bug and the phesant tail nymph what were the other 3.Thanks.

__________________
When the bugle sounds The last parade
and the light grows dim in the eye,
Make sure you say at the pearly gates
That you've come for the evening rise.

Grey Goose, SS nymph and Bow Tie Buzzer. There was also a Pale Watery nymph.

I have Sawyer's dressings somewhere if you need them.

There was one more nymph pattern but as it required Condor herl for the body I won't list it.

Thanks Pal

__________________
When the bugle sounds The last parade
and the light grows dim in the eye,
Make sure you say at the pearly gates
That you've come for the evening rise.

An early drawing by Sawyer including his 'ephemeropterans' pattern.



Such a long word; no wonder it didn't survive.

The bow-tie buzzer was a still-water pattern.


A 1950s photo of the man himself.

How ever did he manage to catch any fish standing up in plain view like that?

Position not recommended by the Derbyshire R. Wye boys...



I used to fish with some nymphs tied by Mrs. Sawyer, but pretty sure I've managed to lose them all along the way - may have one or two Grey Goose nymphs left somewhere.

(nice post by the way PiB).

http://www.salisburydistrictac.co.uk/gallery_4.htm

A link to himself dressing one !

__________________
Andy Wren
Winter grayling taking a year off !
Claret not just a great dubbing colour!

I'd bet he wouldn't decend to using a Testwood "Nymph", that is unless he was clearing weed.

I expect that he was grayling fishing.

Thank you.


Here's one of him trout fishing.

PiB may well be right about the shot of Sawyer standing up being of him grayling fishing but I've fished that water on the Avon and provided that you stay downstream of the fish it is quite possible to stand up and get quite close. It's far more important to drop the fly accurately and gently.

I'm prepared to bet that his clothing was sombre and in those days no part of the tackle would emit much flash.

__________________
“There is no more lovely country than Monmouthshire in early spring. Nowhere do the larks sing quite so passionately, as if somehow inspired by the Welsh themselves. There is a blackbird on every thorn and a cock chaffinch, a twink as they call him there, on every bush...... It moved me profoundly. I had been spared to see another spring, and I thank God for it.”

Oliver Kite
“A Spring Day on the Usk”
A Fisherman’s Diary

Bit of a pompous statement that. An original Testwood nymph is actually not much bigger or heavier than one of his own. I think Sawyer was clever enough to use whichever style of nymph suited where he was fishing and what he was trying to catch. He fished many times at Nursling - the Nursling nymph is a lot heavier because of the faster, deeper water - and there is a superb chapter in his book Nymphs and the Trout(?) where he describes catching salmon on the Avon at Somerley and at Broadlands on the Test using nymphs.

What is thought of as being a new way of catching salmon was actually being tried by Sawyer over fifty years ago. So much for progress! I have said before that Sawyer no doubt recognised the difference between salmon fishing on the chalkstreams and trout fishing. You try to deceive trout to catch them but have to **** salmon off to catch them.

He certainly wouldn't think that in using the appropriate weight and size of nymph would in any way be "descending."

Reg Wyatt