Flicking feathers

The Pink Panther is a good choice for cold water grayling fishing. I dare say in larger sizes it would work for steelhead too. To support my channel, join the online tying classes and enter the giveaways head to https://www.patreon.com/flickingfeathers and become a patron or support through paypal.me/flickingfeathers Material list Hook: TMC403 BLJ size 14-18 Thread: Fluoro white Veevus 10/0 Bead: Fluoro pink tungsten Tail: Globrite no.2 Abdomen: Fluo pink body quill Rib: Small silver wire Thorax: UV pink ice dub  

  The bighorn wonder nymph is a fantastic emergent mayfly pattern, it's ideal when flashier offerings aren't working. To support my channel, join the online tying classes and enter the giveaways head to https://www.patreon.com/flickingfeathers and become a patron or support through paypal.me/flickingfeathers Material list Hook TMC 2487 size 14-24 Thread: Uni 8/0 grey Tail: Wood duck flank Abdomen: Fine dubbing of choice Thorax: Fine dubbing of choice Wing: Fluff from the base of a dun hackle.

The Lime Trude is an effective attractor dry. Representing nothing specific, it's an ideal choice for prospecting, especially with a nymph dropper. To support my channel and enter the giveaways head to https://www.patreon.com/flickingfeathers and become a patron or support through paypal.me/flickingfeathers Materials list Hook: Standard dry fly size 10-18 Thread: Uni 8/0 chartreuse & black Tail: Golden Pheasant tippet Body: Bright green dubbing (other colours are effective) Wing: White calf hair Hackle: Red game dry fly hackle or red game and grizzle mixed.

  The serendipity is a fantastic emerger pattern that can be used to imitate a range of insects and can be fished anywhere in the water column. To support my channel, join the online tying classes and enter the giveaways head to https://www.patreon.com/flickingfeathers and become a patron or support through paypal.me/flickingfeathers Material list Hook: Tiemco 2487 size 14-22 Thread: Uni 8/0 Body: Twisted antron yarn Wing: Deer hair

  The RS2 is a fantastic emerger pattern that works everywhere trout are found. It's simple and when tied in various colours is ideal for imitating any of the smaller mayfly species. To support my channel join the online tying classes and enter the giveaways head to https://www.patreon.com/flickingfeathers and become a patron or support through paypal.me/flickingfeathers Materials list Hook: TMC 101 size 14-26 Thread: Uni 8/0 Tail: Microfibbets Body: Superfine dubbing Wing: Antron/CDC/or soft feather

  Charlie Craven's Juju Baetis is a great pattern for imitating the nymphs of any smaller baetis species. It's fairly easy to tie even in smaller sizes and is tough enough to survive multiple catches. To support my channel and enter the giveaways head to https://www.patreon.com/flickingfeathers and become a patron or support through paypal.me/flickingfeathers Charlie's Book "Charlie's Fly Box" is available here https://amzn.to/3sxDIIr Materials List Hook: TMC 2488 16-24 Thread: White veevus 16/0 & black or brown uni 8/0 Tail: Hen hackle fibers Abdomen: 3 strands of super hair (colour to suit e.g. 2x olive 1x black) Thorax: Uni thread as above Thorax cover/legs: Fluoro fiber/organza fibers 10-12 (count them) Flash back: pearl tinsel

 Another old one I wrote for www.sexyloops.com As I've had to self isolate the last 2 weeks, I've not been fishing. Luckily that ends tomorrow so I'll be able to get 2 more days on the river to see out the year.   Aside from being bored to tears and spending a couple of days working my way through a trifle I made for a Christmas party of 10 people that obviously had to be cancelled, I've been watching just about every fly fishing and fly tying video I can find on YouTube. Especially if it's about places I've never been, or types of fly I've never seen.  Iceland seems to come up quite often. And while I'm not sure if I will ever go, there seems to be a very interesting culture around fishing there, it's obviously shaped by the fish and the island itself and has led to different adaptations of certain techniques and flies. I'm always interested in the differences and similarities that crop up among anglers in different regions and countries. Flies

