The Holy Grail - Flies Which Work Everywhere

by Richard Fieldhouse

The Holy Grail - of flies

When we first launched Barbless Flies - all the way back in 2014 - we started with only two selections of flies.

Our initial aim was to put together separate universal selections of dry flies and nymphs which you could take to any water (be it river or stillwater) in the UK, and be confident of catching fish - no matter what time of year.

As the weather starts to warm, within the next few weeks, fly anglers from across the country will be blowing the dust off their fly boxes and putting them to use in anger on our rivers and stillwater.

In this email I'm going to take a look at what I would consider as 'essential' patterns which should be the cornerstone of patterns in your fly box.

Let's start with - Nymphs

Nymphs, especially weighted ones, should be one of the first patterns you should consider for your fly box. It was calculated that 90% of a trout's diet is made up of nymphs, so if you cannot see any fish rising it is a safe bet they are taking nymphs.

When looking at the myriad of nymph patterns available, there are only really five that you need to consider for all UK waters (most others are all variations on one of these five), these are:

Red-Neck Pheasant Tail Nymph - The best fly for the river? This fly probably accounts for more fish than any other flies I use. It represents a wide range of river nymphs and is ideal for both Trout & Grayling. Fished on its own or as a part of a duo (New Zealand Rig), this fly is deadly.

Nymphs, especially weighted ones, should be one of the first patterns you should consider for your fly box. It was calculated that 90% of a trout's diet is made up of nymphs, so if you cannot see any fish rising it is a safe bet they are taking nymphs.

When looking at the myriad of nymph patterns available, there are only really five that you need to consider for all UK waters (most others are all variations on one of these five), these are:

Red-Neck Pheasant Tail Nymph - The best fly for the river? This fly probably accounts for more fish than any other flies I use. It represents a wide range of river nymphs and is ideal for both Trout & Grayling. Fished on its own or as a part of a duo (New Zealand Rig), this fly is deadly.

Orange-Head Mary - Great nymph for when the water is not so clear, the orange tungsten bead really stands out and creates the trigger point for curious fish. Best fished near to the bottom as a single nymph or teamed up with the Hares Ear Tungsten nymph (see below).

Copper-Head Mary - This fly (originally designed by Simon Robinson) has found its way onto may anglers "must-have" list of flies, trout and grayling find it irresistible fished as a part of a duo or trio setup.

Olive Quill Nymph - This pattern is a darker olive version representing a baetis nymph or any olive coloured medium to small mayfly or caddis larva.

Hare's Ear Nymph - The Hare's Ear Nymph is a generic nymph in that it represents many mayfly and caddis nymphs and is often used as a searching pattern. Its shaggy appearance resembles many species of nymphs when they shed their skins or shucks as they progress into the next stage of their life. The more scruffy this fly is, the better it is at catching fish, and this one is pretty scruffy!

The only choice you need to make is the size of the nymphs to tie to your tippet. But don't worry we have you covered with three separate selections of the above five patterns:

  • Tungsten Nymph Selection - Our best-selling 'generic' nymphing selection, contains 30 nymphs, 2 each of the five patterns above in sizes 14, 16 & 18 - all for only £30.
  • Jumbo Tungsten Nymph Selection - Our heavyweight nymphing selection, contains 20 nymphs, 2 each of the five patterns above in sizes 10 & 12 - all for only £20.
  • Micro Tungsten Nymph Selection - Our micro-nymphing selection, contains 15 nymphs, 3 each of the five patterns above all in size 18 - all for only £16.

Tungsten Nymph Selection

€30

Jumbo Tungsten Nymph Selection

€20

Micro Tungsten Nymph Selection

€16

When choosing which size of nymph to buy, it's always best to base it on the characteristics of river you are fishing:

Each of the above selections are also available with one of our Slimline Silicone fly boxes, this option is available on the product page for each selection.

Happy Birthday To U

You may have noticed that in the very first paragraph of this email, I highlighted the year we were first launched - 2014, which means this year is ...

We've been working on something really special over the last year to mark the occasion. It's a charity thing, and we're hoping that you can help us get it off to a flying start:

I'll tell you all about it on Saturday...

Until then ... Tight lines.

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