Flicking feathers

  Fry time is when you stand arguably the best chance of catching specimen trout from still waters and although subsurface flies like the minkie are deadly, there's nothing better than catching fish off the top. Enter the floating fry, or spondoolie as it's sometimes called. This deer hair pattern is a bit more time consuming to tie than a foam fry, but it makes up for it in effectiveness. It offers a more natural shape and sits lower in the water better mimicking a stunned fry and being less buoyant than foam with no stiff material behind the hook will get fewer missed takes and result in more positive hook-ups. To support the channel, join the monthly tying classes and enter the giveaways, head to https://www.patreon.com/flickingfeathers or https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/flickingfeathers and sign up Materials list Hook: Tiemco 5263 or equivalent 3-4x long streamer hook size 2-8 Thread: White gsp 100 Tail: Orange rabbit or marabou Body: White deer belly hair spun &

  I first encountered this buoyant stickleback pattern sometime around 1993 and it has remained a consistent taker of fish ever since. Don't confuse it with floating fry, this pattern works best fished on fast sinking lines- we were still using homemade Hi-D shooting heads with amnesia running lines when this one came out. It will work all year, but seems to be most effective through the winter making a more imitative alternative to the booby and is great for sorting out the quality fish. To support the channel, join the online tying classes and enter the giveaways head to https://www.patreon.com/flickingfeathers and sign up or donate through https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/flickingfeathers Material list Hook: Kamasan B175 size 4-10 Thread: Fluo White 8/0 Tail: White marabou, pearl & white polar flash and olive marabou Underbody: Pearl flash dubbing e.g. ice dub or glister Gill: Red dubbing or a red hackle Body: Foam booby tube (5mm for size 8&10, 7mm for size 6&4)

  The minkie is a fantastic subsurface fry pattern and is ideal for the back end of the season. It's best to carry a two or three different sizes so you can best match the size of the fry that the trout are feeding on. To support my channel, get access to the monthly tying classes and enter the giveaways head to https://www.patreon.com/flickingfeathers and sign up or donate at https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/flickingfeathers Material list Hook: Heavy wire long shank e.g. TMC 5263 size 2-6 or Kamasan B175 size 4-8 for smaller sizes Thread: White 8/0 Body: White fritz Rib: Silver wire Wing: Mink zonker Hackle: Grey mallard flank Cheeks: Jungle Cock Head: Globrite no.3 floss

  This simple little fly from Glyn Hopper is a good choice for trout feeding on small fry. Although it works all year, it generally comes into its own a few weeks after the tiny pin-fry start showing up, but before they get up to finger size near the end of the season. It's well worth its place in the loch style fisher's box whether for fishing wild hill lochs, lowland lakes or reservoirs. It has even reportedly taken seatrout in the salt. Materials list Hook: Kamasan B175 size 10 Thread: Red Uni 8/0 Tail: Natural rabbit fur Rib: Silver wire Body: Silver holographic tinsel Wing: White rabbit fur topped with olive rabbit fur Cheek: Silver holographic To support my channel, join the online tying classes and enter the giveaways head to https://www.patreon.com/flickingfeathers and sign up or donate at https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/flickingfeathers