  Sunk ants are a fantastic choice for trout anywhere, even when there don't seem to be any falling on the river. These translucent, hard bodied bugs are an ideal imitation being fairly realistic, easy to tie and incredibly durable. To support my channel, join the online tying classes and enter the giveaways head to https://www.patreon.com/flickingfeathers and become a patron or support through paypal.me/flickingfeathers Materials list Hook: TMC 101 or other ring eye dry fly hook size 14-20 Thread: Uni 8/0 black, rusty brown or red Legs: Dry fly hackle Body: Thread coated with epoxy

  This version of the popular flat wing is ideal when fishing at depth with fast sinking lines. The hidden tungsten cone sinks the fly at a rate comparable with the faster sinkers which helps avoid tangling the system while still having that long sinuous profile and movement. To support my channel, join the online tying classes and enter the giveaways head to https://www.patreon.com/flickingfeathers and become a patron or support through paypal.me/flickingfeathers Materials list Hook- Gamakatsu S101-4H Thread: Uni clear, fine mono Weight: Tungsten cone Tail: Bucktail Wing: Saddle hackle Flash: Angel hair Body: Lite bright or similar mylar dubbing Belly: Bucktail Back: Bucktail Eye: Jungle cock or artificial

  After having several questions about whip finishing and the why/how of doing it either by hand or with the tool I decided to make a video to help you out. To support my channel and enter the giveaways head to https://www.patreon.com/flickingfeathers and become a patron or support through paypal.me/flickingfeathers

  The Jiggy is another pattern from Bob Popovics and is a fantastic alternative to the clouser minnow when you're looking for a more aggressive action. It's a quick durable tie, snag resistant and catches anything that eats a baitfish, try them for bass, blue fish, pollock, jacks and anything else you can think of. To support my channel and enter the giveaways head to https://www.patreon.com/flickingfeathers and become a patron or support through paypal.me/flickingfeathers Materials list Hook: Gamakatsu Sp11 3L-3H size 2-1/0 Head: Pop's tungsten jiggy head or tungsten cone/lead wire insert Thread: Fine monofilament Wing: Bucktail Flash: Flashabou, crystal flash or similar Finish: Thick UV resin or epoxy

 Another old article I wrote for www.sexyloops.com I wish hooks sizes were standardised.  I know it'll never happen between manufacturers but it would be nice if it was even consistent within a single manufacturer's range.  And I'm used to it, I suspect a lot of folk on sexyloops are too. Recently a friend from home, who's recently taken up fly fishing, called me complaining about a problem caused by just this issue.  He's fished for a long time with conventional gear, throwing lures for pike so he knows how sizes work.  He had been out trying unsuccessfully to catch grayling in a local river, met some other angler on the way back to the car and got some tips about fishing nymphs on a french leader and a look in a fly box and a couple of bugs to copy. This was all great until he ordered a few hundred jig  and Czech nymph style hooks only to discover that they were massive compared to the sample flies. About 2 or 3 sizes bigger was the report... "what does 14 ev

  The Lightsaber is a very effective fly for pollock, cod, coalfish and other cold saltwater species. Try it in various colours and sizes for different locations. To support my channel, join the monthly tying classes and enter the giveaways head to https://www.patreon.com/flickingfeathers and become a patron or support through paypal.me/flickingfeathers Materials list Hook: Gamakatsu Sp11 3L-3H size 1-3/0 Head: Pop's tungsten jiggy head or tungsten cone/lead wire insert Thread: UTC 210. Black, purple, chartreuse and white are all good options Tail: Silver scales buck fibe. Orange, black, purple, yellow, white and chartreuse https://www.silverscalesflytying.co.uk/product/buckfibre/ Flash: Any, Flashabou or crystal flash are ideal Body: Opal mirage tinsel Rib: Large D rib/vinyl rib clear or to contrast with thread Coating: Thin UV resin

  The Leven Spider is a great wet fly for stocked and wild trout in lochs and lakes. It has served me well everywhere I've used it and it should definitely be in your box. To support my channel get access to the monthly tying classes and enter the giveaways head to https://www.patreon.com/flickingfeathers and become a patron or support through paypal.me/flickingfeathers Stan Headley's book Trout and Salmon Flies of Scotland is available here https://amzn.to/3io1WA0 Materials list Hook: Kamasan B175 or B170 size 10-14 Thread: Uni 8/0 fire orange Tail: Equal parts globrite nos. 11 & 12 Rib: Gold wire Body: Gold tinsel Hackle: Black hen Head: Globrite no. 5

