Friday 9 March 2018

Spider Infestation

With time on my hands this last week or so in the evenings, I had a bit of a clear out of fly boxes before the impending new trout season.

I was informed of a young man in Scotland, who wasnt that well off in the way of fishing flies but was as keen as mustard and wanted to better himself in river fly fishing so I was put in contact with the young man through a friend and offered up  the contents of my spider box to him which he duly accepted, I couldn't just stop there so the contents of my nymph box & klinkhammer box got emptied too and were posted to him.

The other evening I got confirmation they had arrived......

Hi George, I would like to say thanks for all the flies it’s really appreciated. I was not expecting all that but it will do me just fine. I am going to give my pal a good few as he’s new to the river fishing and tight for money so he’s thankful as well. Your a great man George.

To me thats all the just reward I need that some youngsters can enjoy a sport and hopefully improve their skills from such a small token gesture.

So after the clear out came the stocking again, something that I enjoy and relax to after a hard day at work.
Tying on a hook I came across last year which is the Fulling Mill FM5065 #16 although more designed for emerger patterns and nymphs I just liked the look of them for spiders so tied off a few last season, I have to say I had good success with them and although not designed as a spider hook they performed admirably so this year Im making all my spider patterns with them.







First out the vice were these 3, Partridge & Orange, Partridge & Yellow & Waterhen Bloa.







Next came the Black Magic Spider, Snipe & Purple & Light Spanish





March Brown Spider, Winter Brown & Green Olive Spider.














With the Greenwells Spider, Iron Blue Dun Spider & a Woodcock & Hares Lug bringing up the rear.













It's been a few years since I last tied a Woodcock & Hares Lug but this was one pattern that used to never be out of my box when I predominately fished the Lanarkshire Avon & River Clyde and had many good fish on it, here's hoping it hasn't lost it talent as a fish catcher, except this time in the rivers of North Yorkshire


Next its the turn of the individual spider patterns of the rivers I fish in Yorkshire & beyond with expert local knowledge dating back years and the first river is the fly patterns for the River Tees, courtesy of the expert knowledge of Harry Vallack of Middleton in Teesdale which is well documented in his book Fishing Flies for Upper Teesdale.






6 comments:

  1. George my man you have been busy.
    Lovely work at the vise.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Alan,Purely because I couldn't get out fishing, I was hoping to get out today as its the last day for the Grayling but the rivers are again in flood so thats it my last chance gone till after the brown trout season but we have that to look forward to & Im ready...lol

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  2. Lovely gesture George.

    If the young lad can get the fly fishing bug from using your flies then it's mission accomplished.

    Regards

    Dave

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    Replies
    1. Cheers dave, He is keen as mustard but just not got the money to spend, so I would rather they went to someone who would benefit from them than sit in a box in my cupboard.

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  3. Hello I've just found your blog today and I say excellent. We don't live that far from each other I live in Skelton near Saltburn and a member of a syndicate at chop gate.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Mathew, welcome to the flee & float, thank you for the kind words, I know skelton, It used to be on my patch when I was a gas engineer out of Port Clarence Calor depot, Chop gate another blast from the past again on the gas, I have never fished up that way but plenty of streams criss crossing the North Yorks moors Id love to fish.

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