2wheels1rod

Don't Be A Tosser - Use A Line Saver

I have a confession to make - I'm a bit of a hoarder! I like collecting things, especially fishing books - but outside of fishing, my other passion is collecting ideas - I know it's a bit geeky. I'm always on the lookout for ideas which either make me think or make me smile, like this one: I have a special bit of software I use to store all these ideas so I can recall them easily whenever the need arises (I have hundreds of them, gathered together over the last 30 years). Back in May 2023 - that need arose ... and the above image was recalled from the system! It was an image & strapline which has been used by various Local Authorities since 2018, in conjunction with the Keep Britain Tidy campaign. So, what happened back in May last year to prompt me to search for "Don't Be A Tosser"? I received a phone call from a guy called Nicholas Fitton (a well-respected angling writer), he had an idea for a fishing-related product which would also help to keep Britain tidy and wondered if I would be interested in developing it further with him. Too right I would ... So, after quite a few discussions/brain-storming sessions, we had some prototypes made ... field-tested them on the rivers of Yorkshire and Devon ... refined the design quite a few times, and we just had the finished product delivered to us last Friday - I must say a very big "Thank You" to Litchfield Leather for getting these made to such a high standard and delivered to us so quickly. It's been over a year in the making, we're launching it today, it's only £9.99 and it's called a Line Saver: So, Don't Be A Tosser, Use A ... Essentially, the Line Saver is a small, thoughtfully-designed leather wallet to hold all of your waste fishing line securely - ready to recycle when you are away from the water. The Line Saver is very easy to use - click on the image below to watch a 'how to' video - just give the Line Saver a squeeze, stuff your line in it (the material inside the wallet holds your line securely) and keep it in your pocket/pack/vest. And, best of all it is only £9.99: "Fishing line can take up to 600 years to degrade" Canal & Rivers Trust Recycling your fishing line benefits rivers and lakes by preventing pollution and safeguarding aquatic life. Discarded lines can entangle fish, birds, and other wildlife, leading to injury or death. These lines also degrade water quality, harming ecosystems and reducing biodiversity. Recycling keeps fishing line out of waterways, minimising environmental damage and preserving natural habitats. Additionally, recycling reduces the demand for new plastic production, conserves resources and lowers greenhouse gas emissions. By participating in fishing line recycling programs, anglers contribute to cleaner, healthier rivers and lakes, promoting sustainable recreational fishing and protecting local ecosystems for future generations. It really is easy to use: Squeeze - In one hand, Squeeze your Line Save together to open up the central compartment. Stuff - Stuff your line into the Line Saver, the material inside will keep the line in place. Snip - When you are ready to remove the line, open up the Line Saver and either run a pair of scissors down the gap in the material to Snip your line into manageable pieces or just pull all the line from the wallet in one piece. Recycle - Recycle your waste line by following the instructions on the included card or visit a local tackle shop with an ANLRS Recycling Bin. To make the process of recycling your waste fishing line as easy as possible, we've joined forces with the Anglers National Line Recycling Service. Collect all of your waste fishing line together, then either deposit it in your local ANLRS Recycling Bin (click here to view bin locations) or securely package it (in the addressed envelope we supply with every Line Saver) and at the end of the season post your waste line to: ANLRS, PO Box 96, Petworth GU28 8BU Please Note: We've kept the price of the Line Saver as low as we possibly can, both Nicholas and I wanted to make the product as easy to access, use and keep as possible - there are other competing products which do a similar job, but ours is longer-lasting and half the price of the others - and we think it's much better! The Line Saver is launching today and is now available to order through Barbless Flies, for only £9.99 which includes FREE delivery to anywhere in the UK. For All Trade Enquiries: The Line Saver also has its own website (www.line-saver.com), we are looking to get these out to as wide an audience as possible - if you are reading this and would like to stock them either online or in a physical shop, please get in touch, we can offer these at very competitive prices as we would love to get all anglers using one! You can find out much more here - www.line-saver.com As anglers, we all need to do our bit to 'leave no trace' - using a Line Saver makes it very easy to store your waste tippet and leaders, ready for recycling when away from the water. I hope you will help to keep your local environment free of fishing line. Tight lines.

Happy Twanging ...

Happy Twanging ... I wanted to take a minute today to talk about fly care when fishing, more specifically how to care for your dry flies and present them correctly. The relevance of the above image will become clear at the very end of this email! All of the flies I've been emailing about for the last month or so have all been dry flies - getting you ready for the dry fly season to start in earnest - so, I thought it was about time to give you a few tips on how to keep them floating. This email is not at all prescriptive, it's more of a 'this is what works for me' - why not give the tips a try and let me know if works for you? But first, I want to cover the basics - why we need flies to float in the first place. When 'dry fly' fishing the premise is that we are trying to imitate an insect that the fish would expect to see on the surface of the water. These insects appear on the water surface during one of four stages: When first emerging from their shucks When sat on the surface waiting for their wings to dry When returning to the water to lay their eggs; and When they have died and are floating away on the surface Each of the above stages can be replicated by the use of potions and powders to allow the fly to sit correctly in the water - for example, an emerging fly needs to sit in the water, rather than on it. When fishing with dry flies, there are three inexpensive items you use to take care of them and keep them floating: Something to dry them with A liquid/gel floatant; and A powder-based floatant I'm going to take each one in turn and explain how, and more importantly, why you use them. We will start with: Something To Dry Them With OK, I know, a piece of paper towel or Amadou does just as good a job as virtually anything else, but there is one specific type of paper towel which does the best job ever! It's made from Bamboo (see above), it is so absorbent, doesn't disintegrate and can be machine washed. The only problem is has very recently been difficult to find! I've been using the one pictured above for the last three or four years and there's nothing which comes close to it - so we bought all the stock we could and have made our own small (roughly 4" x 3") towels with a handy carabiner clip, making them ideal for attaching to your pack/vest. We don't sell them individually as they are very 'Heath Robinson' (whoever he was), but we do include them in our Dry Fly Care Kit - which is what this email is all about! View Our Dry Fly Care Kit - only £17.50 Next, we will move on to: Liquid/Gel Floatants A liquid/gel floatant should the the first thing you reach for when the fly comes straight out of your fly box. Liquid/gel floatants are great at covering the fly quickly - just rub a small amount in your fingers and then apply to the fly on the areas which you want to float (usually only the hackle). Only ever apply a gel/paste/liquid floatant to a fly that is 100% dry - i.e. it's straight out of your fly box and not seen the water that day. Applying this type of floatant to a damp fly will lock in the moisture and not allow it to float. As you've probably already gathered we are including one of our Rubber Duck Gel floatants in our Dry Fly Care Kit. View Our Dry Fly Care Kit - only £17.50 Next, we will move on to: Powdered Floatants Once you've had a fish, or your fly starts to sink, give it a squeeze between your drying towel or a piece of kitchen roll. Once you've removed the water and the fly is dry you can then freshen up the fly using one of the powder-style floatants. Just brush the powder deep into the feathers and give it a blow to remove any excess. As you've probably already gathered we are including one of our Weatherby's Powdered floatants in our Dry Fly Care Kit. View Our Dry Fly Care Kit - only £17.50 *** Keep reading to the end of this email for the best 'Fly Drying' tip I have ever been told - you will be glad you did! *** View Our Dry Fly Care Kit - only £17.50 As we are about to get into the 'dry fly' season, we thought we would put together a 'Dry Fly Care Kit' that includes all you need to keep your dry flies floating. Our kit contains: Handmade Drying Towel - made by us from the most absorbent material available (bamboo), these are fantastic at absorbing moisture. Rubber Duck Gel Floatant - Only apply this to your fly when it's straight out of the box and 100% dry - otherwise it will lock moisture in (not keep it out)! Weatherby's Dry Fly Powder - Use this to refresh your fly once it's been dried with your towel. Brush the powder into the feathers to keep your fly afloat. How to Use Your Kit: Take your fly from your box. Apply a little of the Rubber Duck floatant to the fly - you only need a very small amount. Rub the floatant between your fingers and then into the feathers of the fly. Catch a fish (or if your fly starts to get waterlogged) Use the Drying Towel to squeeze any water and moisture out of the fly Brush the Dry Fly Powder into all the feathers of the fly and give it a blow to remove any excess powder Catch another fish and repeat from step 4. View Our Dry Fly Care Kit - only £17.50 We've stocked up on all these, so have plenty to go around, our Dry Fly Care Kits are available now for only £17.50 - including FREE delivery. Grab one while you can. *** Just a gentle reminder that all our products are now shipped FREE OF CHARGE to anywhere *** Dry Fly Boxes If you're looking for somewhere to store your nice new dry flies, then look no further, as we have just received some stunning boxes from those fly box masters at Tacky Fly Fishing: View the Tacky River Mag Fly Box While we’d all love to have a full complement of flies at our disposal at all times, carrying every pattern in the arsenal doesn’t always make sense. For those quick trips to the river after work or just a prospecting mission at your local pond, the Tacky River Mag offers plenty of storage. The workhorse of the Tacky line, the Original River Mag Fly Box features automatic storage when time is of the essence. Ten compartments provide specialized organization for each type, size, or colour of fly, while silicone walls prevent mixing between distinct patterns. A strong, magnetic base and clear lid mean you'll spend less time fumbling with your fly box and more time on the water. 100% recycled plastic box 10 magnetic storage compartments Original patented silicone anchoring technology Withstands an extreme temperature range Latchless waterproof closure Durable and tested for long-lasting strength Dimensions: 7" x 3.75" x 0.75" 100% Recycled Plastic Box Patented design Go on, what are you waiting for, buy one and fill it up with our flies! View the Tacky River Mag Fly Box We've only a few of these (as they are pretty hard to come by) available now for only £34.99 - including FREE delivery. Grab one while you can. When fishing with dry flies there is one key aspect that the fly angler needs to concentrate on - keeping them afloat! Keeping your dry flies floating on the water - not in it - is one of the main skills for effective dry fly fishing. Why not give this Top Tip a go and use the 'Elastic Band' method to remove water from your fly: Attach an elastic band to your vest/pack. Hook your fly around the elastic band. Holding the tippet, pull the fly to stretch the elastic band. Channel your best Eric Clapton/Jimi Hendrix/[insert favourite guitarist here] and twang the elastic band a few times with your free hand. This will shed all of the excess water from your fly! As a special treat, this weekend only, for each Dry Fly Care Kit ordered we will include a Special 'Fly Fishing' Elastic Band for FREE - they're not really that special they only cost us £1 for 50 and you can use them for purposes other than fly fishing! Tight lines & happy twanging.

