2wheels1rod

A Frespañol Creation - By José Carlos Rodríguez

A Frespañol Creation& A FREE Gift This is quite a long email, you may want to grab a brew before you start reading! Our emails take lots of planning - I always want to make sure that they are: Entertaining (hopefully), Educational; and Relevant That's why, when it comes to the planning stage (we always plan at least 6 months in advance for all our flies - due, in part, to the length of time it takes our guys to tie them!) I sit down with a pencil and a big notebook and start to jot down ideas. As you may imagine, I get through loads of pencils (if you're interested I prefer to use Blackwing pencils - quite expensive and very traditional, but I find the ideas start to flow as soon as I pick one up!). As a consequence of using a traditional wooden pencil, you need to have a good pencil sharpener handy. It was whilst using said sharpener and discovering where it was invented - down a YouTube rabbit-hole! - the idea hit me for the email you are reading now ... I'm sure that you were not aware the humble pencil sharpener was invented by a spanish guy - called Ignacio Urresti. Just like the pattern this email is concerned with - it is the product of a Spanish fly tiers imagination (José Carlos Rodríguez) devised in 2002 - he took inspiration from a Catalan nymph devised by José María Cros and a micro-nymph tied by the renowned French angler Pascal Cognard - very Frespañol. It is of course one of the most successful Autumn & Winter nymphs, a Perdigon: Our tyers have really out-done themselves with these - yes, they are some of the more expensive flies we sell - this type of quality is never cheap, but hopefully you will have the same excitement when using them as I do when I reach for my Blackwings! We've loads of info on the Perdigon below - no matter if you want to buy them from us or tie your own (with the launch of the Perdigon kit from our sister site, Feathersmith - see below). Please Note: I've also included a section at the very end of this email on how to get the best presentation when fishing with perdigon flies and a special offer for the first 30 orders placed today! SPECIAL OFFER - for today only - if you are one of the first 30 orders, we will include a 'hand-tied' (by myself) indicator leader - made from bright-red 12lb Amnesia mono - which are great to detect any subtle takes, I use these myself, they are easy to see & ultra sensitive! TL;DR - Too Long; Didn't Read I know that some of you are pressed for time and save our emails to read later in the day, by this time our selections are sometimes sold out (I get lots of emails from customers pointing this out to me). 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 Perdigon nymphs. This email is all about the Perdigon nymph, a fly pattern specifically designed to sink fast, and catch fish! These flies are all tied on one of the best jig hooks available (the Hanak H450BL). In this email, we are launching our Autumn & Winter Perdigon patterns, all available in sizes 14 & 16. We are making them available as either individuals (including packs of 3 or 6), two separate selections or as a full 'Ultimate' selection. Click the button below to grab yours now: SPECIAL OFFER - for today only - if you are one of the first 30 orders, we will include a 'hand-tied' (by myself) indicator leader which you can use to detect any subtle takes - I use these myself and they are easy to see & ultra sensitive! Perdigon flies were developed in the early 2000's by Spanish fly anglers and are usually used in fast flowing rivers. These flies have tungsten bead heads and thin bodies, made of thread and tinsel. They have a very slim profile, allowing a very fast sink rate compared with classic beaded nymphs. The lighter coloured (sparkly) perdigons are ideal for both very clear or coloured water. So what makes these patterns so special? We posed that exact question to Nygren (the designer), and his reply was - "These are tied on strong Hanak wide-gape hooks, they sink quickly with very little disturbance and due to their bright bodies are perfect when fishing at less than 6ft deep - as the sunlight will 'activate' the coloured bodies. Their mass also allows you great feel through the line when fishing a single nymph - you should be able to feel the gravel on the river bed!" That was us sold on them, and we're launching to you, our fantastic email community, today. These flies have been specifically tied for fishing in the water levels and flows we experience through Autumn and Winter here in the UK and are ideal for both rivers and stillwaters. As well as the ability to buy each of the flies individually, We have three distinct selections for you to also choose from, see below (each selection is available either with or without a Tacky Double-Sided silicone fly box): Nygren's Metallic Perdigon Jig Selection £32.00 Nygren's Grayling Perdigon Jig Selection £33.00 Nygren's Ultimate Perdigon Jig Selection Sale price£81.50 As you probably know by now, we're pretty geeky when it comes to nymphs! Here's the specification for the size 14 & 16 Perdigons: Size 14: Weight: 0.35g Hook Length: 12.6mm Hook Gape: 5.3mm Tungsten Bead: 3.3mm Size 16: Weight: 0.22g Hook Length: 10.2mm Hook Gape: 4.5mm Tungsten Bead: 2.8mm Each fly has a red hot-spot tied in just before the Coq de Leon tail and is tied on a Hanak H450BL Jig Superb barbless jig hook. The colour variations we have available are: Black (with Silver Slotted Tungsten Bead) Copper (with Silver Slotted Tungsten Bead) Gold (with Gold Slotted Tungsten Bead) Light Pink (with Silver Slotted Tungsten Bead) Metallic Blue (with Silver Slotted Tungsten Bead) Metallic Green (with Silver Slotted Tungsten Bead) Metallic Orange (with Orange Slotted Tungsten Bead) Peacock (with Silver Slotted Tungsten Bead) Pearl (with Silver Slotted Tungsten Bead) Rainbow (with Silver Slotted Tungsten Bead) These are not cheap flies, but we do have something to suit all budgets, how much I hear you ask - £2.25 for each individual fly (including packs of 3 for £6 or 6 for £11.25) or £32 for each selection of 18 (The Ultimate Perdigon Jig Selection including all 36 flies and a Tacky Double-Sided fly box is £81.50), but I think you will agree that the quality is outstanding. We only have 38 of these selections for sale - they will never be produced in large numbers due to the time taken to tie/make each fly. SPECIAL OFFER - for today only - if you are one of the first 30 orders, we will include a 'hand-tied' (by myself) indicator leader - made from bright-red 12lb Amnesia mono - which are great to detect any subtle takes, I use these myself and they are easy to see & ultra sensitive! *** As always, all orders are shipped free of charge to any location within the UK *** If you would like a set, you will need to be quick off the mark! Here are a few more images to really tempt you: Go on, you know you want to! Launched Today ... The Quill Perdigon kit This eleventh in our series of kits celebrates the Perdigon - a pattern original concieved by the Spanish Fly Fishing team back in the early 2000's. Then, made popular by the French fly fishing team in competition use. The word 'Perdigon' is Spanish for "pellet" or "shot" and is very apt! This style of fly sinks like a stone. Our kit comprises of all the materials you need to tie 30 Quill Perdigons - 10 each of the most used sizes 12, 14 & 16: Our 'Hot-Spot' Quill Perdigon kit includes: Hooks: AHREX FW541 hooks (10 each of sizes #12, #14 & #16) Beads: Tungsten (Black Nickel) 3.2mm, 2.8mm & 2.4mm Wire: Solder Wire 0.3mm diameter Thread: Semperfli Classic Waxed (Black) Tail: Strung Cock Hackle (Grizzly) Body: Full Peacock Eye (Natural) Hot-Spot: Glo-Brite No. 4 Scarlet Resin: Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Pre-Tied Sample 'Hot-Spot' Quill Perdigon All of the above high-quality materials combined make a quality fly which is straightforward to tie, with full easy to follow step-by-step video instruction. Contained inside each kit is also a leaflet which will direct you to a secret page on our website where all the videos (including all of Kenan's Fly tying tutorial series) can be accessed. Our Feathersmith Quill Perdigon kit is now available for only £30. At less than £1/fly, that's great value for money. The Perdigon nymph is designed to catch fish, at depth. Therefore it is important when fishing with Perdigon nymphs to follow these few tips to make sure the presentation of the nymph is as realistic as possible. The key to fishing with any Perdigon style of fly is the make sure the fly is presented in the best way possible. Here are a few tip to allow you to get the most when fishing with this style of fly: Choose Your Water: This style of fly is particularly proficient when fishing small pocket water, i.e. lots of short runs where you need to get the fly down quickly. Fly Presentation Techniques - 1: To get the fly as deep as possible, as quickly as possible, you need to make sure the fly enters the water before your leader - to do this make sure to stop your rod tip much higher than usual. This will force the fly to enter the water first and also put the rod in the correct position to keep you in contact with the fly as soon as it enters the water. Fly Presentation Techniques - 2: For the fly to sink as quickly as possible, it needs to enter the water at its maximum velocity. To do this add a single haul to the final cast before presenting the fly - this will speed up your line and in-turn the flies entry to the water. Fly Presentation Techniques - 3: When fishing with a Perdigon, you need to present it on (or near to) the bottom, when the fly enters the water it is usually better to lead the fly through the water - keeping in contact so you can detect any takes. The speed with which you lead the fly varies depending upon the speed of the water, but I usually lead it through just slightly slower than the water is flowing. Remember, that the water on the bottom will always flow slower than the water on the surface and you need the nymph to react as normally as possible. Perdigon nymphs are generally used in the faster stretches of water, due to their slim, smooth profiles, they sink very quickly and can get to the river bed quickly. This allows you longer drifts each time you cast. However, using these flies will also allow you to fish those slower parts, which anglers usually pass by. Tight lines & have fun in the sun. P.S. Don't forget about our Special Offer - for today only: SPECIAL OFFER - for today only - if you are one of the first 30 orders, we will include a 'hand-tied' (by myself) indicator leader - made from bright-red 12lb Amnesia mono - which are great to detect any subtle takes, I use these myself and they are easy to see & ultra sensitive!

