Flicking feathers

 Another old one I wrote for www.sexyloops.com Last week I wrote about wets for the mayfly. Their appearance is imminent and may even be starting in some places, so I thought I'd suggest a few dry patterns to compliment them this week. Now, if you already have favourite dry mayfly patterns for the rivers they'll most likely do fine for lochs and lakes.  The Wulffs are a great example of a style that crosses over well, yellow olive and grey being my favourites.  There are of course some that I don't think transition as well; Ollie Edwards'  Mohican mayfly makes an excellent, high floating pattern that works great on rivers and it will catch fish on stillwaters. Unfortunately, I've found it to be a less effective hooker on the lochs- I suspect the fly being essentially static or gently driftng with the breeze rather than drifting quickly past the fish on a river eliciting a different eat that is the reason. Similarly there are some patterns that are probably better su...

  Oliver Edwards' Mohican May is a great choice for imitating duns of the larger mayfly species like green drakes down to perhaps March browns or LDOs. It floats well, offers a great footprint and certainly fools picky trout. I find it to be a better performer on rivers than stillwaters, but others do have good success on stillwaters with it. Materials list Hook: Kamasan B160 size 8-12 or B170 size 10-14 Thread: Yellow, Olive or primrose Uni 8/0 Tail: Moose body hair Body: 2mm foam in a suitable colour Wing: Deer hair Hackle: 2 suitably coloured cock hackle- grizzle, yellow, olive etc. Thorax:Dark dubbing Book of the Month 8: Strip-Set is available here Amazon.com https://amzn.to/3kizn9F Amazon.co.uk https://amzn.to/3wvglSo Using the link will help support my channel at no extra cost to you. To support the channel, get access to the monthly tying classes and enter the giveaways head to https://www.patreon.com/flickingfeathers and sign up.

  Mayfly time is the best time of year in many fisheries, the yellow Wulff is a fly you shouldn't be without when they are around. This variant will serve you well on rivers and still waters alike, especially when the ephemera vulgata mayfly are are hatching. Material list Hook: Kamasan B170 size 10 or 12 Thread: Light olive Uni 8/0 Wing: Grey squirrel tail dyed yellow Tail: Grey squirrel tail dyed yellow Body: Yellow seal fur Hackle: Grizzly dyed WOIGO To support the channel, get access to the monthly tying sessions, members only content and enter giveaways head to https://www.patreon.com/flickingfeathers and sign up or head to https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/flickingfeathers and donate Book of the Month 7; The practical angler is available here: https://amzn.to/3kLyBSW Amazon UK https://amzn.to/3EZxneY Amazon.com Bookmarking or using my link will help support my channel.

The Spent Westie is a great dry pattern for imitating the spent danica & vulgata mayflies. Although it sits flush to the surface, it floats well and is quite visible to the angler because of the fan wing. All in all it's fantastic spent gnat imitation Materials list Hook: Kamasan B170 size 10 or 12 Thread: White Veevus 10/0 then Black Uni 8/0 Tail: Moose body or similar Butt: Glo-brite no.4 Rib: Black spanflex Body: White poly yarn Wing: Widgeon flank Hackle: Black cock, tied short.   To support the channel, get access to the monthly tying sessions, members only content and enter giveaways head to https://www.patreon.com/flickingfeathers and sign up or head to https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/flickingfeathers and donate Book of the Month 7; The practical angler is available here: https://amzn.to/3kLyBSW Amazon UK https://amzn.to/3EZxneY Amazon.com Bookmarking or using my link will help support my channel.

  The Goslings are fantastic wet mayflies, they've been around for a while and have spawned loads of variants. This yellow version is one of the earlier patterns that continues to be used to great effect to this day. Peter O'Reilly's book, The Flies of Ireland is available here https://amzn.to/3nB9UbT (amazon.co.uk) https://amzn.to/3gWZm5s (amazon.com) Materials list Hook: Kamasan B175 size 8-10 Thread: Brown Tail: Bronze mallard Rib: Oval gold Body: Golden olive seal fur Shoulder hackle: Hot orange henny cock Head hackle: Mallard dyed flou yellow To support the channel, get access to the online tying sessions and be entered into the giveaways, head to https://www.patreon.com/flickingfeathers or paypal.me/flickingfeathers and sign up

  John Barr's Viz-A-Dun is a great little mayfly pattern that is durable, floats well and makes a great indicator style dry fly for hanging a small emerger or micro dry behind. Material list Hook: TMC 101 size 14-24 Thread: Uni 8/0 Tail: Hackle fibres Body: Superfine dubbing Wing: Poly yarn Hackle: Quality dry fly hackle Vinyl cement To support the channel and be eligible for giveaways head to https://www.patreon.com/flickingfeathers ​ and become a patron or support through paypal.me/flickingfeathers