It's Dynamite Harry - A NEW Feathersmith Kit Launch

We have a NEW fly for you today - it's Swedish, and you make it yourself - there's an obvious parallel with a very well-known furniture company that has a blue and yellow logo - however, we've resisted the urge to call it the 'IKEA fly'. Today we are launching a NEW Feathersmith Kit ... and this is a special one, with a Nordic twist ... it's one of your 'Summer season essentials' and it's really easy to tie! But first ... I would just like to say a big THANK YOU to all of you who have taken the time to leave us a review of our fly-tying kits, we especially liked this one from Kevin: Following along the line of "flies which are successful and work almost everywhere", this month we're releasing one which is gaining notoriety on both Rivers and Stillwaters - especially in the summer as the weather gets warmer. You may never have heard about it - most anglers who use it want to keep it a secret! This is a simple but deadly pattern - I believe this pattern is so successful because of the way it's tied - very sparse. This pattern has its origins in Sweden and was a staple in my own fly box last summer - someone has the test the flies out! It's available in 'kit form' and comes from Sweden and we're still resisting the urge to make a joke about IKEA. "What's the fly called?" - It's a Dynamite Harry: If you keep on reading you can find out much more about the new Dynamite Harry Feathersmith kit, but first ... Just as a quick reminder, here's what's included when you purchase one of our Feathersmith pattern-specific kits: A kit full of world-class materials (Semperfli, Ahrex, etc.) - more than enough to tie all 30 flies in the kit A 'here's one I made earlier' sample pre-tied fly - for this kit you get one of each variant sample tied flies A tutorial detailing the history of the fly you are tying A video tutorial of how to tie each variant of the fly - presented by a professional fly tyer A video tutorial of how to get the best when fishing your finished fly Contained inside each kit is a leaflet which will direct you to a secret page on our website where all the videos (and more information on the pattern) can be accessed. One quote you will hear time and again when fly tying is: "It's more expensive to tie your own flies than it is to buy them." Not anymore it isn't, our Feathersmith kits allow you to tie a stunning pattern with the very best materials available - all for less than £1 per fly - now that is great value. Introducing ... The Dynamite Harry This eigth in our series of kits focuses on the Dynamite Harry - a very versatile pattern you should have in your fly box because it's one pattern that can be fished all Summer long and is a great 'general impression' of a whole host of up-winged insects found on the water in June, July & August. This little gem of a fly has its origins in the dark forests of Dalarna in Sweden. The fly is kind of an all-round fly, depending on size, volume and colour it can mimic most winged critters from small midges to mayflies, emergers and duns. The key to this pattern is to get a very light fly with a delicate footprint. The fly has gone from being a secret in the originator, Jörgen Danielsson´s flybox to a fly which adorns many fly anglers boxes in Sweden and beyond. This version of the Barbless Dynamite Harry has been tied with instructions from Mr Danielsson himself - and he has even given the finished fly his seal of approval. As well as being a great fly to use throughout the summer months, It also has the added bonus of being pretty easy to tie. * No, the Cottarelli vice and tools are not included in the kit! Our Dynamite Harry kit includes: AHREX FW525 hooks (10 each of sizes 14, 16 & 18) Semperfli White Nano Silk Superfine Olive Dubbing Z-Lon Grey Post Material Coachman Brown Hackle Pre-Tied Sample Dynamite Harry All of the above high-quality materials combined make a quality fly which is straightforward to tie. Contained inside each kit is also a leaflet which will direct you to a secret page on our website where all the videos (including Kenan's Beginners Fly tying series) can be accessed. Our Feathersmith Dynamite Harry kit is now available for only £30. At less than £1/fly, that's great value for money. *** Go on, you know you want to. Our Feathersmith kits are perfect to while away the hours when the rivers are unfishable and at less than £1/fly they offer great value *** Try Our Other Feathersmith Kits - Perfect Summer Ties! We've now built up quite a range of Feathersmith kits. We have you covered for the most successful flies no matter what month you are fishing. Take a look at these two kits below. The Griffith's Gnat is perfect for those post-mayfly sessions, whilst The Jingler is perfect for warm afternoons on the water, picking off hatching Olives. Click either of the images below to view the kits in more detail: *** Go on, you know you want to. Our Feathersmith kits are perfect to while away the hours when the rivers are unfishable and at less than £1/fly they offer great value *** More Nice Words About Our Kits! But, I've Never Tied A Fly Before! Don't worry, we've got you covered ... We know that our Feathersmith kits appeal to both the beginner and more experienced fly tyers, and since launching our first kits we've had quite a few enquiries asking if we could provide a 'basic set of skills' course to help those of you just starting out on this fantastic hobby. Kenan Haseta is a professional fly tyer and keen fly angler, he's a regular visitor to the Ribnik to test out his creations, he's also 'our man in Bosnia' and has been tying stunning 'one-off' creations for us for the last few years, his tying skills are second to none. We've asked Kenan a few times if he would share his experience and skills in video format - he's pretty shy and always wanted to be behind, rather than in front, of the camera. So we twisted his arm a little and he's agreed: Kenan has created a set of 'basic skills' videos for us, with detailed explanations of all the tools, vices, hooks, materials and how to dress a hook. Kenan's 'Fly Tying for Beginners' video series is available for FREE to everyone. Just Getting Started, Or Fancy A New Vice? If you are looking to get started on your fly-tying odyssey, or just want to upgrade to something really nice, we have a few different options for you. We know nobody actually needs a new vice, but they are things of beauty. We only offer vices, tools and materials which we use ourselves, know and trust - that's why we contacted two of the most respected brands in the vice world - Renzetti & Stonfo. The majority of you will have come across Stonfo before - they are an Italian brand and are very well known for producing high-quality, well-engineered products at very reasonable prices. For example, we have one of their pedestal vices available (below) for only £119.99, which includes a free toolkit - everything you need to get you started on your fly-tying odyssey: Please Note: Due to dealership restrictions, we can only deliver our vices to UK addresses. If you would like to see all of the vices we have available, please click on the button below - there are some stunning vices! In the meantime, tight threads and have fun at the vice.

