The Fly Fishing Equivalent of 'The Little Black Dress'
Was Henry Ford Fly A Fly Angler?
I like to think that at some point in his life Henry saw the light and picked up a fly rod! He is famously known for his quote:
"Any customer can have a car painted in any colour that they want, so long as it is black,"
When I was starting out on my fly odyssey, I didn't know the names of the insects which were hiding under rocks and flying around my head.
There are days when knowing your sedge from your spinner makes all the difference ... When matching the hatch perfectly is what turns tentative refusals into takes.
We believe in that - we sell flies for that & I fish that way too
But, there are also days when knowing every Latin name still doesn’t help!
What do you do then ... you reach for the fly fishing equivalent of Coco Chanel's "little black dress".
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 "It's Just Black" Selection.
This email is all about which flies to use when you've no clue what's happening! In this email, we are launching our NEW for 2025 "It's Just Black" Selection - a selection of 15 flies, 3 of each of five black fly bankers - they're all 'buggy' fish-catching patterns! All the patterns are tied using the very best quality materials on AHREX hooks - the best hooks there are.
The "Little Black Dress" Syndrome
Definition: A piece of clothing that can be worn in any situation and still looks like it belongs.
The fly fishing world has its own "little black dress" equivalent, these are flies which don't look out of place in any scenario.
We all love to follow the rules and "match the hatch" wherever we can.
But ...
There are also days when none of that matters. When trout are feeding mysteriously, sporadically - or not at all!
That's when you need a backup plan that will (hopefully) outperform the main one.
When the most effective thing you can tie on… is something small(ish) - and black.
But Why Black?
It's simple really - Black is Versatile - Simple - Confident
It creates contrast. It silhouettes cleanly. It works when everything else gets ignored.
- Flies stand out in low light and glare
- Matches nothing exactly, suggests everything vaguely
- Equally useful for both seasoned and newer anglers
- Designed for efficiency — not guesswork
These are not the flies you reach for instead of matching the hatch. They're the ones you reach for when the hatch isn’t making any sense.
Get the flies that work when the rules don't ...
NEW for 2025 - The "It's Just Black" Selection
The Barbless "It's Just Black" Selection is a selection of 5 styles of commonly used 'black' flies - which seem to produce results when nothing else does!
These are for:
- Match-the-hatch anglers who’ve learned that not everything can be matched
- Minimalists who like one fly to do multiple jobs
- Realists who know that conditions aren’t always textbook
This isn’t about rejecting expertise.
It’s about acknowledging the moments when expertise takes a back seat to instinct.
For only £22.50, we are supplying 5 different styles of 'black' dry flies - In total there are 15 flies supplied in our eco-friendly packaging. These flies are great all year round, but work especially well for those tricky days when nothing else seems to work.
All of the flies included within this selection are tied on the best hooks in the business - AHREX (see the individual fly descriptions below for more details).
Our Barbless "It's Just Black" Selection is now available as a selection of 15 flies (3 each of 5 predominantly black patterns):
- The Black Dun - A classic version of this popular black gnat/midge fly. These have been tied with upright wings, which makes it ultra-realistic and helps it sit just right on the water - it also makes it really easy to see!
- The Black Griffith's Gnat - One of the best flies (and many anglers only fly) used in the late spring and summer months. Great in warm still conditions on rivers with a low flow, spooky fish and low levels.
- The Black Sedge - The smaller sedge/caddis usually do not create much surface action early in the season. But on a day with some sunshine to warm up the surface you will encounter small sedges/caddis everywhere.
- The Black Emerger - A fly put together by Niklas Dahlin. Designed with inspiration from a fly one of his friends created, the `Hairdresser´s Midge`. Tied to mimic the emerging midge with a slim body and white poly-yarn wing.
- The Black Head Palmer - Try fishing this Black Head Palmer as an emerger with no fly dressing first. It will float for the first few casts and then it will slowly sink under the surface, this allows you to see which method works best and which the fish are interested in on that specific day.
Our "It's Just Black" Selection contains 15 flies in total and we are making them available to you today for only £22.50 (that's a 20% saving on buying the flies individually) - click any button or image in this email to see the selection of flies in more detail.
As always we offer FREE Delivery on all orders for delivery within the UK.
*** We only have 40 of these selections available, so if you would like one you will need to be quick! ***
Each of the Black flies included in our NEW for 2025 selection can also be bought individually for only £1.90 each, using these links:
*** Go on, you know you want to! ***
Perfect Stillwater Patterns ...
Daddy Dinkhamers ...
We had a fantastic response to our email with our 'Almost' Barbless Daddies - thank you to everyone who helped us clear our shelves. There are still a few of the offending patterns remaining, if you want to grab your bargain flies today, click on any of the options below:
- Individuals - only £1.60 each
- Pack of 6 - only £9.50
- Pack of 12 - only £17.50
