[Mike Barrio]

Tell us about your favourite fly pattern in your fly box

Why is it your favourite, did you tie it, did you buy it, when/where/how does it work, stories related to it? ...... Use your imagination, you've got to really make us feel that we need one of these flies! Plus of course we are going to want to see a great photo of your fly

The entry posted in this thread that I like best will win a fly box full of flies

Entries close on Sunday night at midnight and the prize will be posted to the winner next week

Not a forum member? Register now, sorted

Have fun!
Mike

[Mike Barrio]

This competition is open to everybody except me, as I'll choose the winner So the moderators can join in this one too and I'll post the prize anywhere in the world

Cheers
Mike

[Jonathan Kerr]

Ok I’ll get the ball rolling…

When I noticed this post the other night it got me thinking.

What really is my favourite fly?... Any why?

Being relatively new to river fishing, the flies I kept thinking of first were loch type flies such as the bibio and kate mclaren.  I love those two flies.  For me they have proven themselves as fish catchers and as a result, when I’m fishing what is usually a windswept cold loch somewhere, they are rarely far from my cast.

I then thought of some of my favourite river flies.  Again there are a few that I keep coming back to time and time again when fishing the Don. DHE, GRHE and some Pennell variants to name a few.  

But when it comes down to it, there really only is one fly that could lay claim to such a title as’ my favourite fly’, and that’s the one that started all this fly fishing madness….



The black magic fly (size 16).

Just over ten years ago my cousin Marvin Tait, an awesome fisherman from Shetland that some of you may even know, took me for my first casting lesson in my back garden.  Not long after he bought me a fly rod set up and we were soon out on Tingwall Loch for my first fishing trip. I recall it being a very calm, lovely summers night. Marvin gave me a small black fly and told me to fish it slowly, figure 8 style. Sure enough it worked, and it wasn’t too long into the night when my rod started going crazy and I was into my first ever fish on the fly.  After a good scrap I landed a lovely trout weighing just over the pound.  Sadly catch and release wasn’t really something I thought of or even knew about back then, and as you can see from the photo below it didn’t exactly end well for the fish..



All thanks to that one little black fly I now spend far too much time fishing, or thinking about fishing at least! Unfortunately the photo above wasn’t the original fly, but very similar. I tied this one tonight after work, the hen I used was a little whispy for my liking so added an extra turn or two to compensate,  but its a decent enough representation that I’ll definitely fish with on the river this season.  For anyone new to tying, or fishing, give it a go, It’s a cracker.

Jonathan

[Mike Barrio]

Hi Jonathan
Excellent start to the competition thanks! Nice fly, great post with photos and a good story too

Best wishes
Mike

[Marc Fauvet]

i'd already shared this fly here but after thinking about it for a while it surely counts as my most memorable.

Reversed-Parachute Midge Emerger or 'one fish, two fish, three fish, eight !

directly inspired by Roy Christie’s fantabulous Reverse-Parachute, the idea of incorporating Roy’s hackle and thorax design to an emerging midge abdomen lit up and this is what came out of it.
this is a size 16 copy of the original, the first one having been selfishly brought home by some overly-excited slimy brute, Mister Nine.

it’s pretty rare that a fly gets so much attention on it’s first try , specially without additional tweaking.
first cast with the new pattern = first fish. second cast = second fish, third cast, ditto.
in the excitement i lost count of which one of the eight fish landed it was, but one of the them jumped out of the water to take the fly on the way back down, making an enormous big splash, an instant and automatic hook-up while having me WooP-WooooP for all to hear.
now, i  rarely WooP-WooooP but this kind of fishy action is as good as it gets !  i’m pretty sure the only ones who heard it where a local gang of crows but i’m also sure that just like me they’ll never forget this moment. Mister Nine kept it for his own collection and the special half hour ended.

another one size 18 with it’s little cousin nymph size 22 to hang below the emerger on a dropper-


cheers,
marc

[Mike Barrio]

Hi Marc
Another excellent entry to the competition thanks! As above, nice fly, great post with photos and a good story too

Best wishes
Mike

[Sandy Nelson]

When i first started tying flies, i used the patterns which i cut out from the anglers mail and pasted into a scrap book.
I still have the scrap book and all the cut-outs. Which is interesting as anyone who knows me, knows i am very rarely sentimental about anything, if something is not being used then it should be moved on. However it seems fly-tying is my one sentimental indulgence

So this post got me thinking and it didn't take long to identify my favourite fly.