A Barbless Bonus + A Mayfly Restock

The fish up here in North Yorkshire are now starting to take the hatching (and spent) Mayflies - I watched a few small fish confidently taking Mayflies on Tuesday teatime. It was a pretty busy day for us (thank you), trying to get all of the Mayflies and other orders out to everyone in time for the weekend - we are now down to our last few Bosnian Mayflies, if you'd like some click here. As it had been a hectic day, I took a little time out on the way home from the office, and sat beside my favourite pool on the Derwent, just to decompress and have a little 'time to myself' - it made my day to sit for 15 minutes, listening to the running river and watching numerous fish taking returning Mayflies. I did have my rod in the back of the truck, but thought I would leave them to enjoy the banquet on offer and see if they are still holding station at the weekend! The fish up here in North Yorkshire are now starting to take the hatching (and spent) Mayflies - I watched a few small fish confidently taking Mayflies on Tuesday teatime. It was a pretty busy day for us (thank you), trying to get all of the Mayflies and other orders out to everyone in time for the weekend - we are now down to our last few Bosnian Mayflies, if you'd like some click here. As it had been a hectic day, I took a little time out on the way home from the office, and sat beside my favourite pool on the Derwent, just to decompress and have a little 'time to myself' - it made my day to sit for 15 minutes, listening to the running river and watching numerous fish taking returning Mayflies. I did have my rod in the back of the truck, but thought I would leave them to enjoy the banquet on offer and see if they are still holding station at the weekend! Do You Fancy A Barbless Bonus? Then read the very end of this email! Just a quick heads-up, that we will be including one of our very own "Trout Bumper Stickers" in every order we receive today (they are not available to buy separately) - see later in this email for more details. Also, as I write this we have just taken our 59,930th order, it looks like we will hit our 60,000th order on the day you receive this email - if you place your order today, and it's order number BF#60000 - you get it for FREE - see below for details. On my local, once the fish start confidently taking Mayflies, I've found it best to fish from around 7pm well into the dusk - so only a few hours - but recently the sport has been good, and can only get better now the weather looks to be a little more stable. This is the time of day when "spent" mayfly patterns are usually king. As a quick reminder - the majority of Mayflies only live for one day. During this time they: Hatch Mature into an adult Mate; and then Die It's the ones that have had their fun and gone to the river in the sky that we are trying to imitate on an evening. When a mayfly expires they float on the water with their wings outstretched, as below: Earlier this week (Tuesday) we received a restock of all our Mayfly patterns. We don't usually re-order Mayflies part way through the season, but with the info that our Mayfly Tracker was showing it looks like the Mayfly season will be longer than usual - so we thought we had better stock up again. You can find all of our Mayfly Individuals & Selections by clicking either of the buttons below: As we now have full stock of everything, we are focussing this week's email on a few patterns which you may find useful in the coming weeks. I've picked out the ones below as the current favourites - so far as repeat sales go (each of the patterns below can also be bought in packs of 5 at a reduced price): Spent Mayfly If you see spinners dancing above you, pay very close attention to the water for softly rising fish, and look for dying Mayflies caught in small pockets of dead water behind rocks or debris. If you find any, pick them up so you can get a good idea of their size and colour and then select an appropriately sized pattern. Mayfly Loop-Wing Emerger If you arrive at the water a little earlier, then you're going to need a good emerger imitation, there is no better than this one - it presents really well on the water, with a smaller (size 14) hook. Mayfly Loop-Wing Emerger Some Mayflies die as soon as they hatch, these are an easy target for trout, sometimes they actively target these in preference to the hatching flies. In which case the above Crippled version is the go-to fly. A classic mayfly imitation, super buoyant and tied to exacting standards. This pattern imitates those mayflies which die hatching or after mating. One of the most effective Mayfly imitations when spinners are on the water. Get them while you can, as we did run out last year! All of our individual Mayfly patterns are available now (from stock) from only £1.50 each - which includes Free Delivery to anywhere within the UK - in our Eco-Friendly packaging. Go on, you know you want to! Fancy A Barbless Bonus ... Then Read on McDuff: We've had some more of these stunning car bumper stickers made, from weatherproof vinyl - would you like one? Well, these are not for sale - but, we will give you one for free, just place an order with us today and we'll pop in one of our car bumper stickers for FREE - until stocks last (we have a couple of hundred of them, so we should have enough for today)! * I know, the truck needs a good wash! And, as an added bonus... It's Nearly Our 60,000th Order ... As mentioned above, as I write this we have just taken our 59,930th order, so it looks like we will hit our 60,000th order today. We love to celebrate success, so, if you place your order and it's order number BF#60000 - you will get it for FREE - essentially, as soon as I see order number 60,000 appear I will automatically refund it and put it on a Guaranteed Special Delivery to you - for delivery the very next day - we can't say fairer than that! Have fun out there!

Bosnian Mayflies - Direct from our man on the ground!

On my local small stream (The Yorkshire Derwent), it's been strange fishing of late, especially with the recent wetter weather and variable water levels we are seeing here in North Yorkshire. I've seen Mayfly hatching (and doing their evening dance), but not seen a fish take one just yet - it can only be a matter of time! I received these Mayfly patterns from 'our man in Bosnia' last Friday and took them out for a spin over the weekend, and even though I didn't see a fish take a real Mayfly, they took one of Kenan's imitations - the Upside Down one to be exact - those really do defy gravity in the way they present on the water: I know that lots of you who read our emails just love to 'roll your own' flies, so I've included full step-by-step tying videos for each of the patterns contained in this selection - see the very end of this email for details. Reducing Leader Twist When fishing with flies which have large wings - like Mayflies, this will induce twist in your leader (there's nothing you can really do to stop it). The majority of Mayfly patterns (especially the spent ones) have wings which act just like helicopter rotor blades and spin when you cast them. The best way to combat this is to: Shorten the overall length of your tapered leader to around 6ft and step up your tippet diameter - use 3X or 4X. Once the fish really switch on to the Mayfly they become indifferent to your tippet, so step it up where you can. At the beginning of this year we asked 'our man in Bosnia' what he would use when the Mayfly season came around, the first time we saw them was last Friday - and here they are, these stunning Bosnian Mayflies. Have a read through the descriptions below for the info on each of the patterns. These flies have been specifically tied for fishing in variable water levels and are ideal for both rivers and stillwaters: Our Bosnian Mayfly Selection consists of 8 mayflies, 2 each of 4 separate Mayfly patterns: Bosnian Detached Body Mayfly - tied on a curved Ahrex FW541 - Size 10 Bosnian Cream Biot Mayfly - tied on a traditional TMC 100BL - Size 10 Bosnian Upside Down Mayfly - tied on a curved Ahrex FW541 - Size 10 Bosnian White Biot Mayfly - tied on a traditional TMC 100BL - Size 10 We are supplying 2 of each of the above patterns, that's 8 flies in total for £24.00 - I know at £3 each these are some of the more expensive flies we sell, but the quality is truly outstanding. Please Note: This premium Bosnian Mayfly Selection is very limited (we only have 40 available - I'm keeping some for myself!) and once they are gone, we will not have any more until next year. Just click on any image or button in this email to view details and buy your selection. If you would like a set, you will need to be quick off the mark! Here are a few more images (and full descriptions of each pattern) to really tempt you: Detached Body Mayfly A classic mayfly imitation, super buoyant and tied to exacting standards. A classic detached-body Mayfly imitation. These flies are ultra-realistic when tied on a size 10 curved Ahrex FW541 barbless hook. They really are too nice to cast. One of the most effective Mayfly imitations when spinners are on the water. Target slow, deep and silty water; this is where the female will lay her eggs. Top Tip: If you see spinners dancing above you, pay very close attention to the water for softly rising fish, and look for dead spinners caught in small pockets of dead water behind rocks or debris. If you find any, pick them up so you can get a good idea of their size and colour and then select an appropriate pattern. Cream Biot Mayfly On this fly Kenan has mixed traditional and modern tying materials. This Mayfly combines the traditional TMC 100BL size 10 hook, Veevus GSP thread (30D) in white, with Coq de Leon tails and Wapsi turkey biot in white (coloured with a cream marker). This gives a perfect segmentation on the body. All topped off with CdC wings (using the best quality CdC from David Jedlicka) and Pro-Grade grizzly rooster hackle for the legs. Upside Down Mayfly This fly is a little left-field! The initial intent was to completely remove the hook from under the water. Tied on an upside-down Ahrex FW541 curved hook in a size 10, with Coq de Leon tails using cream Veevus thread and Antron yarn as a ribbing. Why curved hook you ask? - If it is tied on a straight hook the tails will be in the same plane as the body (i.e. the complete body would be on the surface and it would look unnatural), so when this fly is on the surface the only thing fish will see is the silhouette of a Mayfly, a small portion of the legs and wings. The wings are tied from David Jedlicka naturally selected CdC and measures 2.5cm in length. The legs are Pro Grade Metz Rooster feathers. White Biot Mayfly On this fly Kenan has mixed traditional and modern tying materials. This Mayfly combines the traditional TMC 100BL size 10 hook, Veevus GSP thread (30D) in white, with Coq de Leon tails and Wapsi turkey biot in white. This gives a perfect segmentation on the body, especially when secured with Zap-a-gap glue, rather than the traditional method of wire. All of this is topped off with CdC wings (using the best quality CdC from David Jedlicka) and Pro-Grade grizzly rooster hackle for the legs. Go on, you know you want to! If you like the look of the above Mayfly patterns and would rather 'tie than buy' then you're in luck, we've made all of the tying videos available to you - for FREE (just click on any image below to view the video - you will need to re-enter your email address to gain access): All of the above step-by-step tying videos are available on our Feathersmith Step-By-Step Fly Tying page. Tight lines & have fun.