Late Season River Essentials - Late Season Fly Selection Ideas

Late Season River Essentials Fishing in September can be very challenging - adapting to the different weather conditions thrown at us - take last weekend as a perfect example: 09:00 - Bright Sunshine - I decide to venture to the river for a couple of hours later in the day (after my household chores are completed!) 15:00 - Slightly Overcast - Gear deposited in the car, quick stop at the garage for some Jelly Babies - apart from a Pork Pie, they are the perfect river snack. 15:05 - Still Overcast - Arrive at the river, setup up rod and step into waders 15:06 - Still Overcast - Looks like there's an Olive hatch in progress, tie on a JT Olive 15:10 - Getting A Bit Breezy - Step into the river and make my 1st cast 15:11 - Monsoon Conditions - Get out of the river and shelter under a tree, it's bound to pass soon. 15:45 - Still Monsoon Conditions - Half an hur later and I've finished my Jelly Babies, the river is up by about 1ft and coloured, time to head back to the car 15:50 - Bright Sunshine Again - Tie on a size 12 Endrick Spider, there's a favourite pool (just near the car) which is perfect for Euro Nymphing when the river is high. 15:51 - Still Bright Sunshine - 3 casts & 1 fish, not too bad! 15:55 - Monsoon Conditions (again) - Quick run back to the car, it turns out my waterproof jacket is not quite as waterproof as it used to be! I'm sure you have all experienced something along the same lines as the above, although I was washed off I found that by adapting to the conditions presented to me I was able to still enjoy a cast (or two) and spend some quality time besides (if not in) the river. Over the next few weeks, I will be bringing you some tried and tested fly patterns and selections, specifically for late-season trout (and early-season Grayling) fishing - we've just received some cracking patterns which I will tell you more about on Tuesday! I thought I should start today with one of the most popular selections we have available: The Late Season Selection - it covers all the most popular patterns used in September - if you were to get just one selection, this is the one! The majority of late-season success will be fishing flies sub-surface, that's the reason for our selection mainly consists of spider patterns (both weighted and unweighted) - with a really nice olive imitation included for when those afternoon hatches occur. We've also included a handy primer on Spider fishing for you to download towards the end of this email - happy clicking! The patterns included in our Late Season Selection are: We previously extolled the virtues of the Endrick Spider (which is included within this selection), so here's a rundown of a few of the other patterns included in our Late Season Selection: The JT Olive A dry fly imitation of a hatching Olive - originally devised by John Tyzack. Tied with a mole fur body, Coq de Leon tail and a sparse CdC hackle. This fly can be used in all seasons, there's nothing better than this on a warm late-season afternoon, on its own with a long tapered leader during an Olive hatch. Snipe & Purple A great sparse spider pattern for the early season. Fished on a long leader teamed up with the Waterhen Bloa & Endrick Spider, these can be deadly. Dressed in appropriate sizes and weights, the Snipe & Purple can be fished successfully throughout the late-season. Our selection contains two each, of sizes 14 & 16. As with most of our emails, we only have a limited number of these Early Season Selections available, so if our previous offerings are anything to go by, you will need to be quick off the mark! These flies are available as a selection (20 flies in total) for only £26.00 - saving you 10% on buying the flies individually. Click any button or image above to view each of these flies and the selection in much more detail. A Specialist Autumn Pattern The Sherry Spinner (or Spent Mahogany) is a pattern which comes into its own at this time of year, it's a great imitation of any spent Olive and it great when fished in the smaller sizes (size 18) later in the day. Tied on an an AHREX FW503 barbless hook with a stripped peacock herl body and Z-Lon flat/spent wings. Tied on a size 18 AHREX FW503 barbless hook with a stripped peacock herl body and Z-Lon flat/spent wings. Our Sherry Spinner features: Hook: Ahrex FW503 Size 18 Body: Stripped Peacock Herl Wings: White Z-Lon Tail: 3 Paint Brush Fibres We've just received these patterns from our Artisan guys, and the quality is outstanding. Grab your's now - while we still have them in stock! Click on the image or button below to download your FREE copy of our Spider Fishing Manifesto: FLY: Book Series - Restock The guys at the printers have been hard at work - re-printing all of the FLY: series of books that were out of stock - the good news is that we now have them all again! If you want to get a head start on the Grayling season, why not pick up our "Fishing For Grayling" book, it's great to get you started on the right foot for the Lady of the Stream. Tight lines, pack your Jelly Babies & keep dry.

It's been a warm one ... 🔆🔆🔆

It's been a warm one ... In our previous 'Artisan' email a few weeks back, I mentioned that we were the sole supplier in the UK for these fantastic flies. We have already started to receive our 2025 fly orders from them, ready for the beginning of next year's fly fishing season - it always pays to plan ahead! As a part of these pre-season orders, we had planned a 'Spring' Selection (containing 8 dry fly and 4 nymph patterns) - ideal for those warmer pre-summer months. Looking at the weather for the coming weeks, these patterns are also perfect for the conditions we will be experiencing - if the forecasters are to be believed - so rather than wait for 6 months until we let them loose on those unsuspecting trout, we're releasing them six months early, and calling them our Artisan 'Indian Summer' Selection**. ** I know the true definition of an Indian Summer is a spell of unseasonably warm weather after the first frost, but these flies will be perfect on both rivers and stillwaters until the end of the season - and I like the name! All of the flies contained within this selection are superbly tied - using top class materials and attached to AHREX barbless hooks by a master of the tying art. I'm sure you can tell the quality from the images above and below: As you will be no doubt aware this type of quality does not come cheap, these flies cost us quite a bit more than we usually buy flies in at - due to the very best quality materials and hooks - but we just couldn't resist, the quality is that good: "The highest quality flies, tied with the best materials and hooks money can buy." The last time we offered flies from this tyer the response was the best we've ever had from any of our flies, so here we present to you our Artisan 'Indian Summer' Selection: The Artisan 'Indian Summer' Selection Our Artisan 'Indian Summer' Selection consists of 24 flies, 2 each of 12 separate patterns: Dry Flies: Green Dream - Size 18 - Ahrex FW525 CdC Midge - Size 18 - Ahrex FW525 Mosquito - Size 16 - Ahrex FW503 Fluttering Little Black - Size 16 - Ahrex FW503 Fluttering Little Olive - Size 16 - Ahrex FW503 Sparkle Sedge Pupa - Size 16 - Ahrex FW541 Kayleigh - Size 16 - Ahrex FW525 Freebird - Size 18 - Ahrex FW503 Nymphs: Caddis Larva (Tan) - Size 12 - Ahrex FW511 Caddis Larva (Olive) - Size 16 - Ahrex FW541 Little Olive Stone Nymph - Size 16 - Ahrex FW531 Snowfly Stone Nymph - Size 16 - Ahrex FW531 These flies are all tied on one of the best barbless hook ranges in the business, AHREX. Please Note: We only have a limited amount - 40 selections - they take ages to tie to this quality. They will sell pretty quickly, so if you would like a selection you will need to be quick! We are supplying 2 of each of the above patterns, that's 24 flies in total for a price of only £40, which is outstanding value for the quality - I know these are some of the more expensive flies we sell, but the quality has to be seen to be believed, and at only £1.66 per fly they are fantastic value. Please Note: On the product page, you also have the option to include one of the fantastic Tacky Daypack silicone fly boxes (for only £15), bringing the total for flies and a silicone box to £55. Our Artisan 'Indian Summer' Selection is very limited - we only have 40 available. 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 detailed images to really tempt you: Detailed images (and specifications) of each fly contained within this specially curated selection can be found on our website, here. Go on, you know you want to! Warm Weather & Fish Welfare The majority of fishing within the UK is Catch & Release, which is the reason for the popularity of barbless flies, the hooks just fall out of the fish once they are in the net. When fishing in warmer weather, always keep the welfare of the fish at the forefront of your mind and adhere to the main Keep Fish Wet principles: Minimise Air Exposure - Just like humans, fish need oxygen to support essential bodily functions and keep them alive. What’s different is that fish get their oxygen from the water (it is dissolved), not the air. Fish respiration (“breathing”) involves moving water into their mouth and over their gills, whether by pumping it or when swimming with their mouths open. Eliminate Contact With Dry Surfaces - Fish have a layer of protective mucus (slime) and scales that protects them from disease. Contact with dry, hard, or rough surfaces (such as hands, rocks, sand, and boat bottoms) can remove slime and scales making fish more susceptible to diseases, especially fungal infections. Keeping fish in or over the water, and holding them with clean, wet hands or a soft rubber net will help keep their slime layer and scales intact and the fish disease free. Reduce Handling Time - Fish are wild animals and handling is stressful for them, whether they are in your hands or in a net. Most fish that are brought to hand are still amped up based on the release of glucose to fuel their ‘fight or flight’ response to being caught. It can take hours for a fish to physiologically return to normal once it is released. The longer you handle a fish, the more stressful it is for them, which compounds the stress associated with capture. You can read more about the ‘Keep Fish Wet’ principles here: www.keepfishwet.org Tight lines, have fun & Keep Fish Wet. P.S. We also just received a restock of our Artisan Summer Dry Selection, you can find those here:

Prime Time Fishing

Up here in our little corner of North Yorkshire, we are pretty well off for river fishing, but 'day ticket' Stillwater's are very few and far between. You would think that being a holiday town, our area would cater for those who want to escape the beaches and amusements for a couple of hours peace, casting a fly. Earlier this year that changed, with a once popular local stillwater re-opening again - now called North Yorkshire Water Park Fisheries (aka Wykeham Lakes), this is right on our doorstep - literally. TL;DR - Too Long; Didn't Read I know that some of you are pressed for time and save our emails to read later in the day, by this time our selections are sometimes sold out (I get lots of emails from customers pointing this out to me). 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 Lures. This email is all about fishing in stillwaters with Lures. We've created a Taster Stillwater Lure Selection which includes the most successful patterns at this time of year - 11 flies for only £15 - click here to grab yours now. If there's a river nymph that should be in all anglers boxes in September it is the Mercury 'Hot-Head' Midge - these are perfect for all Autumn nymphing techniques. Plus - we've also given you access to download our FREE guide on how to get the best from your Lure & Streamer fishing this Autumn in both Rivers and Stillwaters - click here to download your copy. I always stop off at the lake - to see how it's fishing - needless to say it has been very difficult over the summer months (just like all small stillwaters), but with the Autumn conditions starting to bite, the fish has followed suit! If you are venturing out to your local stillwater in the next few weeks, you will need to search the water to find fish. As in the cooler months, you will have to keep moving and target the areas where the bank drops off to deeper water (or any structure in the water). Depth is key, make sure your flies are fishing at the depth the fish are (I know it sounds obvious), most anglers underestimate the depth at which their flies are fishing. To some extent not knowing the depth is not an issue – so long as you know how long you've let them sink for when you get a take. Top Tip: Count your flies down as they sink – increase the count for each cast until something happens (you have to take into account the weight of your flies and adjust accordingly – a 4mm beaded tungsten lure will sink much faster than an unweighted Woolly Bugger). At this time of year any resident Stillwater trout will be starting to feed up in readiness for the sparser months ahead, what better way to target them with an 'active' fishing method - lures. This method keeps you on the move - and keeps you warm! With that in mind, we've put together a taster selection of the most popular (and successful) lures, in sizes 10, 12 & 14, specifically for targeting those Autumn fish - as most will be more than willing to chase a fly once the water starts to cool. These Stillwater Lures are ideal for your next trip out. Top Autumn Tip: It's often quite windy at this time of year, you will also notice that most anglers like to fish with the wind at their backs (it makes their casting look good!), the only problem with this, is the wind is blowing all of the surface food to the other end of the lake! Try fishing with the wind on your left (if you're right-handed) and let the wind work your flies on the surface towards the leeward bank - you can virtually guarantee there will be fish patrolling for surface food! For more tips when fishing lures in Autumn and the cooler months, see the bottom of this email. Here we introduce to you our Stillwater Lure Taster Selection: Why Use Lures? A lure style of fly is not really imitating any specific life in the water (although some could be said to imitate small fish), they are more used to arouse the fishes interest and they take it more out of curiosity/anger. To a trout these patterns seem very much alive when any action is imparted to them - therefore these are fished quite actively. What Tactics To Use? Which technique you use depends largely on the depth of the water you are fishing: Shallow Water (< 10ft) - A floating line and long leader can be used - just remember to count down your lure and fish/retrieve it slowly. Short pulls, followed by large pauses to let the fly sink again. Deeper Water (> 10ft) - Go for an intermediate or sinking line with a short leader - this allows you to present the lure at depth and any retrieve will pull the lure parallel to the Stillwater bed. These lure patterns should be fished as close to the Stillwater bed as possible. Lures are ideal patterns to use in shallower water, close to weed beds. *** See below in this email for many more hints and tips on fishing lures in Autumn *** We only have a limited number (50) of our Lure Taster Selections, so if our previous offerings are anything to go by, you will need to be quick off the mark! In total there are 11 flies supplied in our eco-friendly. packaging. All of these flies are tied on barbless hooks, in sizes 10, 12 & 14 and available as a taster selection (5 patterns, 1 of each pattern in various sizes) for only £15, click any button or image to view the selection in more detail. Each of the patterns contained within the Taster Selection are also available to buy individually - so you can 'top-up' your boxes: *** We've only 50 of these taster selections - so if you want one you will need to be quick *** Early Autumn Nymphing These Mercury 'Hot Head' Midges we originally devised by Pat Dorsey, a fly fishing guide, writer and co-owner of The Blue Quill Angler in Colorado, USA. We've taken Pat's original design and added a vivid red 'hot head' under the small glass bead. All of these Mercury 'Hot Head' Midges are tied on AHREX FW451 barbless hooks in sizes 14 and 16, topped off with a vivid red hot-head under a 2.4mm glass bead. Our Artisan Mercury 'Hot-Head' Midge Selection includes two each of two different sizes and 4 different colour variations (Black, Pink, Purple & White) - in total there are 16 flies in the selection: The trick to the technique when fishing these is to use the heavier nymph or lure as an attractor, and then trail a smaller and more imitative nymph behind it - the theory being that the fish initially shows interest in the 'attractor' nymph but ends up taking the smaller more imitative nymph. For this method to work, the trailing nymph needs to have the following properties: Fairly imitative, Lightweight, Have a uniform weight distribution - so they don't sink head-first; and Incorporate some form of trigger point We now have our Mercury 'Hot-Head' Midges back in stock again - all ready for the Autumn sport. How to Fish Lures When fishing lures it's all about control and your connection with the fly. A shorter leader helps you keep better control of the lure at depth and control how it fishes. When using sinking lines, start with a level piece of mono 3 to 4 feet long - when in doubt, go shorter. There are 2 main types of retrieve employed when lure fishing: the strip-pause-strip retrieve (do exactly what it says on the tin) and the swing (cast out, let it sink and let any water movement take the fly - always keep in touch by retrieving any slack line). Just remember to keep in touch with the lure, slow down any movement and try to impart some action into it as the fly moves in the water. Tippet & Knots When fishing lures the main difference is the way the fish takes the fly - savagely! This means tippets and knots need to be up to the job. You shouldn't be using any 5X or 6X tippets here - this calls for the big boys. The lightest tippet material you should use is 4X. If you’re fishing a larger Stillwater that has a bit of current and larger fish, it makes sense to step up to 2X. This allows for the strength of the water and the savage strikes that generally happen when the fish takes your fly. When using larger tippet diameters it is even more important to get your knots tied correctly and securely. Knots typically used to tie a lure to the tippet are: Orvis Knot Uni Knot Non-Slip Loop Knot The first two are basic knots that can be used for any fly fishing scenario (with the Orvis Knot being the simplest and quickest to tie). The Non-Slip Loop Knot is ideally suited for lure fishing as the lure is secured using a loop - where it is free to move and more movement can be imparted to it. FREE Lure & Streamer Download Tight lines & keep warm! P.S. Don't forget the Daddies & Hoppers - they are the go-to flies right now on both Rivers and Stillwaters (especially if there is a wind blowing): Daddy Selection £22.00 Hopper Selection £20.00 £22.00

