Morning,
There's a particular moment in late February (about now) when you start checking the weather forecast obsessively.
Not for today, but for a few weeks' time!
You're looking for that first properly mild spell.
The one that might just wake up the olives.
The one that gets the trout thinking about moving up from their winter lies.
And if you fish in any UK rivers - the Derwent, the Wharfe, the Eden, any of those moorland-fed rivers that run cold - you already have a good idea of what you'll be fishing with when that moment arrives.
Spiders (or Soft Hackles for any of our American friends reading this) ...
Not the gaudy modern things - I'm talking about the sparse, simplicity of North Country Spiders, similar to the patterns T.E. Pritt wrote about in 1885.
The ones that work because they represent something fundamental about how insects behave in moving water.
A slim, short body - a turn or two of a soft hackle, and nothing more.
The thing is, tying a proper spider is harder than it looks. The proportions matter. The hackle quality matters enormously. And the overall impression, that suggestion of life and movement, only comes when everything's just right.
Which is why I'm pleased these have just arrived from our 'man in Bosnia':
He ties flies the way people used to. Slowly, properly, without cutting corners. When I opened the box last week, the first thing I noticed wasn't how pretty they looked (though they do). It was how right they felt, that perfect balance of body length to hackle. The way the fibres have been tied in to sweep back naturally, not splayed out like a bog-brush.
These are modern variations on the North Country theme - his own interpretations rather than exact historical copies. But he understands what made those original patterns work: sparse silhouettes, soft mobile materials, and that essential suggestion of something alive and edible in the current.
I've fished spiders like these on the Derwent when the large dark olives first start appearing. Upstream, dead drift, just under the surface. It's a contemplative way to fish - more concentration than action - but when a trout intercepts one of these in that decisive way they do in early-season cold water, there's nothing quite like it.
You're watching the leader. The fly is invisible under the ripple. Then there's a tiny check, a momentary resistance, and you lift into something solid.
That's what I'm thinking about now, in mid-February.
Each of these exquisite Bosnian Spider patterns are tied on a Size 14 AHREX FW505 barbless hook.
The patterns included in our Bosnian Spider Selection are:
- The Copper One - Warm metallic body, soft hackle swept back. Suggests those early coppery duns and emerging sedges. Works in that marginal light - overcast March mornings, late evening when the water's still got some colour in it. Our selection includes three of these.
- The Purple One - Classic North Country colouring with good reason - it's been catching trout for two centuries. Dark enough to show a silhouette in rippled water, the purple body hints at iron blues and the smaller dark olives. Fish it when you need visibility without bulk. Our selection includes three of these.
- The Mojo One - Light olive body with that fine gold rib catching the light. This is your large dark olive pattern, your general spring emerger when the water's starting to warm. The rib adds just enough flash without shouting about it - movement and suggestion rather than advertisement. Our selection includes three of these.
- The Yellow Squirrel One - That natural squirrel dubbing gives it movement even when it's sitting still in the current. Pale enough for bright conditions, suggesting pale wateries and the lighter olives. The one for gin-clear water and educated fish. Our selection includes three of these.
Our Bosnian Spider Selection consists of 12 flies, 3 each of 4 separate patterns:
- The Copper One
- The Mojo One
- The Purple One; and
- The yellow Squirrel One
These flies are all tied using the best materials and hooks in the business - Size 14 AHREX FW505's.
We are supplying 3 of each of the above patterns, that's 12 flies in total for £24.00, supplied in our eco-friendly packaging and includes FREE delivery to anywhere in the UK. I know these are some of the more expensive flies we sell, but the quality is outstanding.
Please Note: This premium Bosnian Spider selection is very limited (we only have 30 available - I'm keeping some for myself, ready for 'opening day') and once they are gone.
Just click on any image or button in this email to view details and buy your selection:
or
*** We only have a small number of these selections available (30 to be exact), so you will need to be quick - our Bosnian patterns always go really quickly ***
If our spiders are back in stock, it can only mean one thing - opening day is not far away!
If you fish the northern streams, or anywhere that early season means sparse patterns and careful presentation, these are worth having in your box.
They're tied properly - they fish properly, and they're ready when you are.
In anticipation of tight early-season lines.
P.S. I've penned a few notes on how to get the best from your Spider fishing this earlyseason - to find out more keep reading ...
The beauty of spiders is their versatility - they work upstream or down, dead drift or on the swing. Here's how to get the best from them.
Upstream Dead Drift
This is the classic North Country method, and it's more demanding than it looks.
Cast upstream at roughly 45 degrees and let the spider drift back towards you, just subsurface. The key is maintaining contact without dragging - you want natural drift but you also need to feel the take instantly.
Keep your rod tip low, almost touching the water. Retrieve line at exactly the same speed the current's bringing it back. Watch the leader where it enters the water, not where you think the fly is. When a trout takes, you'll see the tiniest check - the leader pauses for a fraction of a second, or moves slightly against the drift.
Lift immediately. Not a strike, just a smooth lift of the rod. In cold water, trout take spiders with authority but they don't hold on.
The concentration required is serious. You're reading water, managing slack, watching for takes, all simultaneously. But when you intercept a trout cleanly on the drift, there's nothing quite like it.
Across & Down On The Swing
Less technical, more rhythm. More fishing, some would say.
Cast across stream or slightly upstream, mend if needed to avoid instant drag, then let the current do the work. The spider swings round in an arc, rising through the water as it goes. Trout often take right at the dangle, when the fly's directly downstream and hanging in the current.
You can work this method actively or passively. Sometimes just letting it swing is enough. Other times - particularly in cold water or when fish are sluggish - a slow hand-twist retrieve as it swings adds enough movement to trigger takes.
The takes on the swing are more dramatic. The line tightens, the rod loads, and you're into a fish. No subtlety required - they've hooked themselves against the current.
In Either Case
Use a long leader - 12 feet minimum. Spiders need to fish fine and far off. And fish them sparsely in your cast. Two flies maximum, often just one. These aren't loch-style teams where you're covering water with multiple patterns. You're presenting one or two flies with precision.
The water tells you which method to use. Smooth glides and runs? Upstream. Broken water, faster currents, or when you're covering a lot of river? Swing them through.
