[Mike Barrio]

What are your fly tying plans for the winter?

I always start off with good intentions, but these seem to fizzle out all too easily 

It would be great  to see more posts over the coming months - to help to keep the enthusiasm going!

I'm hoping to improve my spiders and wets, I've really enjoyed fishing them this year.

The one below is Sandy's tying ( after half a dozen fish on the day ) I need to get mine back up to this level.

[Kevin McPherson]

Similar plans over the winter , just bought some more hooks with great intentions 😄, Need to replenish my Spiders and traditional wet flies,  needing  to figure out some streamer patterns , going to try the trout Spey next year after enjoying two handed casting for the salmon this year  , The SLX line worked great casting wet flies on the new Trout Spey rod I bought  just before the end of the trout  season 🎣🎣

[Ivor Duffus]

Davie Mcphail is the guest on the latest episode of Ireland on fly podcast. Something to listen to if you are tying a few flees.

[Sandy Nelson]

Adjusting my plume tip for snowshoe. Seems to be ideal in a 14 and 16. Meet the Shoe tip

[Eddie Sinclair]

Nice one Sandy

[Sandy Nelson]

Todays inspiration is from Davie McPhail
With the new Ultra dry yarn from Fulling mill. Nice simple way to tie a low riding dry that should be nicely visible.



Has a great profile from below



Lends itself quite obviously to a spent spinner too



I’m enjoying playing at the vice again 

[Mike Barrio]

Those look great Sandy 

[Mike Barrio]

Anybody tried the Fulling Mill Ultra Dry Dubbing?

Just wondering if it would add any buoyancy.

[Sandy Nelson]

I got some to try along with the yarn.
Went for rusty spinner, light olive and hares ear.
It’s really nice to use, dubs nice and tight and mixes with other hairs nicely. I used the rusty on the spent spinner in the previous photo

This is the light olive on yellow thread, size 18.

[Sandy Nelson]

Snowshoe emergers this time, to match LDO/BWO/OU and MB. a mixture of Bob Wyatt's original, with Proctor's pearl butt Emerger and some of the Scandinavians stuff with snowshoe.
Tweeking my usual selection with some slimmer patterns, which I know has made a fair difference for Paul and Allan

[Sandy Nelson]

Did some more shoe tips too, LDO, BWO, Iron blue and yellow may, got the camera out to help with image quality.

[Mike Barrio]

They look great Sandy 

Love the profile, what sizes are you doing them in?

[Sandy Nelson]

Im using Fulling mill 5055/5050 for the Shoetips in 12-16 and the 5060 for the emergers in 14-18 (as they seem to be a size bigger than they say they are to my eyes)

Ive always liked the 5050 in the black nickel colour, but you can tie a better olive imitation on a bronze hook IMHO, so now you get the 5055 which is the same hook in bronze ive been tying on a lot of those this winter. I always felt the black nickel was a compromise for getting the right hook profile. I was over joyed when they released them in bronze which I much prefer as a hook colour.

The 5060 is also bronze and comes in black nickel as the 5065 for some reason they are the opposite way around

Pretty much the only two hooks I ever use these days as they are strong enough and light enough

[Mike Barrio]

Cheers Sandy 

I prefer a bronze hook too, don't know why, they just seem to look better on a finished fly.

[Sandy Nelson]

5055  in 12-16 and 5060 in 14-18 are the ones you want for almost all the flies we will ever use on the river