A Summer Fly Fishing Day Barbless Flies

On my local small stream (The Yorkshire Derwent), it's been quite hard fishing of late, especially with the recent spell of hot weather and the lower water levels we are seeing in North Yorkshire. Even with the low river levels, I am still finding that when the fish are playing hard to get, the "go-to" tactic is to go long and keep disturbance to a minimum. Using a longer leader allows for a more gentle presentation, especially when combined with a longer lighter rod employing this method I've caught in mornings, afternoons and evenings. I've been following these simple rules and it really has upped my success rate: DO NOT get into the water and wade, not unless you really have to - As the fish have less natural cover from predators, they are really spooky. Any disturbance in the water (or noise from your studded boots) will transfer its way to the fish. Use a longer leader - I generally use a longer and lighter leader, this will allow you to land the fly with a more delicate presentation - experiment with using a French Leader setup - they really come into their own at this time of year. Look for deep holes & behind any obstructions - If there is no surface activity these will be the places the fish are holding. Try experimenting with a Klink 'n' Dink setup (use a small beaded nymph - size 16 or smaller - we have a wide selection of these - as you may have guessed!). See the end of this email for one of the best tips you will ever read - to get you ready for the Winter Grayling season. But you need to act on the tip now (you will see why when you read it)! So, what sort of flies are working at the moment? In this email I'm going to share with you the patterns which I have had personal success with over the last couple of weeks, and point you towards some which should be a staple of your Summer fly box in the coming weeks. Mornings Let's start with the basics, flies which will catch fish virtually anywhere (and at any time of day) and really come into their own during August - Gnat's & Midges: I was using the Black/White Midge Pupa nymph up until around lunchtime (or when I started to see clouds of flies above the water), then I swapped to the CdC Midge and RS2 Midge patterns - drifted under the swarms to great effect. Our Gnat & Midge Match The Hatch (MTH) Selection will help you throughout the summer season, Gnats and Midges are generally the most common flies on the water throughout the summer months, and with this selection we have you covered for all of their lifecycle stages: Black/White Midge Pupa - tied on an Ahrex FW501 - Size 18 Black Gnat - tied on an Ahrex FW503 - Size 18 CdC Midge - tied on an Ahrex FW525 - Size 18 RS2 Black Midge - tied on an Ahrex FW503 - Size 18 Please Note: Each of the flies contained within our "Match The Hatch" Selection above can also be bought individually - just click on the relevant link above. The CdC Midge is a fantastic and very versatile pattern, if you want it to act as an emerger, just apply a gel floatant to the tips of the CdC, whereas to fish it as a high floating dry fly, apply a powdered floatant to the whole fly. Afternoons Following on from the Midges, as the afternoons were drawing to a close I switched over to a few CdC emerger patterns from our Shuttlecock CdC Emerger Selection: The patterns I had the most success with from this selection were the Micro CdC Emerger and the Holo-Butt CdC Emerger - in sizes 18 and 16 respectively. I also had some real success yesterday with a couple of the Bosnia Balon Loop-Winged Emergers - so if you were lucky enough to grab some when we had them, now's the time to get them deployed! The patterns I had the most success with from this selection were the Micro CdC Emerger and the Holo-Butt CdC Emerger - in sizes 18 and 16 respectively - I only applied floatant to the CdC above the eye of the hook. Evenings As the day started to draw to a close, I would always try to make sure I was on the river for the fabled evening rise. Sometimes it never really seemed to get going, with only a few splashy rises, but at other times the water came alive at around 9pm and fish were taking all around me. My most successful patterns at this time of day were all from our "Easy To See" Selection - as the dusk started to form, each of the patterns really stood out against the dark water and takes were really easy to spot - just as the name suggests! The patterns I had the most success with from this selection were the Black Magic Klinkhamer and the Greased Lightening - both size 14. One interesting thing of note was that the Greased Lightening seemed to be the only pattern which brought the juvenile Grayling up from the depths - you had to be really quick with the strike to make contact with one though! Please Note: All orders from our website now qualify for FREE Delivery to anywhere within the UK, just pop some flies in your basket and proceed to the checkout where you will see the FREE Delivery option, if you can order before 1pm you flies will be shipped on the very same day! Go on, you know you want to! Take advantage of the Low Water If you are a keen Grayling angler, then now is the time to survey the river you fish. If you regularly fish the same stretch for Grayling, now is your best chance, whilst the river bed is exposed, to take a look and note where the contours, deep holes and drop-offs are, and spot the likely fish holding places. This information will come in really useful when the water levels rise again and the Grayling season starts in anger. Tight lines & make the most of these longer fishing days.

Knock ... Knock ... Who's There? - A Bloke With a Another Box Full Of Stunning Flies

I love this time of year ... Don't get me wrong - the summer is great, but not that conducive to fishing. As soon as September rolls around it means the start of some really good fishing on my local waters - the temperature is usually just about right, the days not too bright and the fish are (usually) eager to look up. So it's the perfect time to get your last 'dry fly fix' before the season all too quickly draws to a close and we start plumbing the depths for Grayling! This time of year is a little like Christmas for us here at Barbless Flies HQ - with delivery vans queuing up, and guess what ... We've had another package arrive ... And, we've a Very Special set of flies available to you today, specifically for fishing in Autumn: On opening our Artisan tyers latest package it was once again full of the best quality flies I've seen in a very very long time - well, since the last package they sent us in July! I'm sure you can tell from the image above that these flies had been tied with the best quality materials (Semperfli, AHREX, Whiting etc.). Flies from this specialist tyer were so warmly received the last time we offered them, we just had to get some more patterns, ready for the best that autumn fishing can bring us. As you will be no doubt aware this type of quality does not come cheap, these flies cost us quite a bit more than we usually buy flies in at - but we just couldn't resist, the quality is so high: "The highest quality flies, tied with the best materials and hooks money can buy." The last time we offered flies from this tyer the response was the best we've ever had for any of our flies, so we've heavily invested and commissioned this Artisan Autumn Dry Selection: The Artisan Autumn Dry Fly Selection Our Artisan Autumn Dry Fly Selection consists of 16 flies, 2 each of 8 separate patterns: Deguello Black/Chartreuse - AHREX FW503 size 14 Deguello Black/Grey - AHREX FW503 size 14 Deguello Yellow/Brown - AHREX FW503 size 14 Dyret Tan - AHREX FW503 size 16 Spent Caddis - AHREX FW503 size 14 Last Chance Cripple Midge - AHREX FW503 size 18 Elk-Hair Caddis (Tan) - AHREX FW503 size 14 CdC Shuttlecock Midge - AHREX FW503 size 18 These flies are all tied on one of the best hook ranges in the business, AHREX. Please Note: We only have a limited amount - 40 selections - they take ages to tie to this quality. They will sell pretty quickly, so if you would like a selection you will need to be quick! We are supplying 2 of each of the above patterns, that's 16 flies in total for a price of only £30, outstanding value for the quality - I know these are some of the more expensive flies we sell, but the quality has to be seen to be believed. Please Note: On the product page, you also have the option to include one of our Tacky Day Pack silicone fly boxes (for only £15 - RRP £19.99), bringing the total for flies and a Tacky Day Pack box to £45. Our Artisan Autumn Dry Fly Selection is very limited - we only have 40 available. 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 detailed images to really tempt you: Detailed images (and specifications) of each fly contained within this specially curated selection can be found on our website, here. Go on, you know you want to! Tight lines & have fun. P.S. The delivery contained more than just one set of flies, watch this space ... P.P.S. If you would like our Artisan Indian Summer Selection - perfect for those warmer Autumn days, you can find those here:

A fly designed to represent "any of the black stuff that appears from time to time on the river

You may remember from Tuesday's email that we had quite a few flies arrive with us earlier this week. We we really excited to receive three of our most popular patterns for this time of year (September & October) - The Endrick Spider, Ginger Tom v2.0 & The Milroy. I will give you an in-depth look at each of these patterns - they are perfect for this time of year, so grab yours while you can before we run out again (it's the first time we have had The Milroy back in stock for nearly 2 years - we had a very large waiting list for them and lots have gone out already)! For those of you who are short of time ... TL;DR - Too Long; Didn't Read I know that some of you are pressed for time and save our emails to read later in the day, by this time our selections are sometimes sold out (I get lots of emails from customers pointing this out to me). 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 chosen flies. This email is all about the restocking of three of our mosts popular fly patterns at this time of year: The Endrick Spider - click here to grab you selection for only £15 The Ginger Tom v2.0 - click here to grab your selection for only £15 ; and The Milroy - click here to grab your selection for only £12.50 Grab yours today, before we run out again! Let's start with the one we get asked about most - The Endrick Spider: The Endrick Spider This fly pattern was originally devised by John Harwood, and used extensively in the larger sizes on the river Endrick (hence the name) to tempt Salmon and Sea Trout. Most anglers now recognise this pattern in the smaller trout sizes, it is a fantastic pattern to use in September and October, either as a part of a team (used as the point fly on a Spider rig) or as a single nymph to explore pocket water. Here we present our Endrick Spider Selection, the selection contains three each of sizes 12, 14, 16 & 18 - all tied on strong barbless hooks. As we're pretty anal about our nymphs, we've even weighed them: The Endrick Spider in a size 12 weighs 0.15g The Endrick Spider in a size 14 weighs 0.11g The Endrick Spider in a size 16 weighs 0.09g This Endrick Spider in a size 18 weighs 0.07g That's a total of 12 Endrick Spider's at a heavily discounted price of only £15.00 (bought individually these would be £18.00), supplied in our eco-friendly packaging and includes FREE delivery. Next up on the fly pattern conveyor belt (there's a Generation Game reference for you) is: The Ginger Tom v2.0 Originally designed as a fly pattern to tempt Grayling, I've always found that the version of the Ginger Tom that we supply works wonders for trout, I've never personally found it as successful for Grayling - especially on the coloured waters we have up here in North Yorkshire. So, one day early in the Summer I set about refining it (very slightly) for our more northern river conditions ... For me, I always prefer fishing Grayling nymphs on a jig hook - so that was the first change. The next change was to try and make the fly stand out a little more in coloured water - so I added some ginger flash to the body material, and "Hey Presto", we have the Ginger Tom v2.0 ... The original Ginger Tom was devised by Steve Skuce (and featured in his excellent book - Grayling Flies - do get a copy if you've even a passing interest in The Lady of the Stream. I don't know Steve (and to my knowledge have never met him) but he certainly knows his subject - in this case Grayling flies. In coloured water, they were (as Steve says in his book) "sheer magic". Last week I even caught a Grayling on one where I never even thought they existed - I was only testing the fly out to check how fast it sank and a fish took it near my feet - and no, I didn't land it as my line was wrapped around my leg at the time! We've just received more of the finished pattern from our tyers in all the usual sizes (12 to 18), so our shelves are now groaning under their (tungsten) weight - and they're all looking for a new home. So here it is - our Ginger Tom v2.0 Selection (and best of all, they're only £15 for the full set of 12): Our Ginger Tom v2.0 Selection contains three each of sizes 12, 14, 16 & 18 - all tied on barbless jig hooks (in total there are 12 tungsten Ginger Tom's v2.0's in this selection). As we're pretty anal about our nymphs, we've even weighed them: The Ginger Tom v2.0 in a size 12 weighs 0.44g This Ginger Tom v2.0 in a size 14 weighs 0.30g This Ginger Tom v2.0 in a size 16 weighs 0.25g This Ginger Tom v2.0 in a size 18 weighs 0.17g That's a total of 12 Ginger Tom v2.0 tungsten jigs at a heavily discounted price of only £15.00 (bought individually these would be £19.80), supplied in our eco-friendly packaging and includes FREE delivery. *** I've already got mine safely stashed away in my fly box, otherwise, we would have had more! *** And finally, there's the pattern which all 'late-season' anglers have been asking for: The Milroy This is another fly courtesy of Steve's wonderful book on Grayling Flies - and this is a dry fly which works just as well with those late-season trout. Originally devised and developed by Lee Hooper on the River Wylye in Wiltshire, it was tied to represent: "any of the black stuff that appears from time to time on the river" Our Milroy Selection contains three each of sizes 14, 16 & 18 - all tied on the correct fine-wire dry fly hooks. That's a total of 9 Milroy dry flies at a discounted price of only £12.50 (bought individually these would be £13.50), supplied in our eco-friendly packaging and includes FREE delivery. Get out there and have some late-Summer fun.

Our man in Bosnia has been on the tools again ...

