Now that we have a little more water in the rivers, it's the ideal time to target those early-season Grayling. So we thought it's about time you had a bit more tungsten in your life with a fly you may not have heard of before ...

The Sow Bug - the perfect nymph to tempt those early-season Grayling.

TL;DR - Too Long; Didn't Read

I've put this section at the beginning, so you can grab your flies now - and save reading my musings for later, safe in the knowledge that you have already secured your fly patterns!

This email covers three separate topics:

1. The Tungsten Sow Bug - a pattern which we've borrowed and adapted for 2024 from our cousins across the pond in the USA.They're only £24 for the full set of 16 - and we only have a few sets available - Click here to grab yours now.
2. NEW Feathersmith Product - Yesterday we launched a brand new product over on our sister Feathersmith site - it's a Leather Fly Tying Mat / Table Protector - the first product we have actually designed and had made for us - they are stunning (even if i do say so myself) and available in some fantastic colour variations - you've got to see (and feel) them to really appreciate the quality - available for only £49.50, you can see them by clicking here.
3. And, last but not least - we are showcasing some of our Specialist Perdigon Nymphs from only £2.25 - you can find them all by clicking here.

*** Fill your boots & fly boxes ***

The inspiration for these Tungsten Sow Bug's came from the USA, where these crustaceans are abundant in most watercourses and used prolifically by competition fly anglers - when they want to catch every fish in the water!

We thought the style of nymph and design would translate equally as well to nymphs over here in the UK. So ...

"Crustaceans are easy to capture and high in protein and fat. Wherever they are found in great numbers, you will find lots of corpulent trout.”
Tom Rosenbauer (midcurrent.com)

We've updated the pattern and adapted it for UK waters (specifically for targeting Grayling), we've altered the bead specification to use a higher density of tungsten (making each nymph much heavier), the specifications for each of our Sow Bugs is:

• Size 14:
  • Bead Size - 3.3mm
  • Weight - 0.30g
• Size 18:
  • Bead Size - 2.5mm
  • Weight - 0.20g

These patterns work exceptionally well using the Euro Nymphing style - try putting a size 14 Sow Bug on the dropper with a size 18 on the point - that way you can fish both Sow Bugs close to the riverbed.

Towards the end of this email you will also find lots of information on helping you get more from your Grayling fishing - we've even setup a separate area of our site to give you even more hints & tips - check out the River Master - Grayling series below.

Our NEW for 2024 Tungsten Sow Bug Selection is a selection of 4 of the most popular styles of tungsten weighted Sow Bugs, all tied on nymph hooks, we supply two of each Sow Bug in two sizes, in total there are 16 flies supplied in our environmentally friendly packaging. All of these nymphs are tied using strong barbless nymph hooks.

Our Selection contains two each of sizes 14 and 18 of each of the below Sow Bugs:

• Dark Olive Sow Bug
• Pink Sow Bug
• Tan Sow Bug
• Aphid Green Sow Bug

Our Sow Bug selection contains 16 Tungsten Bugs in total. We are offering this selection today for only £24.

*** We only have very limited numbers of these - 25 to be exact - so you will need to be quick! ***

Go on, you know you want to!

You've Got To Keep Flo Happy!

Above image courtesy of psychodrivein.com

Yesterday was a landmark day for us, over at our fly tying sister-site Feathersmith, we launched the very first product which we designed and had made ourselves ... from a UK supplier (in Lichfield, Staffordshire).

When the season closes, most of us take to the vice - whiling away the hours thinking up creations to tempt those fish which eluded us over the summer.

I'm assuming that, like most of us, you will have to make use of either the kitchen or dining room table to dream up your creations - you will no doubt also have to be very careful not to scratch or mark said table - or your other-half may not be too happy (see Flo above)!

I have this very issue when I am tying flies at home, I thought there must be a better (and more tactile/fun) way forward than just using old newspapers/magazines - from this, a spark of an idea formed and our NEW Leather Fly Tying Mat & Table Protector were born:

As you can see from the above images, we've not gone for your usual leather colours - we like to add a little spice to your fly tying sessions - and have added some pretty wild colour options to the range.

Full Specification:

• Dimensions: 50cm (wide) x 30cm (deep) - more than enough room for your vice and all of your fly tying bits-and-bobs
• Leather: Chrome Tanned 100% Real Leather (supple and full-grain)

Fly-Pattern Inspired Colours (and my descriptions):

• Orange Otter - a vivid orange soft leather - my favourite
• Purple Haze - think "The Purple One" from a box of Quality Street
• Grey Wulff - a light Grey soft leather
• Natural Tan Klinkhamer - a dark tan (almost antique) soft leather
• Black Gnat - jet black soft leather
• Brown Bug - a dark reddish brown soft leather
• Duck Egg Blue - exactly the colour the name suggests
• Frappe - a light brown/dark pink (almost skin-tone) colour

We currently have the Leather Fly Tying Mats (and Table Protectors) in stock and ready to ship.

PLEASE NOTE: I do understand that these are quite expensive items - I would rather call them good value for money, the quality is outstanding - you will see what I mean if you invest in one!

*** Alternatively, you could look at it as an investment in keeping your partner happy! ***

Competition Inspired Early-Season Grayling Nymphs

We'd like to introduce you to a fly, taken direct from the Spanish competition scene - The Perdigon.

Perdigon means 'shot' or 'pellet' in Spanish, this is a very apt name for this fly as it's all about weight. This style of fly falls through the water column extremely quickly and has minimal resistance to the water, due to the thin body completely covered in UV resin.

Perdigon style flies sink much quicker than their tungsten equivalents, this makes them ideal nymphs when fishing any 'tight line' method, as you do not have to cast the fly as far upstream for it to present near to the riverbed. This means your nymph is in the 'zone' much longer than normal.

Nygren's Grayling Perdigon Jig Selection

only £32.00

Nygren's Metallic Perdigon Jig Selection

only £32.00

Each of the above Perdigon sets contains 18 specialist perdigon jigs, and are available at £32 for each set, or £51.50 for each set including a Tacky Day Pack Double-Sided silicone fly box (the best in the business), a saving of around £15 - bought separately this would usually be £65+.

Or, you ca go for the Full Monty Perdigon set:

Nygren's Ultimate Perdigon Jig Selection

only £81.50

If you've always thought about extending your season by targeting Grayling, but are not quite ready to pop your Grayling cherry just yet - grab any of the above Sow Bugs or Perdigons and keep an eye on your emails over the coming weeks - we have something up our sleeve to make it really easy to get you into some Grayling!

 

Tight lines & have fun out there.

P.S. We've been working on this for the last 6 months ... and we're launching it very very soon ... I know you're going to love it!