  The Rainbow attractor is a mini lure that came to popularity in Scotland during the 1990s and continues to be an effective taker of both rainbow and brown trout wild or stocked. To support my channel and enter the giveaways head to https://www.patreon.com/flickingfeathers and become a patron or support through paypal.me/flickingfeathers Stan Headley's book Trout and Salmon Flies of Scotland is available here https://amzn.to/3io1WA0 Materials list Hook. Kamasan B175 size 10 Thread: Flu white Veevus 10/0 Tail: Globrite no. 4 floss Body: metallic silver cactus chenille 6mm Wing: White marabou Cheeks: Globrite no.11 floss

The Viva is a true staple of the stillwater fly box for good reason - it catches a lot of fish both stocked and wild. This flashy variation is no exception and will serve you well wherever you find trout in lakes. To support my channel, join the monthly tying classes and enter the giveaways head to https://www.patreon.com/flickingfeathers and become a patron or support through paypal.me/flickingfeathers Material list Hook: Kamasan B175 size 10 Thread: Uni 8/0 black Tail: Glo-brite 11 or 12 Rib: Silver holographic Body: Peacock spectraflash dubbing Hackle: Black hen Wing: Black marabou Flash: Black peacock crinkle mirror flash Cheeks: Jungle cock dyed hot orange

Another old one I wrote for www.sexyloops.com My last page was about not being too eager and overadopting in the name of progress, this time it's almost the opposite. Don't be a curmudgeon! I've not been fishing much over the last fortnight for various reasons, just a couple of hours down the river snatched here and there chasing the carp before they really slow down as the weather cools.  I have on the other hand been tying a lot of flies though, revisiting old pulling patterns as I build my new stillwater trout boxes for Hokkaido and Scotland.    There's something quite nice about tying up a completely new box, especially without the pressure of using the flies each week and losing several as you try to establish a collection of viable patterns. It's also kept me well supplied with candidate patterns for videoing. Although the flies will be mainly used for wild fish, I'm including a fair selection of mini lures, boobies and blobs in the box with the wetflies. 

  The Jack Frost is an old still water lure pattern that has lost popularity over the years. However, it is still very effective and this modern competition style mini-lure version is a great choice for drawing fish to the team of flies.To support my channel, joint the monthly tying classes and enter the giveaways head to https://www.patreon.com/flickingfeathers and become a patron, or support through paypal.me/flickingfeathers Material list Hook: Kamasan B175 size 10 Thread: Veevus 10/0 fluo white Tail: Globrite no.4 Body: Pearl tinsel over white thread Rib: silver Wire Shoulder hackle: Fluo red cock or hen Wing: White marabou Flash: Polar flash silver pearl (code 2001) Front hackle: White hen

  The Blue Zulu is a great wet fly for the wild lochs whether chasing brown trout, seatrout or salmon. To support my channel, join the Monthly online fly tying classes and enter the giveaways head to https://www.patreon.com/flickingfeathers and become a patron or support through paypal.me/flickingfeathers Stan Headley's book Trout and Salmon Flies of Scotland is available from my amazon link here https://amzn.to/3CBbMIz Materials list Hook: Kamasan B175 size 8-14 Thread: Black Uni 8/0 Tail: Fl. red wool Body: Black seal fur Rib: Silver tinsel Body hackle: Black hen Head hackle: Blue hen

  This snatcher version of the Paisley wet fly is a great option for midge feeders in calmer conditions when there isn't enough wave to fish a bigger bushy fly and when there are cow dung fly about. It's as effective for wild brown trout on the lochs as for stocked fish.To support my channel, join the monthly online tying sessions and enter the giveaways head to https://www.patreon.com/flickingfeathers and become a patron or support through paypal.me/flickingfeathers Materials list Hook: Kamasan B100 size 12-14 Thread:Black Uni 8/0 Tag: Globrite no.4 floss Rib: Gold wire Body: Golden olive seal fur Body hackle: Badger cock, stripped on one side Collar hackle: Red cock hackle Head: Golden olive seal fur