Our 'man in Bosnia' has been at it again - with some more very tempting nymphs - especially tied for success in September and October. We try to plan all of our fly selection at least 3 months in advance, when asked what we were planning for the end of the river trout season, we wanted to do something a little different, so we asked him to surprise us and tie something which he would use himself on rivers and stillwaters, for Trout, Grayling and Softmouth Trout in Bosnia. His reply was "I will tie you a few specialist nymph patterns, which are the first I try on any waters in September and October, they're called a Fazanov nymph" - this had us intrigued, we had no photos to go on, so we trusted his judgement and said, "go for it". The first time we saw these was when they were delivered to us on Tuesday. It's safe to say we were very (very) impressed! Check out these Bosnian bad boys ... *No, that's not a bead - it's a small unweighted nymph - called a Fazanov. These Fazanov nymphs (Fazanov is Bosnian for Pheasant) are tied to exacting standards, are unweighted and include a small bead of coloured UV resin at the head and a Coq de Leon split tail. I asked 'our man in Bosnia' what makes them so special, and he replied with: "These flies are tied on the correct hook (AHREX FW505), in the correct size (size 18 - see below for specifications) and perfectly weighted to not only imitate ascending nymphs - like all other nymph patterns - but these catch the majority of fish when they are descending through the water column, they don't dive headfirst (like a beaded fly), they gently fall through the water which is much more lifelike" The specialist hook used is the AHREX Short Shank Barbless Dry hook: Hook Size: 18 Hook Length: 8.28mm Hook Gape: 3.60mm Wire Diameter: 0.45mm Finish: Blak Nickel Our Bosnian Fazanov Nymph Selection contains 12 nymphs (4 different colours, 3 of each all tied on AHREX FW505 barbless hooks in a size 18). As we've only got 50 of these Bosnian Fazanov Nymph Selections available, I'll get straight down to the offer: SPECIAL OFFER, FOR TODAY ONLY: Buy 1 Selection of Bosnian Fazanov Nymphs for £24; or Buy 2 Selections for only £42. No discount codes, just add two Bosnian Fazanov Nymph Selections to your basket and the discount is applied automatically. To view or buy our Bosnian Fazanov Nymph Selection, just click on any image or button contained within this email. REMEMBER: If you order before 1pm and choose our 1st Class Tracked option at the checkout your order will arrive the very next day - assuming you're in the UK of course! Keep reading for more info and detailed images of the nymphs - you'll be glad you did ... we've also got a nice tip & video at the very bottom of this email from a French nymphing master on how to build your own Nymphing Indicator Leader. As you can see, these Fazanov nymphs look very 'buggy' when wet: So what nymphs are best for tempting those later season trout (and early grayling)? Usually, trout look to nymphs when feeding in the later season/colder water as the dry fly action tends to dramatically reduce as the water temperature cools. These smaller nymphs have been tied to fish as naturally as possible, with the UV resin adding a small amount of weight - keeping your nymph where it needs to be. Late-season nymph fishing is more about finding the fish, so it's important to keep on the move and only pass your nymphs through a lane a couple of times (see below) - if there's a fish there they will usually take it straight away. Top Tip: if you are fishing in coloured water, use the Fluorescent Green or Orange Fazanov Nymph. Generally, the water levels in September are starting to rise, so we've also added a small amount of coloured UV resin to the superb AHREX FW505 Short Shank barbless hook to create a hot-spot trigger point, but also to add a small amount of weight. This selection of Fazanov nymphs includes 4 different colours, 3 each of the following: Fluoro Green Fazanov Nymph (Raidzap Flex Fl. Green) Fluoro Pink Fazanov Nymph (Raidzap Flex Fl. Pink) Fluoro Orange Fazanov Nymph (Raidzap Flex Fl. Orange) Black Fazanov Nymph (Raidzap Black Widow) These specialist Trout & Grayling nymphs are all tied on Size 18 AHREX FW505 Short Shank barbless hooks. Please Remember: Our special offer on these will close at midnight tonight - 1 set for £24, or 2 sets for £42. We've only 50 of these selections available, so if you want a set, you will need to be quick - Our Bosnian flies always sell out within a few hours of being released! Go on, treat yourself - you know you want to - at £24 for the selection, these will not hang around for long! With the majority of fishing in the latter months taking place under the water surface, nymphing is the obvious choice. But I often get calls from customers asking how best to detect bites/takes when you cannot see the fly, I personally find that the using a bi-coloured indicator is by far the best option. Let the nymphing maestro that is Stan Freyheit - he of Ceramic Nymphs fame - show you have to build your own French Nymphing Indicator leader. These are perfect for fishing the Fazanov nymphs: It’s important to note that when nymphing, you have to be quite methodical and logical when fishing the river. I’ve always found the best way to do it is to imagine the river is split up into a number of lanes (just like a motorway): Always fish the lane closest to you first from the bank before wading into the river (you’ll be amazed at how many fish you catch that you would have just waded through!). Once you have fished that lane, step into the river and fish the next lane out. Then repeat (assuming it’s safe to wade into the middle of the river). Once you have fished the width of the river as best you can, carefully wade back to your starting point and take a step up stream and repeat the whole process again. It’s always better to cast into each lane quite a few times and let the nymph(s) do their work, generally though if there’s a fish around it will take the nymph within the first couple of drifts. Tight lines & improve your nymphing skills this weekend.

Plans Change & A Barbless Birthday 🎂🎂🎂

As fly anglers, we have to learn to adapt and like any good business we have to be pretty nimble and adapt to changes happening all around us. Here at Barbless Flies we generally plan our emails at least two months in advance - it's the only way we can make sure we provide content that's relevant, interesting and hopefully sometimes amusing. Take this week as a case in point - We were all ready to showcase some of our smaller Summer-specific patterns - Green Dream, Sparkle Pupa etc., which are ideal for late Summer conditions on both rivers and stillwaters - when up popped our local weatherman and told the population that we'd be needing jumpers rather than suncream this week. That put a spanner in the works ... We always pride ourselves on providing info that is up-to-date, accurate and at just the right time. So we've jiggled things around a little and today's missive is all about how to get the best from these unseasonable conditions. The best way to tackle these 'Indian Spring' conditions is to approach it as if it were actually Spring - the same insects will be making a re-appearance (Blue-Winged Olives & Iron Blues, March Browns etc.): Your 'Indian Spring' line of attack should be with similar flies, using similar techniques to that of the Early Season and fly presentation is key. To me, the presentation of the fly is the most important aspect of fly fishing. The presentation of the fly means different things depending on what stage of the life cycle you are aiming to imitate. If you are fishing nymphs or spiders, presentation means that you need to be presenting your fly at the right depth of water where the nymphs are actually swimming. When fishing dry flies, you need to present the fly so that it moves around naturally in the different currents on the surface of the water. Remember - an incorrect imitation well presented will more than likely catch, whereas a perfect imitation presented badly will not. The majority of late-season success will be sub-surface in the mornings and then dry fly from noon onwards, that's the reason our 'Match The Hatch' selection have been so popular since we launched them - they include the full lifecycle, nymphs, emergers, dries and spinners/spent. As it's my birthday today, I've a special offer for you on our most popular 'Match The Hatch' selections which are perfect for the coming weeks. The first 20 orders for each of the 'Match The Hatch' selections will get a 20% discount on each set: Match The Hatch Selection - Blue-Winged Olive £20.00 Regular price £25.00 Match The Hatch Selection - Iron Blue £20.00 Regular price £25.00 As a reminder, each of our Match The Hatch Selections contain: 15 Flies - Three flies for each of the five main lifecycle stages we are trying to imitate for the Blue-Winged Olive. Full Insect Information - Access to a hidden webpage which provides information on the Blue-Winged Olive, it also outlines in detail each of the patterns supplied, giving information on when and how to use them. Luxurious Presentation Box - Each of our Match The Hatch fly selections is delivered in a luxurious presentation box - the ideal gift? *** That's right - A Special Offer on flies you actually want, are in season and will catch you fish now! *** Your 'Match The Hatch' Primer The more successful anglers are the ones who can successfully translate what is happening around them to tactics when on the water (be it Rivers or Stillwaters), a major part of that is deciding which fly to present to the fish. This is where matching the hatch comes into play - where possible, you should always try to offer up an imitation which closely resembles the insects the fish are expecting to see at the time - hence 'Matching The Hatch'. We wanted to be a little different and add much more value ... In each of our Match The Hatch Selections we have included a QR code (which you scan with your phone/tablet), this takes you to a hidden page on our website which is dedicated to the selection of flies you have just bought, for example: On this page (sample above), you will find lots of information on the insect you are trying to match - how to identify it etc, a list of all the flies contained within the selection - including hints and tips on when, where and how you fish each one of them. Over the past few months we have worked very closely with our Artisan Fly Designers and produced a full range of 'Match The Hatch' Selections - all tied with the highest quality materials on the best quality hooks available (AHREX). Each of our 'Match The Hatch' selections contains patterns which cover the full lifecycle of the insect in question (Nymph, Emerger, Dun, Spinner etc). We've also presented them in a really nice box, pretty neat eh ... As I mentioned above,this was a bit of a last minute substitute to our previously scheduled email - I'm sure the weather will revert to type next week, and regular service will be resumed + we've a very special Bosnian set of flies we are releasing on Thursday, they are being delivered to us today and I'm fishing with them tonight - so stay tuned! Tight lines, don't forget your thermals and enjoy the outdoors.