A 21st Century Rod & A 17th Century Line - The Perfect Match?

A New Toy ... 10 years ago yesterday I started Barbless Flies - as a hobby - I never even considered I could turn it into a career, after all, I was busy running my IT Consultancy business at the time. It soon became very clear that I had tapped into a niche which was not adequately served as the majority of rivers were in the process of transitioning over to barbless flies, and they were difficult to find, unless you tied them yourself. Barbless Flies was only initially started to give me a little money to pay my club/syndicate fees and indulge my inner 'tackle tart' - just in case I needed that new piece of tackle, I'm sure you know the feeling! A couple of months ago, when all of the glossy new catalogues dropped onto the doormat, I saw this advert ... Now, I've never really owned a proper Orvis rod - I've had a few of the ones which have been made outside of the USA but never one of the 'all-singing-all-dancing' ones - time to try one out I thought, so I spent the Barbless Flies rod budget for the year, and here it is my new Helios F 7'6" 3wt: I'm sure that you have all read about these and how they perform with all the different space-age fly lines, but as far as I can tell, nobody has tried one yet with a line originally designed in the 17th Century - a silk line! I loaded up my go-to Summer reel (a Hardy Ultraclick 2/3/4) with one of Ian Moxon's finest DT3 silk lines: I'm not going to give you a full review of the rod here - it's all been said before by anglers much better qualified than I - all I will say is that it is the best rod I've ever owned for fishing our small streams here in the North York Moors. It will put a fly exactly where I want it to, virtually every time, my casting is awful but it makes me look (and feel) like a casting god - and so it should for the price - in truth I'd pay double if I could afford to! I think that what helps to make this rod shine on my local rivers and streams is the line used on it. If I were to select just one item of equipment that I think has rekindled my passion for fishing our local rivers and small streams, it’s the use of a silk line - I’ve found nothing better for presenting small flies on long light leaders, it really does put the ‘art’ back into casting. I started on my own silk route a couple of years ago and it has completely changed the way I feel about fly fishing. Don't get me wrong, I still love plumbing the depths with nymphs for Grayling, but when it comes to small streams and even smaller flies I instinctively reach for my silk line - the presentation is so much better, and it just makes me feel much happier! They are also very simple to care for (see below). Don't think that to get the best out of a silk line you need a cane rod - try one on a medium action carbon rod - or better still a glass rod - there really is nothing better. I'm sure that at some point in your fly fishing odyssey you have contemplated using a silk line, if so: Read on McDuff ... What better way to get the most from your dry fly fishing than with a silk line, especially when said line is made right here in the UK, Sheffield to be precise, by a guy called Ian. These silk lines have been designed and made with a 'fine tip' which effectively means they have a very thin 'built-in' furled leader, so you just attach a level piece of tippet to the end. Ok, so why should I use a silk line then? We're glad you asked: They have no memory - completely limp There's no stretch - improved hookups They are denser than plastic fly lines and therefore much thinner, and thinner lines mean much less wind resistance They float better than plastic fly lines - they float on the water surface, not in it making roll casts and mending line much easier You get 3 lines in one; When fully greased it's a floating Line, grease everything except the tip and you have a midge-tip line, don't grease it and you have an intermediate/sinking line They can last a lifetime - so long as they are cared for and stored correctly a silk line can last a lifetime - and indeed will get better with age We've just received a parcel here @ Barbless Flies HQ - direct from Ian in Sheffield and it's full of silk fly lines - we've now got these stunning full-length silk lines in the most popular weights (DT4, DT4/5, DT5 and DT6/7) and colours. Sometimes Ian adds a couple of extra lines into each delivery. I normally spirit these away for myself, but this one has to be shared ... He's made a very special 25yd Double Taper line, one end of the Double Tapered line is a 3-weight, whilst the other end is a 5-weight - clever eh? Two silk lines in one: I've listed this on our website and you can find it by clicking here. It's not cheap, at £119.99, but it is clever (and we believe it is a one of a kind). Each of our Silk lines are sent in a handy box (to keep them in when not on the reel), a pot of floatant grease, a microfibre cloth (to clean/help dry them) and line care instructions. These lines are made in the UK (in Sheffield, Yorkshire to be precise), by Ian Moxon and are great value for money, these fully finished lines are now available for immediate delivery, from only £79.99 - which for a silk line is outstanding value. *** We've only 2 or 3 of each weight/colour combination of line - and no more stock arriving until late July, so if you would like one, you will need to be quick *** Please Note: We do realise that silk lines may be very new to some of you, and you will have some questions. Please either reply to this email, or give me a call on 0330 66 00 587 and I will answer them as best I can. A Message from Iam Moxon (the maker) about traditionally made Silk Fly Lines: “My new silk fly lines are usually a bit stiff and a bit rough to start with (and that is normal for a properly made silk fly line). The line will become softer and more supple over the course of the first half dozen fishing trips and nothing should be done to try and accelerate that process. Before each fishing trip apply a thin layer of line grease. After your fishing trip pull the line off your reel in loose coils into a cardboard box to dry (or put onto a line dryer if you have one). Never grease a wet silk fly line as that will trap the moisture inside and prompt rot. Occasionally a silk line will become sticky/tacky for no apparent reason (usually due to old line grease/residue) and if that happens wipe the line down with white spirit." "All my line are made from unbleached raw natural reeled silk (reeled silk is the best grade of silk followed by spun silk and then bourette). The raw silk goes through the following processes - skein washing (to remove the serracin, also known as degumming), dying if applicable, bobbin winding (various deniers), braiding (tapers are constructed by braiding), loose ends trimmed and burnt, vacuum impregnation with traditional varnish (essentially linseed oil and natural resins - various coats), polishing, leader loops added, weighed and measured and finally coiled up." "Because my lines are constructed in the old tradition way, there my be some very small lumps / bumps and small cosmetic marks. However, each line has been inspected inch by inch (by me) and no lines go out which won't cast well and catch fish. As with any maker's traditional silk fly lines, they always become softer and smoother over the course of the first half-dozen fishing trips and nothing should be done to try and accelerate that break-in process. All those lines have very fine tapered tips and my own micro braided leader loops attached." "With care your silk fly line should last your whole lifetime." Ian Moxon; 2024 They're Flying Out Of The Door ... We've just had to reprint our 2024 River Fly Anglers Almanac, so if you've thought about buying one over the last few days and saw they were out of stock - they're not now. We've just received more and they are looking for new owners, they're really easy to look after, just turn a page every now and then and they're happy: Our 2024 River Almanac is the ideal distraction to while away your 'non-fishing' time. *** Go on, you know you want to *** P.S. Don't forget to check out our Live Mayfly Hatch Tracker - we've updated it with all of the sightings reported to us - click the image below to view the latest info:

Lost & Found - Mayfly nymph imitations for those early morning sessions

Lost & Found As you may already know, if you've bought anything from us, we love the art of Ryan Keene - an American artist who specialises in Fly Fishing, all of the orders we send out have Ryan's art on somewhere. A couple of weeks ago we were tidying up our warehouse (creating some space to store all our new Mayfly patterns) and came across an unopened package from our printing company wedged behind one of our cabinets - it was flat and quite heavy (looked like a ream of A4 paper), so it definitely wasn't flies. Curious to find out what it was, we opened it. Quite a few years ago, we asked Ryan if he could create a piece of "Mayfly" related art for us - which he did (you can see it above). He delivers all his artwork to us digitally, so we can pass it on to our printers for our packaging & cards etc. At the same time, we also asked the printers if they could create some prints from Ryan's Mayfly artwork - this is what we found! Back in 2018 we did a limited print run (of 100, printed on anti-glare A4 350gsm paper, just ready for a frame) which we offered one Xmas - these are the ones which remain from the original print run - so we now have 40 of Ryan's Wally-Wing Mayfly prints we didn't know we had! So, what do we do with the prints? We give them away - for FREE with every order of our Mayfly Nymph Selection placed today (until stocks last - we've only got 40 prints available) just order a set of Mayfly Nymphs and we will include the print when we ship your order ... A Mayfly "Heads Up" The Mayfly hatch is the most eagerly awaited hatch on the fly anglers' radar. This year we've pulled out all the stops and have some great content and NEW patterns lined up for you. We will let you know about all of them over the next few weeks. We're also putting the final touches to something which we believe has never been done before! All I can tell you at the moment is that it's Mayfly-related, will be available to everyone for FREE and we will be launching it on Saturday. Here's a clue to what's coming your way on Saturday ... Keep your eyes on your inbox this Saturday morning - we're going to need your help with it! As we are now just about to enter May, we have a really successful Mayfly Nymph Selection to showcase today - perfect to target those really early Mayfly hatches. I've fished with these nymphs for the last four years, and they have proved themselves to be very effective no matter which rivers I fish in the UK - there are patterns to suit any condition & colour. There are four pattern variations (Walker, Golden Nugget, Olive & Brown): The Mayfly Nymph incubates in a silt burrow on the river bed for 2 years and then in a morning will start swimming to the surface (generally before 1pm). We had great success with this selection of Mayfly Nymphs in the really early morning and also just before lunch. Read on for some tips on how to best fish the Mayfly Nymph. Our Mayfly Nymph Selection contains two of each Mayfly nymph (above) in two sizes (10's & 12's), in total there are 16 flies supplied in our eco-friendly packaging. All of these flies are tied on specialist long-shank barbless hooks, in sizes 10 to 12 using the best quality materials available. We are selling our Mayfly Nymph Selection for only £22 - individually these Mayfly Nymphs can be bought for £1.75 each. Remember: The first 40 orders will also receive a FREE Mayfly print from Ryan Keene. Get them while you can - we did run out last year! Use an 8ft to 9ft rod, along with a floating line and 8ft to 10ft of leader. Use a cut down 9ft tapered leader;(use the last 5ft) and then 4ft of 5x tippet. Fish a large Mayfly Nymph of your choice (the nymphs are up to 2.5cm long) so a size 10 or 12 is a good imitation. Our Top Tips for Fishing Mayfly Nymphs: You are looking for sections of the river which are below a slow-running silty section and preferably where the river narrows. The funnel effect will act as a conveyor belt delivering the mayfly nymphs to the waiting trout. The better-sized trout will be at the head of the pool, so steadily work your way up. Mayfly nymphs are best fished in the morning (especially before midday), this is when they are at their most active. Once the Emergers appear on the water the fish will ignore the nymphs. Get them while you can - we did run out last year! Spotted Yesterday ... With all of the rain we had last weekend and now some warmer weather on the horizon, I spotted my first real hatch of Hawthorns, just a few, as the sun poked its nose through the clouds. Once I see them I know the dry fly season is about to start in earnest. Get ready for them on your local with our specially curated Hawthorn patterns. It seems like the favourite patterns this year are these two below - the Hi-Float Hawthorn (tied with a pinch of Deer Hair to keep it riding high on the water) and the Hawthorn CdC (tied with a sparkle body and a pinch of CdC to help it float - and look realistic): Hi-Float Hawthorn £1.50 Hawthorn CdC £1.50 The Hawthorn Fly (or Bibio marci) is a small (no larger than 1cm) black fly, noticeable by its long gangling legs. Hatches of Hawthorn flies usually start in late April (some say it's always the 25th - St Mark's day) and last for no more than a couple of weeks - however with the colder weather we've had just recently these look like they are hatching later and will last a little bit longer. The Hawthorn fly can also be used as a suggestive pattern for a number of different insects, it can imitate a Heather Fly, Daddy Long Legs/Crane Fly and even an adult buzzer. Once the hawthorn hatch starts on your local river, make sure you have these in your fly box these are also great flies to try when searching stillwaters & reservoirs. The legs on these flies seem to act as a trigger to the fish. All of our Hawthorn patterns are tied on size 12 and 14 barbless hooks with a bushy hackle, this allows them to create a wake on the surface when retrieved on stillwaters, again another trigger point the fish home into. These flies are also surprisingly effective when fished as a wet fly, so don't be too quick to keep these flies dry, once wet and submerged, if on a stillwater, gently "figure of 8" them back (on a river try fishing them as you would a spider), and hold on! Top Tip: Fish these Hawthorn patterns in the surface film, do not apply any floatant to them. Tight Lines & Have Fun!

FLY: The Next In Our Book Series - Published Today

New Book Launches ... Today I'd like to kick off this email by first thanking all of you who put your trust in us and bought the first five books in our FLY Series - they have been really well received. We've had some more positive feedback on the previous books (which we've incorporated into this next in the series) - which is all about Salmon fishing. But first ... THE Mayfly Book ... Now Back In Stock This time last year, we launched the second in our series of FLY: books, all about Fishing The Mayfly - it was the most successful book we published last year and they all sold out really quickly. We've now had them reprinted and they are back on our shelves again - all ready for the upcoming Mayfly madness! In our Mayfly book, you will discover how to imitate the full lifecycle of the Mayfly, along with an in-depth 'deep dive' into each stage of its life cycle, including how to then imitate them with the most common fly patterns. Our book also discusses the type of conditions you can expect to face and the various tips, tricks and techniques used the fish them - including sample leader setups and tackle choices. It's available now for only £9.99, which includes FREE delivery in the UK. Back To Today's Book Launch The sixth in our series of collectable books on the various aspects of fly fishing - each book taking a 'deep dive' into a niche aspect of fly fishing. This 6th book in the series, produced by us and FlyFishMedia, contains all the information you need to start fishing for Salmon - this book is aimed at the new Salmon angler and gives you details on the tackle, flies and water conditions to expect and use throughout the seasons. Written and produced in conjunction with FlyFishMedia (think of them as the educational arm of Barbless Flies, as we run both of these sites). As we are now well into the Salmon season, this is the ideal time to release our new book, all about Salmon fishing. So how do you approach fishing for the 'silver tourists if you've never dabbled before? Which flies do you use and when do you use them? This pocket-sized book follows the Salmon fishing year (Spring through to Autumn) and gives you all the information you need to effectively target Salmon in UK rivers. Even though Salmon stocks seem to be dwindling, Salmon fishing has seen a surprise upturn in popularity. We've teamed up with a couple of very notable experts who are leaders in the field for all things Salmon (Fin Wilson & Jim Fearn), they have provided the majority of the information contained in this next in our series of "FLY:" books. So how do you approach Salmon fishing? Where should you start to find them and which flies and methods/techniques should you use? In this book, you will discover the techniques, flies, casts and seasonal info to target Salmon within the UK. Our book also discusses the different types of flies and tubes available on the market today, how to choose which ones and where (and when) to use them to get the most success. We've done loads of research, collated the knowledge of experts and distilled the information into this next in our series of "FLY:" books. We're super proud to present to you this 6th in our series of 'pocket-sized books at pocket-money prices' - all about Fishing For Salmon: Please Note: If you are a retailer and thinking "I like the look of those", please get in touch (just reply to this email) - we'd love them to be available to as wide an audience as possible. Our FLY: book series takes a subject within Fly Fishing - in the case of this, the 6th in the series "Fishing For Salmon" - squeezed into our budgie smugglers and done a deep dive into it - here's an example of the 'Summer Tactics' section from our latest release: This book, written by us and co-published by FlyFishMedia, contains all the info you need to get you started on your Salmon fishing journey. Chapters include: Introduction Spring Fishing The Monkey Summer Fishing The Sunray Autumn Fishing The Francis Book Details: Number of Pages - 80Format - A6 (10.5cm x 14.8cm)Price - £9.99 In this book, you will discover the techniques, flies and tactics to use when fishing for Salmon. Please Note: This is a physical book, printed in English. Should you wish to buy the eBook version please contact me and I can arrange to email a copy out to you (only £5.99). We are hoping that these will be as well received as the first five in the series, but just to be on the safe side, we have an initial limited print run of 100, so if you would like one of the first editions, grab yours now. We hope you enjoy reading (and collecting them) as much as we have researching and putting them all together. Go on, you know you want to! Tight lines & happy reading. P.S. Don't forget to check out our Live Mayfly Hatch Tracker - we've updated it with all of the sightings reported to us - click the image below to view the latest info:

A Mayfly Amuse-Bouche - Just a Taster of Our NEW Artisan Mayflies

A Taster for Mayflies? As we've now started plotting Mayfly hatches on our Mayfly Tracker, we thought it was a good idea to give you the chance to try a "taster selection" of our stunning new Individual Mayflies, so you can see which ones work best on your local waters. It will not be long now until the trout start to realise exactly what they are missing out on and start to 'look up' in earnest. Before I get into the real meat of this email, just one quick Parish Notice: If you've visited our website over the weekend, you will have seen this pop-up at you: That's right, we can now provide you with FREE delivery again (on all orders within the UK) this has only been made possible by the loyalty you have shown us - due to the number of orders we are now processing we have renegotiated our contract with Royal Mail and can pass on the benefits to you, in the way of FREE delivery - so thank you for your continued support! All delivery options (including both FREE and paid) are available automatically at the checkout on our website. Now, back to the Mayflies ... We have started to see the odd Mayfly up here in North Yorkshire, but nothing really to stir too much interest from the fish - we're hoping this nice weather will really spur them on. But up here, we don't generally get to cast a Mayfly imitation in anger until the last week of May. We are continuing this Mayfly season with a taster selection of our Artisan Mayflies. Think of it as an 'amuse-bouche' of the fly fishing world, giving you a few of our wide range of mayflies, and allowing you to see which ones work best on your waters. In total there are 6 patterns (covering each of the Mayfly lifecycle - from nymph to spent), supplied in our eco-friendly packaging, for only £12.50 (which includes FREE delivery to anywhere in the UK) - that's a 15% discount on buying them individually, just click on any image or button below for a closer look. Towards the end of this email, we also have a very special set of Mayflies - we're calling it our Luxury Artisan Mayfly Selection which is stuffed full of our Artisan Mayflies and supplied in one of Jeff Jones' Oak fly boxes - hand-made in Wales. The quality of these mayflies has to be seen to be believed, they are all tied on Ahrex hooks (the best in the business) - we're sure you cannot find better quality anywhere else! We are supplying this Taster Selection of Mayflies as a selection of 6 flies, each one a different stage of the lifecycle. We usually run out of Mayflies, but this year will be different, we are determined to have them available to you for the full Mayfly season - they are all in stock and our shelves are groaning under their weight, we literally have thousands of them - so fill your boots! Why not grab a Taster Selection today, see which ones work on your water, then top-up your box throughout the season - at only £12.50 for the full Artisan Mayfly Taster Selection, they are a bargain! Get them while you can, as we did run out last year! So, What's Included? One each of These: Mayfly Nymph A Mayfly nymph imitation in White/Cream & Brown (the natural colours) and weighted with a bead to help this large fly sink. These nymphs are tied on Ahrex FW531 barbless hooks and correspond to the actual size of a Mayfly nymph. Mayfly Emerger A Mayfly emerger imitation in White/Cream & Brown (the natural colours) with a little foam tied in at the head to allow the fly to sit correctly on the water. These emergers are tied on Ahrex FW531 barbless hooks and correspond to the actual size of a Mayfly.! Loop-Wing Emerger A Mayfly emerger imitation in White/Cream & Brown (the natural colours) a little foam tied in at the head and looped wings, to allow the fly to sit correctly on the water. These emergers are tied on Ahrex FW525 barbless hooks and correspond to the actual size of a Mayfly. Mayfly Dun A Mayfly Dun imitation in White/Cream & Brown (the natural colours) with a grey poly-yarn sighter post. These Dun imitations are tied on Ahrex FW525 barbless hooks and correspond to the actual size of a Mayfly. Crippled Mayfly A Crippled Mayfly imitation in White/Cream & Brown (the natural colours) with a long hackle, some mayflies die when hatching, this imitates those as the fish hoover them up. These Crippled Mayfly imitations are tied on Ahrex FW531 barbless hooks and correspond to the actual size of a Mayfly. Spent Mayfly A Spent Mayfly imitation in White/Cream & Brown (the natural colours) tied with outstretched poly-yarn to imitate the dying mayfly - there are the go-to flies when fishing on an evening. These Spent Mayfly imitations are tied on Ahrex FW525 barbless hooks and correspond to the actual size of a Mayfly. We are supplying this Taster Selection of Mayflies as a selection of 6 flies (imitating each of the Mayfly lifecycle stages). We have already stocked up on these Mayflies and they're available now, at only £12.50 for the Mayfly Taster Selection - which includes FREE delivery. Go on, you know you want to! Fancy A Little Luxury? Why not treat yourself, or a good fishing friend, to a Luxury Artisan Mayfly Selection. A really nice hand-made (in Wales) Oak fly box, stuffed full of Mayflies: Our Luxury Artisan Mayfly Selection is a selection of flies to imitate the full lifecycle of the Mayfly (nymph, emerger, crippled, dun & spent). We are supplying this full selection, giving you three each of our wide range of Artisan mayflies, allowing you to see which works best on your waters. In total, there are 18 Mayflies supplied in one of Jeff Jones' Hand-Made (in Wales) Oak Fly Boxes. All of these flies are tied using strong Ahrex (FW525 & FW531) barbless hooks, in the appropriate size for the insect stage (sizes 10 & 14) using the best quality materials available on the market. We are supplying this Luxury Selection of Artisan Mayflies as a selection of 18 flies (three of each of the Mayfly lifecycle stages). We have already stocked up on these Mayflies and they're available now, at only £65.00 for the Luxury Selection - which includes FREE delivery. Our Mayfly Tracker ... We are drawing upon the community we have built over the last 10 years, to ask you to supply us with Mayfly hatch information - essentially, as soon as you see Mayfly hatching on your local water, get in touch to let me know where, and I will then plot it on a live map for all to see. If you wish to contribute, (and we hope you will) as soon as you see a Mayfly hatch on your local water, please get in touch, by sending me an email (richard@barbless-flies.co.uk) to let me know the hatch location, and I will then update the live map. TOP TIP: Reducing Leader Twist - when fishing with flies which have large wings - like Mayflies, this will induce twist in your leader (there's nothing you can really do to stop it). The majority of Mayfly patterns (especially the spent ones) have wings which act just like helicopter rotor blades and spin when you cast them. The best way to combat this is to: Reduce the length of your leader Increase the diameter of your leader Try shortening the overall length of your tapered leader to around 6ft and step up your tippet diameter - use 3X or 4X. Once the fish really switch on to the Mayfly they become indifferent to your tippet, so step it up where you can. Generally, once the fish are confidently taking mayflies they will not be shy of leaders, try dropping your leader length right down and using a thicker diameter. Try removing your tapered leader altogether and just using 4ft to 6ft of 5X tippet direct to your fly line with some of the larger flies (like the Baz Mayfly). Have fun out there! P.S. If you would like to buy any of the above Mayflies individually - from only £2.25 each - you can find them all by clicking the button below:

Fleeting Fly Fishing Fame - We Love An Alliteration

The Sun Is Shining ... Today's email is a celebration of the weather and especially that yellow thing that's appeared in the sky over the last few days - as it's also a Bank Holiday this weekend I wanted to give you a rundown of the insects you can expect to encounter if you're out and about on the water in the coming days. We've coupled this with some fly selections which are the perfect accompaniment, and we can get them to you for the weekend - grab them while you can, I'm not sure how long the sun will last! Plus, we've also snagged a few more of Luke's exquisite fly rods exclusively for us - keep reading to the end of this email to find out more! But first ... As we're based in Yorkshire - and very proud of the fact - it was an honour just recently when we were approached and asked if we could be featured in a Yorkshire-based magazine called The Yorkshire Dalesman - we jumped at the chance, as you would! Last Friday, the said magazine was published and Mays copy dropped through our letterbox at Barbless Flies HQ, with a 5-page article all about us, and what we are doing in our little corner of Yorkshire (pages 28 to 32 if you want to grab a copy from your friendly local newsagents): We're not sure what we are going to do with all our new-found fame - but I've roped off a VIP section in the office, just in case ! But, back to matters at hand ... If you are anywhere near the water in the coming days, you should see that this warming weather has encouraged the insect population to take flight - Spring will have definitely Sprung, so to speak! The insects you should see around you will mainly be one of three different species: Sedge (or Caddis for our American readers) Iron Blue's; and The odd Hawthorn Fly whirling around I'm going to take the Sedge & Iron Blue in turn (below) and give you a few details of what to look out for and suggest some patterns to imitate them. Here goes ... starting with ... The Sedge/Caddis The Sedge fly is a member of the Trichoptera family (trichos, meaning hair and ptera, meaning wing) - consisting of around 200 distinct species found in the UK. Throughout the world, there are over 3,000 species of Sedge, with the majority (over 1,200) being found in the USA. One of the most successful imitations of the Sedge/Caddis is the Goddard Sedge (or G&H Sedge), these patterns are defined by the clipped deer-hair bodies which allow the flies to float very high on the water: Sedge/Caddis are easily identified throughout the spring and summer months, just look for the way the insect flies, if it looks very haphazard and like it's about to crash land, then it will be a sedge fly. All sedge flies have wings that fold over their backs to form a silhouette which looks like a roof/tent - that's the reason you may also see these flies referred to as roof-winged flies. Sedge/Caddis flies are nocturnal and the fish love to feed on them early in the morning, just as the females are returning to the water to deposit their eggs. If you want some fantastic dry fly action this early in the river season, then it pays to get our early and tie on a sedge. We now have these Goddard Sedges for sale as a selection of 12 for only £16 - which includes the Natural Goggard Sedge and Green Goddard Sedge (two each of sizes 12, 14 & 16). We also have these Goddard Sedge patterns to buy individually at only £1.50 each. *** Go on, you know you want to *** The Iron Blue The Iron Blue is a member of the Baetis family, there are three Iron Blues native to the UK, these are Alainites muticus, Baetis niger and Baetis digitatus, for the purposes of this email we are treating them all as one (Iron Blue is a term used by anglers to represent all three different insects - which are very similar). Iron blues are only found in running water, it does not seem to matter the strength of the flow. Iron blues are found throughout the British Isles in all types of rivers and streams. They are easily identified in early and late season (as at present everything seems to be running at least 2 weeks late) as they will be one of the only up-winged species to be seen, with a dark blue/purple body and light wings with dark grey veins. Iron Blues are only fairly small, measuring roughly 1cm long (a size 14 to 16 hook). We have you covered with a full-lifecycle set of flies for the Iron Blue in one of our Match The Hatch sets: In each of the Match The Hatch Selections we have produced there is a QR code (which you scan with your phone/tablet), this takes you to a page on our website which contains full insect information and is dedicated to the selection of flies you have just bought. Our Iron Blue Match The Hatch Selection is now in stock and ready for immediate delivery. It contains 15 flies - 3 each of the 5 different lifecycle stages: Iron Blue Nymph - tied on an Ahrex FW501 - Size 16 Iron Blue Emerger - tied on an Ahrex FW511 - Size 16 Parachute Iron Blue - tied on an Ahrex FW503 - Size 16 Iron Blue Upright - tied on an Ahrex FW503 - Size 16 Iron Blue Spinner - tied on an Ahrex FW503 - Size 16 Each of our Match The Hatch Selections is available for only £25 and contains: 15 Flies - Three flies for each of the five main lifecycle stages we are trying to imitate for the Iron Blue. Full Insect Information - Access to a webpage which provides information on the Iron Blue, it also outlines in detail each of the patterns supplied, giving information on when and how to use them. Presentation Box - We are supplying our Match The Hatch Selection in a specially designed and branded box to keep your flies safe in transit and also when at the waterside. ** Go on, you know you want to *** Grab Your Bannister 8' 4wt River Rod You may remember, back in February, that Luke Bannister made available to us a limited amount of his NEW river rods. We only had a few and they all sold on the same day we sent the email. We asked Luke that if he did ever produce some more, could we have first dibs - guess what? He's had some more made up and we have a very limited allocation (only 5). So the deal is exactly the same as earlier this year: I am placing our order with Luke at 9am on Saturday morning, if you would like one for only £275, just order one from our site (by clicking any button above or below) before midnight tomorrow, or sooner if we sell all of our allocation - which is more than likely. Logistics wise, once we place the order with Luke he will send the rods to us and we will then ship directly to you, so you should have your rod in your hands by the end of next week - just in time for the season to really get started! Each of Luke's rods are covered by a 1-year warranty personally guaranteed by Luke himself. Should you have any warranty queries please direct those through myself in the first instance. *** I know that nobody NEEDS a new fly rod, but it's always nice to treat yourself every now and then - especially at the beginning of the season *** Go on, you know you want to! Tight lines & have fun this Bank Holiday. P.S. If you fancy 'rolling your own' flies, please take a look at our specialist fly-tying site - Feathersmith - the home of our pattern-specific fly-tying kits and a whole host of other quality materials, hooks and tools - just click on the image below to visit the site:

A Large Dark Olive & A Small Glass of Malt

After last weekends escape to the moors on a little fishing trip, it really perked me up and I was looking forward to a similar trip this weekend, but a quick check on the weather app has put a stop to all that - rain, again! I remember when I was younger, and the weather was not conducive to the outdoor life, my attention always turned to my 'crafty' side - I've noticed, that as I get older (I'm only in my early 50's) I've reverted back to type - a little! When the rivers are not playing ball I now find immense satisfaction in two things - fly tying & Whisky (not necessarily in that order): Earlier this year we launched our Feathersmith range of pattern-specific fly-tying kits over on our sister site feathersmith.co.uk - it didn't take long before we knew we had something of a hit on our hands: They are the perfect distraction when the weather is not on your side and you still want a bit of a 'fishing fix'. With each new kit we release, they are gaining more and more popularity, we always notice an upturn in kit sales when the weather turns for the worse! Fishing is always a pleasure, but it's all the more satisfying when you catch a fish on a perfectly presented fly which you've spent time tying yourself. The majority of flies you will be using on both Rivers and Stillwaters in the coming weeks will be either very small 'gnat' style patterns or imitating a hatch of upwinged flies (Large Dark Olive / March Brown). We've decided to give you a bit of a Special Off Fishing is always a pleasure, but it's all the more satisfying when you catch a fish on a perfectly presented fly which you've spent time tying yourself. The majority of flies you will be using on both Rivers and Stillwaters in the coming weeks will be either very small 'gnat' style patterns or imitating a hatch of upwinged flies (Large Dark Olive / March Brown). We've decided to give you a bit of a Special Offer - flies you can tie this weekend and successfully fish next week: The Griffith's Bling Gnat & Crazy Palmer; and The Jingler For today only we are reducing the price of each of the above kits to only £25 - exceptional value at only 83p per fly. All of our kits are stuffed full of the best quality materials available (Ahrex, Semperfli, Whiting etc) and if you can order today before 2pm we will get it to you, ready for your weekend fly tying session! *** Go on, you know you want to. Our Feathersmith kits are perfect to while away the hours when the rivers are unfishable*** I'd Love To Start Tying Flies ... But Where Do I Start? We know that our Feathersmith kits appeal to both the beginner and more experienced fly tyers, and since launching our first kits we've had quite a few enquiries asking if we could provide a 'basic set of skills' course to help those of you just starting out on this fantastic hobby. Kenan Haseta is a professional fly tyer and keen fly angler, he's also 'our man in Bosnia' and has been tying stunning 'one-off' creations for us for the last few years, his tying skills are second to none. We've asked Kenan a few times if he would share his experience and skills in video format - he's pretty shy and always wanted to be behind, rather than in front, of the camera. So we twisted his arm a little and he agreed: Kenan has created a set of 'basic skills' videos for us covering all of the aspects of fly tying knowledge you need to get started - tools, vices, hooks, materials and how to dress a hook. Kenan's 'Fly Tying for Beginners' video series is available for FREE for everyone - just click the button below. We've even got some advanced video lessons from Kenan - which we are editing now and will be releasing over the coming weeks. Kenan's 'Fly Tying for Beginners' video series is available for FREE for everyone - just click the button above. We've even got some advanced video lessons from Kenan - which we will be releasing over the coming weeks. Fancy A Beginners Setup? It's all well and good watching Kenan's videos, but where do you start when buying a vice and the essential tools? We've made that very easy for you, Kenan has recommended a toolkit and vice to us - we've sourced them all and put together a starter set which includes (a Stonfo Flylab Pedestal vice along with all the essential tools), this includes everything you will need and will last you a lifetime - the only maintenance will be to sharpen your scissors every few years!: *** Go on, you know you want to start a new hobby this year *** Treat Yourself To An 'All Singing, All Dancing' Vice? For those of you who may not have come across Renzetti vices before, they are revered worldwide for their quality (especially the jaws) and ease of use. All Renzetti vices are made in the USA and are true rotary (i.e. the fly can be rotated around its axis perfectly). We currently have the below Renzetti vices in stock, the range starts with the Traveler 2000 Series, at only £280 and continues to the Presentation Series at £479. Please Note: Due to dealership restrictions, we can only deliver our vices to UK addresses. All Renzetti vices offer outstanding value for money when you consider they will last you your fly-tying lifetime and they are works of art: Renzetti Traveler 2000 Series Vice £280.00 Renzetti Traveler 2200 Series Vice £349.00 Renzetti Presentation 2000 Series Vice £479.00 If you would like to see all of the vices we have available, please click on the button below - there are some stunning vices! In the meantime, tight threads and have fun at the vice this weekend.

All About Leaders - Part 2 - Dry Fly Leaders

To continue our series on Leaders, this week we are turning to the staple of the Spring & Summer months: The Dry Fly Leader It is important to stress here, that when using a dry fly, leader material is a key choice, here are a few pointers to get you started: Nylon/Copolymer: Generally more cost-effective and slightly thicker than Fluorocarbon. Fluorocarbon: Denser than water so will sink, great when covering very spooky fish. Use whichever material you have confidence in, this is the weak point in any setup, confidence in knot strength is everything! Leader Material Sizes: The X system marked on spools of tippet determines the diameter of the tippet (the bigger the X number, the thinner the tippet): Leader & Tippet Length If the water is small or rough, use a leader which is roughly the length of the rod. If the water is calm, extend the leader to between 11’ and 15’, then add 2’ to 4’ of tippet. Just remember: “the calmer the water - the spookier the fish - the smaller the fly - the longer and finer leader and tippet you need.” To enable your dry fly to turn over correctly (which is our main aim), your tippet should always be balanced to the size of your fly: 'Rolling Your Own' Leaders When it comes to making your own leaders, the sky really is the limit: Do you want a very short steeply tapered one to turn a fly over in no space at all, or alternatively You could tie a really long one which is so delicate and finely tapered it makes no disturbance at all on the water. Either way, this will involve you knotting together various lengths and diameters of mono/fluorocarbon to create the taper. The only knot you need for this it the 3-Turn Water Knot: Please Note: Remember to lubricate the knot with some water (spit) before drawing it tight, this will make sure that when knotting different diameters of tippet together the heat generated when tightening does not weaken the tippet. In this section we will give you some leader designs for different length leaders. Using all of the above information you can define which length leader you need, use these designs as a starting point. All of these leader designs end with a section of 6X tippet and are designed for rods from 2 weigth to 5 weight - happy tying: 7.5ft Standard Taper 7.5ft Short Taper 8ft Delicate (8X) 9ft Standard Taper 12ft Standard Taper 15ft Standard Taper 15ft Steep Taper A furled leader is made by twisting or braiding together multiple strands of material, such as nylon, fluorocarbon, or silk, into a tapered line. The result is a leader that is more flexible and supple than a traditional monofilament leader. Furled leaders are designed to help transfer the energy of the fly line smoothly to the fly, allowing for delicate and accurate presentations. The soft, supple nature of a furled leader also allows for a better presentation of smaller flies, which can be difficult to cast with stiffer leaders. There are several reasons why you may choose to use a furled leader when dry fly fishing, instead of a monofilament leader: Improved accuracy and delicacy: The soft, flexible nature of a furled leader allows for a smoother transfer of energy from the fly line to the fly, resulting in more accurate and delicate presentations. This is especially important when fishing with smaller, lighter flies, where even the slightest disturbance in the water can spook the fish. Better turnover: Furled leaders are designed to turn over flies more smoothly and efficiently than monofilament leaders, which can be especially helpful when casting large, heavy flies or when casting in windy conditions. More durable: Furled leaders are generally more durable than monofilament leaders and can last for many seasons without breaking or wearing out. This can save the angler money and time in the long run, as they won't need to replace their leader as frequently. Customizable: Furled leaders can be customized to suit the angler's specific needs, with different lengths, tapers, and materials available. This allows the angler to tailor their leader to the type of fishing they will be doing and the specific species they are targeting. Overall, while monofilament leaders can certainly be effective, furled leaders offer a number of advantages that can help improve an angler's success on the water. In the early season, when you will usually have to contend with all sorts of conditions, wind it the worst enemy of a leader. In windy conditions, you will need a leader that will cut through and still turn your fly over, this type of leader has an extremely steep taper. You will also need to use a fairly fast rod, to allow you to cast a tight loop and generate the power in the fly line to, in turn, transfer that energy through the leader to the fly. A great shortcut to create your own steeply tapered leader is to take a standard 12ft knotless 4X or 5X tapered leader and cut 2ft off each end of the leader - leaving you with an 8ft tapered section, to this add a 4ft section of 5X or 6X RIO Powerrflex Plus tippet. Thanks for taking the time to read through Part 2 of the "All About Leaders" series. Over the coming months, we will be expanding and diving much deeper into leader mechanics and construction, discussing how to tailor your own leaders for that perfect presentation based on the scenarios you will encounter when out on the water. Tight lines. P.S. This email is brought to you with the sole intent to spread the information around so we can all maybe learn something. If you would like to buy any tapered leaders, furled leaders or tippet material, we do hope that you will consider us and see what we have to offer: If you don't fancy tying your own leaders, then why not use our ready-made tapered knotless leaders in either 9ft or 12ft lengths: If you like the idea of using a furled leader this season, why not take a look at the best on the market - tied by Luke Bannister, here: P.P.S. We'd love to hear from you if you have any comments/corrections, or other subjects you'd like us to cover. Just reply to this email and I will be in touch.

Innovative Scuds

The Bacchus Bug Selection

Barbless. Clothing