Peter Deane's Shadow Mayfly was devised for the large mayfly hatches of the English chalk streams but is a popular choice for loch/lough style fishing in Scotland and Ireland as well for dapping. To support my channel,get access to the monthly tying sessions and enter the giveaways head to https://www.patreon.com/flickingfeathers and become a patron or support through paypal.me/flickingfeathers Material list  Hook: Long shank 10-12 (kamasan B830 is ideal) Thread: Uni 8/0 red or black Tail: (optional) Moose hair or similar Wing: Ginger/Red game hackle tips cut to shape Body: Tightly palmered grizzly cock hackle  

 Here's a nice little Wulff variant that fishes well around march brown time and if there are large brook duns around later in the year.  To support my channel, get  access to the monthly tying sessions 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 100 size 14 Thread: Uni 8/0 Brown Wing: Short fine deer hair Tail: Short fine deer hair Rib: Thread Body: Natural hare's ear plus Hackle: Grizzle cock

 This is a variant of Frankie McPhillips' Lough Arrow Mayfly. Although They're all variants of each other really.  It's a great wet  for the top dropper that works in Ireland and abroad. To support the channel, get access to the monthly online tying sessions and be eligible for giveaways head to https://www.patreon.com/flickingfeathers and become a patron or support through paypal.me/flickingfeathers Patsy Deery's book "Irish Mayflies" is available from my amazon link https://amzn.to/3bRcZ3B Peter O'Reiley's book "The Flies of Ireland" is available here https://amzn.to/3sxCnkT Materials list Hook: Kamasan B175 size 8 or 10 Thread: Brown Uni 8/0 Tail: Cock pheasant tail Rib: Oval gold tinsel Body: Natural raffia (or synthetic sub) Body Hackle: Badger cock Shoulder hackle: Greeny olive French partridge Head hackle: Fluo lemon yellow speckled hen hackle (original; grey partridge dyed lemon yellow)

This well hackled mayfly is another of John Forde's patterns, it makes a nice top dropper and is an easier, less complex tie than many other Irish mayfly patterns. Patsy Deery's book "Irish Mayflies" is available from my amazon link https://amzn.to/3bRcZ3B Materials List Hook: Kamasan B170 or B175 size 10-12 Thread: Olive Uni 8/0 Tail: Cock pheasant tail RIb: Oval gold Body: Natural seal fur Body hackle: Grizzle cock Head hackle: French partridge dyed olive     To support my channel,get access to 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

  A simple Gosling variant that Patsy Deery describes in his book Irish Mayflies. It works well as a top dropper or fished on the point. Materials list Hook: Kamasan B175 or B170 size 10-12 Thread: Brown Uni 8/0 Tail: Brown squirrel hair (or similar) Body: Natural raffia or "natural" coloured raffene Rib: Brown thread 1st hackle: Red cock 2nd hackle: Light olive cock    To support my channel,get access to 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

  This Month's recommendation is Patsy Deery's excellent book Irish Mayflies: A Flyfisher's Guide.  It's packed with patterns, lovely pictures and comments on materials, dyeing  and fishing.  it's on amazon here https://amzn.to/3e7Ap5I Last month's book, Smallmouth  is available here https://amzn.to/32Zf1ZS To support the channel and get access to the online tying sessions, as well as being entered into the giveaways head to https://www.patreon.com/flickingfeathers and sign up

  This simple dry fly is a good choice for any of the small mayfly species. not only that, it's a quick easy tie and can easily be modified on stream to sit flush with the surface. 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: Dry fly 12-20 Thread: Uni 8/0 Tail: Coq de Leon or hackle fibers Abdomen: Superfine dubbing Hackle: blue dun cock Thorax: Superfine dubbing

This simple dry fly is a good choice for any of the small mayfly species. not only that, it's a quick easy tie and can easily be modified on stream to sit flush with the surface. 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: Dry fly 12-20 Thread: Uni 8/0 Tail: Coq de Leon or hackle fibers Abdomen: Superfine dubbing Hackle: blue dun cock Thorax: Superfine dubbing

This little yellow mayfly pattern is ideal on slightly calmer days when bigger options might just be too much. It also makes an excellent point fly. 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: Kamasan B175 size 12 Thread: Brown Uni 8/0 Tail: Pheasant tail Body: Yellow seal fur Rib: Oval gold tinsel Body hackle: Yellow Chinese cock Head hackle: Mallard flank dyed yellow

Step by step instructions for a basic mayfly nymph imitation.  This is a generic upwing pattern and the size and color can be adjusted to suit the species you wish to imitate.  Follow me on twitter or instagram @flickinfeathers for more fishing content. Materials used Hook: Nymph hook 8-18 Weight: lead wire Thread: Uni 8/0 Tail: Brahma hen fibres Body: Life cycle dubbing Rib: Thread Thorax cover: Pheasant tail

Step by step instructions for a simple but effective CDC dun.  I've tied this version as a PMD but you can change the size or colour to match the naturals you want to imitate. Hook: Tiemco 103BL size13-21 Thread: veevus 10/0 Tail: Coq de Leon Abdomen: Turkey biots Wing : CDC Thorax: Superfine dry fly dubbing.