New Age' Thinking - No, I'm Not Going To Read Your Chakras 🧘‍♂️ 🧘‍♀️

Thinking Time ... It's at this time of year that we start to plan our 'big' activities for next year - we always try to do at least one thing each year which scares us! We love to navigate uncharted territories and go outside of our comfort zone - after all it would be really easy for us to just keep selling the same flies year after year - but where's the fun in that. Some ideas work well, and some don't, but we use each as a learning experience. To work out what these ideas are requires some serious thinking time ... I've always found that a trip to the water (be it either a river or stillwater) really lets my thoughts percolate (just like a good coffee - more of that in a future email) and bring to the fore those that need more attention. Contact with the natural environment is proven to be very good for your mind, health and spirit. I don't want to get all 'New Age' on you and start reading your chakras - but I do believe there's a bit of the 'zen factor' involved. Fly fishing is basically meditation in motion. You're out there in nature, with the sound of the water flowing by, the rustling of the trees, not a Wi-Fi signal in sight. The simple, rhythmic act of casting a line over and over again becomes a kind of moving meditation. It's a perfect way to clear your mind, focus on the present (or future), and let go of whatever's been bugging you—whether it's work stress, that long to-do list, or even the fact that you've somehow watched everything on Netflix. Plus, there’s something undeniably peaceful about standing in water, trying to outsmart a fish who has no idea it’s part of your therapy session. Interlude: Please read right to the end of this email, as we have an update on a great cause which we are supporting this year - Reel Recovery - which fits right in with all the above mind, body & soul thinking. If I were to select just one item of equipment that I think has rekindled my 'inner zen' it’s the use of a silk line - I’ve found nothing better for presenting small flies on long light leaders - I also regularly 'blank' so it's the perfect excuse to just enjoy the art of casting! Don't think that to get the best out of a silk line you need a cane rod - just try one on a medium action carbon rod - or better still a glass rod - there really is nothing better. We've just received a parcel here @ Barbless Flies HQ - direct from Ian in Sheffield and it's full of his silk fly lines - we've now got these stunning full-length silk lines in the most popular weights (DT3, DT4, DT4/5, DT5, DT6, DT6/7 and DT7) and colours Straw, Light Green, Dark Green, Navy Blue & Dark Red. 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 full line care instructions. These lines are made in the UK (in Sheffield, Yorkshire), by Ian Moxon and are great value for money, these fully finished lines are now available for immediate delivery, and from only £89.99 - which for a silk line is outstanding value. *** We've only 2 or 3 of each weight of line - and no more stock arriving until next year, so if you would like one, grab yours now *** 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. Reel Recovery is an innovative non-profit organisation - spearheaded by Michael Sayers in the UK - it uses FREE Fly Fishing retreats to improve the lives of men with cancer. In the outdoors you can find troubles drifting, peace and serenity in nature, the power of friendship with a fishing buddy and sharing the day's adventures. Reel Recovery was originally established in the USA over 20 years ago and has helped more than 4,500 men living with cancer. This September, for the first time, Reel Recovery are hosting a weekend fly-fishing retreat in Northumberland - this will be the springboard to launch the program across the UK. Reel Recovery’s mission is to help men in the recovery process by sharing with them the healing powers of fly-fishing, while providing a safe, supportive environment to explore their personal experiences of cancer, with others who share their stories. Retreats are offered at no cost to the participants and are led by professional facilitators and expert fly-fishing instructors. Reel Recovery provides all meals, lodging and fly-fishing equipment, and no previous fishing experience is required. We (Barbless Flies) have agreed to help support Michael and the participants with anything they need. We've already donated all the flies, marketing materials and anything else Michael has asked for. A project like this is not something which can be achieved on your own, so we'd love a little help from our loyal community ... To help Michael establish the Reel Recovery program within the UK we'd like you to consider making a small donation via their Just Giving‌ page, you can find out more by clicking the button below: Don't keep the benefits of fly fishing a secret, let's help others experience what we sometimes take for granted! For much more information about Reel Recovery you can visit their website - https://www.reelrecovery.org Tight (silk) lines.

Easy .. Easy .. Easy - Big Daddies & Giant Haystacks

It tuns out that it's not quite Easy ... Easy ... Easy ... I send a variation of this email out at this time every year - it's one of my favourites - this one includes a new daddy pattern for us, to say 'it works' is an understatement... Easy ... Easy ... Easy It's time to deploy the big daddies ... I'm sure you can remember sitting around the TV on a Saturday lunchtime with the dulcet tones of Kent Walton ringing in your ears! These images and sounds came flooding back to me just the other day when I spotted a local newspaper article showcasing some of the 'sporting' heritage of our local town (Scarborough) - that led me to think of the legendary bouts between Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks (and my personal favourite Kendo Nagasaki - whatever happened to him?). I was looking for a way of framing this email - which is all about the Daddy Long Legs - and bingo (another local favourite) the idea hit me! So forgive the cheesy nature of this but ... Now we are nearly into September and the haystacks have started to grow it's time for the daddies to appear - I'm sure you've already begun to see them bumping into the windows around your house. Daddies (and Hoppers) are your main line of attack on both Stillwaters and Rivers at this time of year (late Summer and early Autumn). Both daddies and hoppers are tied in very similar styles - with long gangly legs tied facing backwards and long buoyant bodies. Generally seen from mid-August through to late October, Daddy Longlegs (the Crane fly, or to give it its latin family name Tipulidae) hatch in the ground on cool humid mornings. It pays to fish these when the wind is blowing, the Daddy Longlegs is not good at flying and is always blown onto the water. The legs on these flies seem to act as a trigger to the fish (especially when twitched). A NEW Daddy Pattern Daddy Longlegs patterns are usually tied on size 10 or 12 barbless hooks with a slender hackle, this allows them to create a wake on the surface when retrieved - again another trigger point the fish home into. Late last year, just as the trout season was closing, I was sent a NEW Daddy Long Legs pattern to try - apparently, it had been cleaning up on the reservoirs and smaller stillwaters, but I wanted to give it a go on a river, to see if it would be equally successful. It was ... This new pattern is a crossover between one of our most popular flies, the Dinkhamer, and a Daddy Longlegs ... introducing the Daddy Dinkhamer: I was finding that on even the worst of conditions, this fly - teamed up with a standard Hare's Ear nymph tied to the dropper ring on the fly was tempting fish from all stretches of my local river - even the ones I would regularly walk past assuming that they were devoid of fish! For the whole of last September, I was hooked on this pattern, and I knew that we must get stock of them for our 2024 'Daddy Season' - well, we've just received them from our 'artisan' fly supplier and the tyings are superb, all tied on the highest quality Ahrex FW501 size 10 hooks and use a 9mm Hi-Viz orange foam post. To give you the best possible value, we've decided to offer these Daddies in three different quantities: Individually - for £2.05 each Pack of 6 - for £10.50 (equivalent to £1.75 each) Pack of 12 - for £18.00 (equivalent to only £1.50 each) Click on any image or button above to view this stunning fly in more detail and choose your pack quantity. The standard and quality of these Daddies is that high, we've added them to our range of 'Artisan' flies - much more info about those on Thursday! We do have quite a few of these and we're expecting them to sell out very quickly, so if you would like some you will need to be quick! Or, Go The Whole (Daddy)Hog ... Why not treat yourself to our Barbless Daddy Long Legs selection, a selection of 16 barbless daddies. The Daddy Long Legs (or crane fly) are land-dwelling insects that are regularly blown onto rivers and stillwaters, where the trout devour them aggressively. The patterns included in our selection are: The DaddyHog - A twist on the classic Daddy Long Legs pattern. This is tied with an Elk Hair wing, black thread body (wrapped in silver wire) and detached tan foam abdomen. This selection contains 2 each of sizes 10 and 12. Aero Daddy - A more aerodynamically tied Daddy Long Legs. Tied with a black foam body, short wings and swept-back knotted pheasant tail legs. This selection contains 2 each of sizes 10 and 12. Orange Daddy - The classic Daddy Long Legs pattern, tied with an orange foam body, knotted pheasant tail legs and a short hackle. This selection contains 2 each of sizes 10 and 12. Yellow Daddy - The classic Daddy Long Legs pattern, tied with a yellow foam body, knotted pheasant tail legs and a short hackle. This selection contains 2 each of sizes 10 and 12. Our Barbless Daddy Long Legs Selection, containing 16 flies is available as a selection for only £22, including free delivery. We only have around 30 of these selections remaining, so if you would like one you will need to be quick! *** Go on, you know you want to! *** More Gangly Daddies ... If you're looking for some daddies which are a little more conventional, then the two below have been our bestsellers for the past three years (the Deadly Daddy & the DaddyPillar) - we can never get enough stock of these - we've around 50 of each remaining - grab your's while you still can: Deadly Daddy £1.95 This daddy is specifically tied so the legs splay out sideways, not as streamlined - but much more realistic. DaddyPillar £1.95 A very buoyant favourite on both Stillwaters and Rivers. Tied on a size 10 barbless hook. When Daddy Long Legs are hatching in the area, use these flies with a slightly heavier/stiffer tippet than you would normally use - it will reduce the amount of twist in the leader as these flies are fairly big and wind-resistant. Daddy Long Legs are also surprisingly effective when fished as a wet fly, so don't be too quick to keep these flies dry, once they are wet and submerged. If on a Stillwater, gently "figure of 8" them back to create a small wake, on a river try fishing them in the surface film, giving them a big twitch every now and then, don't worry about any drag (you want these flies to move across the current where possible) and hold on! Tight lines & enjoy it.

