The Artisan Daddy Selection

The Artisan Daddy Long Legs selection - from Barbless Flies

A selection of 12 exact-sized barbless daddies, comprising 4 different patterns - all tied to the correct proportions of the actual insect!

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 - especially in late summer and all through Autumn.

At the back end of last season, when watching trout refuse my usual size 10 and 12 Daddy Long Legs patterns - even when fish were feeding confidently around me - I decided to take a closer look at the naturals themselves. 

What I discovered was quite revealing: while the usual commercial patterns are typically tied on size 10-12 hooks to create that "substantial mouthful" impression, the actual crane flies blown onto the water are considerably smaller and much more delicate.

The average Daddy Long Legs that finds its way onto our waters measures closer to what a size 14 hook would represent, with a lighter, more realistic silhouette that doesn't create the heavy disturbance many oversized patterns produce.

By downsizing our patterns to match the genuine proportions of these terrestrials, I found that the more educated trout, particularly those that had been rejecting the bulkier commercial ties, began taking my smaller flies with renewed confidence.

Sometimes, the most effective revolution is simply getting back to what nature actually presents.

The Orange Foam Daddy - The classic Daddy Long Legs pattern, tied with an orange foam body (easy to see in very low-light conditions), knotted pheasant tail legs and short hackle wings. This selection contains 3 of size 14.

The Black Foam Daddy - The classic Daddy Long Legs pattern, tied with a black foam body (easy to see on the water at distance), knotted pheasant tail legs and short hackle wings. This selection contains 3 of size 14.

The Tan Foam Daddy - The more imitative Daddy Long Legs pattern, tied with a tan foam body (identical colour to the real thing), knotted pheasant tail legs and short hackle wings. This selection contains 3 of size 14.

The Peacock Daddy - A more aerodynamically tied Daddy Long Legs, tied with a sparse hackle (which includes 2 short wings), a peacock herl body (which allows this pattern to float high on the water) and signature knotted pheasant tail legs. This selection contains 3 of size 12.

TOP TIP: 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!