2wheels1rod

The fly that doesn't care what's hatching!

There's a moment in mid-April that I genuinely look forward to. It usually happens around mid-morning. The temperature's climbed just enough, the sun's got a bit of warmth in it, and somewhere above the water - river or reservoir, it doesn't matter - you start to notice the first proper surface activity of the year.

Happy Twanging - Dry Flies Which Work Everywhere (All The Time)

When we first launched Barbless Flies, way back in 2014 (see our original logo below) we started with only two selections of dry flies.

Fancy Something Bosnian This Easter?

There's a small workshop somewhere in Bosnia - I've never been, but I like to imagine it the way all good tying rooms look: vice bolted to a worn bench, materials organised in a way that makes sense only to the tyer who owns them, and flies drying in rows that would make most of us quietly ashamed of our own efforts.

A Very Very Caddisy April

There's a moment in April that every river angler knows. You're standing in a pool that's been dead all evening, when all of a sudden the surface wakes up. Fish everywhere. Rings spreading across water that was glass five minutes ago. And if you look closely at the air around you, you'll see them: caddis flies, tumbling and skittering across the surface like they've forgotten how flying works.

According To Alexa It's March Brown Day Next Week

The Future of Fly Fishing? With all of this talk of artificial intelligence (AI) and how it will take over the world, I thought I would bring Barbless Flies Towers into the 21st century and an Amazon Alexa has been strategically placed in the office - Jack is very amused when I start arguing with it - to be fair, it's not too bad at answering any question I throw at it - but I can't see it standing in a stream casting a size 18 Griffith's Gnat to a selectively rising wild fish any day soon - it would need a long extension lead!

Early Season Tactics - Start Planning Now

There’s always great excitement with the beginning of the trout season on most UK rivers only a few days away - I've got my eyes on some nice Greggs pasties, my fly lines cleaned, fly boxes organised and AGM's attended, I'm now just waiting for our river to open on the 1st April - it always pays to plan ahead!

Fishing With The Adams Family ... of flies

Morning, I have a confession to make. I've spent the last four months staring at a strike indicator. Not by choice, you understand. The Grayling demanded it. And Grayling, as anyone who's fished for them through a Yorkshire Winter will tell you, are not a fish that reward stubbornness. You put the dry fly away, you go deep, you watch a small piece of fluorescent orange/pink/yellow mono like your life depends on it, and you try to look like you're enjoying yourself.

I can't tell you where these came from - but I can show you what they look like!

Right, so this is a bit of an unusual one. A few months ago, I got talking to a contact who has, shall we say, interesting connections in the European competition fishing world. I'm deliberately being vague here - because apparently that's how it works in these circles. You don't ask too many questions, you don't broadcast where the patterns came from, and you definitely don't post a step-by-step breakdown on social media.

10,000+ Reasons Why We Get Out Of Bed In A Morning

Our new website went live earlier this morning. Faster, cleaner, easier to use. You're welcome to go and have a look:

The Pandora's Box Of Fly Fishing - It's On My Desk!

There's a box that sits on my desk. It gets added to throughout the year - samples from suppliers, new products to try, bits and pieces that people think I might like. Most of it gets field-tested, noted down, and either ordered or quietly forgotten about. Towards the end of last season, a packet of tapered leaders landed in that box. I'll be honest - I nearly didn't bother. Leaders are leaders, aren't they? I've got a drawer full of them. But I was heading out to the river, I needed a fresh one, and these were right there.

Size matters. Just not in the way most fly anglers think.

We have an informal family motto which is: " si unus es habiturus, magnus es" which translates to: "if you're going to have one, get a big un" We're not that grand really, but the saying is often quoted when buying chocolate, beer and cars. The above motto was brought to mind just recently when chatting with the guys who tie for us, we were discussing flies to catch those hungry early-season fish - something with a little movement in it was the obvious choice, but I wanted to do something a little bit different, so we decided to take an early-season staple pattern and microize it.

Early-Season Fly Power - Generating Electricity on the River

Firstly, I'd like to thank all of you who 've put your trust in us over the last week and supported us with our 'non-fly related' emails - our River Fly Anglers Almanac - both Jack and I really appreciate it - thank you. As I write this, we've actually got sunshine here in North Yorkshire. Which makes today's email all the more apt, as it's all about a specific nymph pattern which I turn to as my "if all else fails" banker pattern when the trout season first starts - and it virtually always works!

Innovative Scuds

The Bacchus Bug Selection

Barbless. Clothing