That Post-Mayfly Lull - How To Tackle It

Small(er) Flies = Summer Success Now that the Mayfly season is starting to peter out (well at least in southern parts). I wanted to try and get us ready for the more challenging part of the season - the post-Mayfly lull. This part of the season usually sees the fish quite languid - full of Mayfly and very lethargic (at least for a couple of weeks). In this missive, I'm going to give you what is, hopefully, a good grounding on how to approach these conditions, and that is by using - small(er) flies. Also, we have just received a NEW Match The Hatch Selection - we've a Special Offer for you - and a superb NEW fly box from the guys at Tacky (Fishpond) over in the USA, ideal for storing the smaller flies in your collection. P.S. This email is going to be quite long, so you might want to grab a brew before you start reading! - if you want to grab the offer now and save reading the email until later ... TL;DR - Too Long; Didn't Read I know that some of you are pressed for time and save our emails to read later in the day, by this time our selections are usually sold out (I get lots of emails from customers pointing this out to me). 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 'Match The Hatch' fly selection. This email is all about fishing with small(er) flies - specifically gnats and midges, insects which the fish will switch on to in the very near future. In this email, we are launching our Gnat & Midge Match The Hatch Selection - a boxed selection of 12 flies, 3 of each of the four most successful patterns used when imitating Gnat's, Midges and a whole host of smaller flies. All the included patterns are tied using the very best quality materials on the best hooks available - AHREX. We also give you access to all the hatch information, pattern information and watercraft specific to fishing Gnats & Midges - all this for only £20. Plus - for today only - if you add in our "Small Streams & Small Flies" book, you will receive it at half price (only £4.99). I've no doubt that we've all seen swarms of midges above the surface of the water - especially when there are sunlit pools. Low water levels and spooky fish means using small flies. Some waters are not as full of nutrients as others, it’s these which tend to fish better using smaller flies, due in part to the fact the water cannot sustain the natural production of the larger specimens. In these waters trout can still flourish, they just alter the way they feed. Instead of selectively taking insects as and when they please (as insects are in abundance on the more nutrient rich waters), the trout in less rich waters are more opportunistic feeders. This is where the small, imitative fly is king. In essence: small(er) flies = lighter tippet = longer leaders = softer rods The remainder of this email will take the above and hopefully shed a little light on each. Small(er) Flies When you encounter low water it's time to turn to the smaller flies in your box - when I say small, I am referring to flies which are size 18 and smaller. It is the one piece of tackle that the fish sees and makes their decision on to eat or not. The most important part of a fly is without doubt the hook, even more so when we are using very small hooks. It is important when choosing small flies to look at the gape of the hook (i.e. the distance between the hook point and the body of the hook), make sure that the tied fly still has plenty of room between the body and the hook point, if there is hardly any room between the body of the fly and the point it will make it very difficult to hook a fish. Generally, the hooks which are sized at 18 and smaller all are ‘wide gape’ - like these in our NEW Gnat & Midge Match The Hatch Selection. Often, the reason small flies are dismissed by anglers is that they have trouble seeing them, there are a few remedies for this: For most dry fly angling it is not a necessity to actually see the fly, generally you will have a rough idea of where the fly is, if you see a rise, just lift into it – 9 times out of 10 it will be to your fly! If you do want to know where your fly is, either use a small fly with a hi-vis sighter post, or use the ‘Double Dry’ technique, where you use a visible dry fly and then tie a smaller dry fly from the eye of the hook on a long dropper – just like the klink n dink method, but using 2 dry flies. Having a selection of small flies (both nymphs and dries) is essential when fishing through July and into early September. We've got you covered with all the smaller flies you will need for the whole summer in our limited run "Match The Hatch" Selection of Gnats & Midges: During the summer months it is essential that you start to fish with smaller and more representative flies. Our NEW Match The Hatch Selection is a set of 12 flies (both nymphs and dry flies) which represent all the smaller insects you will find on, and in, the water during the summer - including access to our 'Match The Hatch' hidden webpage showing you how to get the best from your selection of flies, all this for only £20.00. See the very end of this email for a 'Today Only' Special Offer with this selection of flies. *** We only have a limited supply of this Match The Hatch Selection - with no more arriving this year! If you would like a set, you will need to be pretty quick off the mark *** Light Tippet Because the hooks on smaller flies are really small - with small eyes, your standard tippet might not thread through the eye - you will need something that is around 0.10mm in diameter. But don't worry, we have you covered. Both of our RIO Powerflex & Suppleflex tippets are available in 7X (0.102mm): RIO Powerflex Tippet only £5.99 RIO Suppleflex Tippet only £5.99 The difference between Powerflex & Suppleflex tippet materials are in their uses, if you mainly fish with dry flies, choose Suppleflex - it, as it's name suggests, is more supple and presents a dry fly beautifully. If you want something a little stiffer, opt for the Powerflex variant. TOP TIP: When trying to thread your tippet to a small fly, try cutting the tippet at a 45-degree angle, it makes it much easier to get the tippet into the eye of the hook. Longer Leaders If you've already downloaded your copy of the Small Fly Manifesto (which we emailed out last year), then you will have already seen the leader recipes for various long & light setups to tie yourself. Here's the best one for fishing really small flies: To the 6X at the end of the above, just add in a couple of feet of the 7X tippet and you're good to go. However you decide to create your leader, the one thing above anything else which will increase your catch rate is the length! When fishing small flies, on low rivers you need to make your leader as long as you can possibly get away with. It is not uncommon for hardly any fly line to be outside of the rod tip and just the leader is cast. Softer Actioned Rods When fishing with light tippet, you need a rod which has a much softer action than your regular carbon rod, this is how you can land much bigger fish on really light tippet. You need to ensure that your whole system - fly, tippet, line & rod - work in harmony. Just try landing a small fish on a medium-fast carbon rod with a thin tippet (anything smaller than 6X) and you will appreciate the finesse of a softer actioned rod. You need a rod which will cushion every movement of the fish and protect your light tippet. This is where glass rods come into their own, especially on the small to medium-sized rivers where you are not casting to the horizon. I believe the best in the business is the Orvis Superfine Glass - especially when in a 2wt or 3wt: Fishing with small flies generally happens at close range, choose a rod you are comfortable with using for very short casts – sometimes a softer rod is much more accurate and sensitive on short casts. Softer rods are also much better for playing fish on lighter tippets – something which most rod manufacturers don’t explain, they are more than willing to tell you how far you can cast with one, but not how well it plays a fish! If you’ve never tried a glass rod, they have an ideal action for fishing smaller flies. Small Streams & Small Flies - Special Offer For Today Only This is a book we published last year - it takes an in-depth look at fishing smaller rivers, with smaller flies. In this book, you will discover the techniques, flies, watercraft and how to approach fishing in smaller streams and rivers. Our book also discusses the type of conditions you can expect to face on small streams and the various tips, tricks and techniques used the fish them. We've also included leader configurations specifically designed for use on small streams with smaller flies. FOR TODAY ONLY - Add a copy of our "Small Streams & Small Flies" book to an order containing our NEW Gnat & Midge Match The Hatch Selection and receive your book for half price - only £5 (usually £9.99). *** Go on, you know you want to *** Now You've Got The Flies ... You're Going To Need A Box! We've just taken delivery of these specialist 'small fly' boxes from those masters of the fly box at Tacky (Fishpond) over in the USA: 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 stillwater, this Small Pescador MagPad fly box from Tacky offers the perfect place to store all your smaller flies: Organize all your flies by hatch, river, or season in one small package with the Tacky Day Pack - available as either single-sided (perfect for dry flies) or double-sided (ideal for storing all of your nymphs): Tacky Daypack Fly Box £19.99 Tacky Double Sided Daypack Fly £24.99 All three of the above fly boxes have been specifically designed to hold all of your smaller flies (down to a size 30). They hold just enough for your day on the water and easily fit in you pocket, vest or pack. What are you waiting for - get out there and have some fun with small flies. P.S. We were really happy to receive the below review on one of our Blue-Winged Olive Match The Hatch Selections - it's great to know they are being used to teach children:

Innovative Scuds

The Bacchus Bug Selection

Barbless. Clothing