Fishing down the brook on a regular basis has changed the makeup of my fly box / the contents are now geared towards small streams. So as winter and tying time is coming up I thought I would kick off a thread of flies that we have found to work well on small streams, or flies that you think should work well on small streams;

To discuss the problems that we find that govern our choice of fly.

To post Links to patterns seen elsewhere.

To show of your own flies,
(Don’t worry if you can’t photograph too well; give us a description or a recipe).

Post SBS's if your up to it.

To talk about insects you see on your streams and what patterns will work to copy them.

To R- introduce patterns that you have seen months or years ago on the forum that work for you. We haven’t all been here for years or spend every day on it (though some of us seem to). Lets give them the light of day again.

We are all at different levels and experience. Please let’s keep criticism constructive, and not rubbish people’s efforts or naivety.

And please dont worry if you tying isnt fantastic its an exchange of ideas not a competition.

So To start the ball rolling I will start with this pic.
(please excuse the people who have seen this before, but that's part of the deal, assume these are all new to people).

As it’s raining hard down the brook I have been thinking about the amount of terrestrials coming off the trees. This is probably too late for this year but I realised despite the advice of many people I have never covered the green flies (aphids). So this is what I am working on at present. Hopefully despite the size I reckon I should be able to track this down the food lane.



Hook;Size 24 TMC 100
Thread: Gordon Griffins micro fine thread olive
Body; Chartreuse UV frogs hair... but I would have been as happy with lime green waspi super fine dry fly dubbing or similar
Post; White Aero wing
Wing; Genetic grizzle

Special notes: Whipping off done horizontally under the final wrap of hackle.
Its the first draft of this fly and i need to noodle with it a touch, maybe a few less turns of hackle and sit it lower down the post. And it needs testing on some fish. What do you think?
So feel free to criticise away and offer suggestions or alternative patterns for Aphids, Or start telling us about the patterns that you found most useful for you last season.

All the best WP

PS lets have an international effort here... cheers

NICE ONE POM,

Nice fly WP.
May I suggest that it needs to fish in the film - your thoughts about the hackle sitting lower on the post make sense.

Two days ago I fished the Irfon with #18 dries, and #16 GRHE (Black Pool for those who know it). I couldn't touch any fish - my flies were clearly too big. But I observed rising fish nudging newly-fallen leaves, obviously to dislodge the greenfly, so I would guess this fly will be a winner at this time of year.

My own nomination is the GRHE, tied without a tail and without a hackle, the hackle being formed from the HE dubbing wound on more thickly at the thorax and picked out. I thought this was a simplification of my own, but it turns out Halford utilised the same method of forming a hackle on the GRHE, and so did Skues. I use gold wire rather than tinsel though, and I do three turns of gold wire at the tail (or where the tail would be if I tied one in).
Pick out the dubbing in the usual way, then tightly trim from tail forwards until you are left with a slim body, prominent thorax, and guard-hair hackle.
#14s at this time of year.
#12s March and April.
#14s May and early June.
#16s late June/July/Aug.

Skues and Halford suggest that the GRHE represents an emerging olive. I know it looks like nothing on earth when dry, but tie one as above and have a look at it wet (in a glass of water).

Sorry, no pics - my camera doesn't do macro.

Cheers,
DB

This is a long term favorite for me with grayling on my bit of the Kennet in the small sizes.
Mine never look quite as good as Jaxes of which i have a fair few tucked away .Roughy

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

Dog bloke I would love to see the fly, If you want to send me a copy I will photo it for you, I cant promise a Scratch quality reproduction , but it will get the idea over.. for the thread.
Same offer to anyone else whose keen to show us their pattern and dont have the means to photograph it.
My address for this is Mr Whinging Pom
40 Market Place
Oundle
Northamptonshire
PE8 4AJ
I can PM you the image and you can post a description and recipe.Send a stamped envelope if you want a return other wise i will start a collection and donate the flies to the Soft mouth trout Fund. Who knows we may even be able to fill up a fly box full of small stream flies for auction!

ACW thanks for getting into the spirit of it... thats a cracker!

This thread is going to be one of the best threads on the forum; it's already taking off with a great deal of interest. A great idea WP.

Notice the Welsh, stream anglers like the flies with a Hares Ear or rabbit fur body, add a para post and heavy on the hackle! You have a high floating fast water fly. No tail but with a brown rib instead copper or gold wire.

A stream killer fly, in calm water 16, - 18, or in fast water 14, - 16, I just wish I could still tie them.

The words NO TAIL shine out like a beacon to me.... I wonder how much use they are sometimes. I tyed up a big batch of whingeing poms last winter and thought I would put Coq d leon in the tail ( why I bothered to change it is beyond me).
Well i screwed up securing them and the slightest rough treatment and the tail would pull out, they all ended up looking very odd.
Despite that they still landed right, floated right, fished right and the trout still seemed to like them. Apart from spinners I cant think the last thing i put a tail on, and i am begining to wonder if they do much on the spinner patterns.
Many times i think I am just doing it out of respect to the originator of the pattern ( trying to keep it pure for some reason!).





Furled leaders... keep you regular

Are these the ones you kindly sent me D. ?
They look terrific, and were admired by Buzz on his Monday visit.
I haven't tried one as yet, but will let you know the outcome when I do.
S.

---------- Post added at 01:06 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:04 AM ----------

Nice looking fly Andy, I may try a couple.
S.

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"A glint of sun has warmed the air,The flies will soon hatch out, To lure and tempt from their deep lair, The bonnie speckled trout." SKB tackle supporter. I love Furled Leaders.

A pattern that has worked very well for me in the last few weeks has been a size 22 green f fly . Body about 4 turns of thin dubbing ( olive life cycle ) and one very small cdc feather trimmed level with the hook bend its saved me several blanks when the fish werent looking at anything else but greenflies, Its a very simple fly to suit my Ltd fly dressing skills especially at sub size 18 sizes....On a recent trip on the Yorkshire Derwent with Derwent Fly it brought me a good few little brownies

Andy

So far this season my go-to fly has been a size 22 shuttlecock buzzer. A couple of plumes of CDC and a stripped peacock quill. Nice and simple and the fish love it.

A klinkhamer is always a good fly to have. I use a pink post as I find this stands out better. I've found olive green (when the fish are on hatching sedges), natural beaver or stripped peacock quill bodies effective. I've used size 14->22 this season.

I haven't been down the river recently but last season at this time a daddy imitation or a small black fly worked well.

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Cheers,
Lawrence