The Barbless Daddy Long Legs selection. A selection of 16 barbless daddies, comprising 4 different patterns (in 2 sizes). The Daddy Long Legs (or crane fly/leatherjacket) are land-dwelling insects that are regularly blown onto rivers and stillwaters, where the trout devour them aggressively.
Generally seen from August through to October, they 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 are always blown onto the water. The legs on these flies seem to act as a trigger to the fish (especially when twitched). These flies are tied on size 10 and 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.
When Daddy Long Legs are hatching in the area, use these flies with a slightly heavier 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 wet and submerged, if on a Stillwater, gently "figure of 8" them back (on a river try fishing them in the surface film), and hold on!
TOP TIP: Check the cobwebs on your walk to the river/Stillwater to see what's hatching
Descriptions of each Daddy:
Daddy-Hog. 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.
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.
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.
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.
Note: Should the "Tree Trout" steal any of your flies, I am happy to sell flies individually to allow you to top up your box. Please contact me using this link with details of your order, and I will email you an invoice. These flies can be bought for £1.50 per fly.
The price includes 16 hand-tied barbless daddy long legs supplied in our eco-friendly packaging.
We currently have these fly selections in stock and will ship these to you as soon as we receive notification of your payment, generally if a payment is made in the morning your flies will be with you the very next day.