This one of a pair of flies i tied when i was 11. It was tied entirely from fibres from a tawny owl wing feather, that i found while walking along the river with my Grandad. The other fly had a full Blue dun collar hackle as it was a dry fly but they both had a  blue dun cock hackle tail. I had picked up the feather because it was pretty, however this was my first season of river fly fishing and it was very frustrating trying all sorts of flies that i had tied based on the patterns i had been collecting ( i had previously tried fly-fishing on resevoirs with my cousin, but never caught anything). Other than the odd suicidal parr i was not doing that great.
Anyway one day i had been trying without success to catch a couple of rising fish, so i stopped fishing and just watched for a while to see what they were eating, i can not remember the fly they were feeding on but i think it may have been an olive of some desciption. Anyway when i returned home i sat at my flytying vice with my box of bits and tried to copy what i had seen, the fly above, was the first one i tied, then i thought i needed the hackle to make it float so tied the other with a Blue dun cock hackle, it otherwise looked very similar to the photo.

The following weekend i returned to the river with Grandad and he turned a blind eye while i waded out as far as my wellies would let me . Then i could reach the rising fish, i tied on my dryfly dressed it with liquid muscilin (i can still smell it now ) )and drifted it over the fish. she rose and took the fly straight away, a few minutes later Grandad and I landed an 11" stocked rainbow trout, the biggest fish i'd ever caught and my first one off the river that was over 6" it was Magic   i can still remember that feeling now.
Now there was still a fish rising under the same trees, so with my prize safely tucked in my fishing bag i waded back out to try again, this time the fish was beyond my range so i waded out a bit further and filled my wellies with water however i was now able to let the fly drift down in the current to reach the fish, so i payed out the line and let the fly drift, up came the fish and again i was hooked up into a decent size fish
when i got back to the bank we landed a lovely 11" Grayling, it was by far the prettiest thing i had ever seen and i have had a major soft spot for the lady of the stream ever since.

I remember my mum trying to be cross with me for being soaking wet, i remember Grandad hanging around just long enough for me to produce my prize and enjoy my excitement when Mum couldn't be cross with me anymore.
I even remember eating them for my tea My heart is pounding now as i write this .

I have over the years managed to loose the Dryfly, i don't remember where or when but the wet fly is still in my flybox and even still gets used from time to time although it has spent the last few years in my Master box and now i do have a sentimental attachment to it
I now realise this was Me starting on my own journey and that fly and day have set the precedent for whole fishing life.

Looking at it, i can see why it worked, when Red tags and Coachmans were failing but to an 11 year old boy it was just Magic

Sandy

[Mike Barrio]

Hi Sandy
Another excellent entry to the competition thanks! A very interesting fly and photo, with such a great story too

Best wishes
Mike

[Marc Fauvet]

nice one Sandy. love the story ! 

[Mike Thornton]

I initially tied this fly about 14 years ago. It was simply a "none-such". Something to perhaps try as a last resort.
 The first time I gave it a swim, having been through a Don pool twice with established patterns,I was pleasantly surprised to get a couple of fish. I found the fly fished very well during the last three months of the season, particularly in the smaller sizes. A few friends also did well with the fly, but we did not broadcast its' success. When asked what we were using the standard reply would invariably be, "Oh, jist a sma' reid flee"
  On 19th. September,2007, I fished the Tilbouries beat of the Dee. Between 9am and 1pm, and between 2pm and 5pm,I was fortunate enough to catch and release 14 salmon, and lost a few others. All on a size 10 of this pattern. Other experienced rods fishing the same pools that day had,at most, one or two fish each. The situation was the same on Middle Drum. ie. the opposite bank. We were all using much the same rod and line set ups and you may be assured
that my limited casting skills gave me no special advantage. I think it is therefore fair to assume that my good luck was simply down to the fly I was using.
  When word of my success reached the salmon fishing grape vine the pattern gained notoriety and the dressing was put on the internet. It was aptly named "the tilbouries shrimp". It is now sold by fly dressing companies. This fly remains my first choice, in normal water conditions, from August onwards.
  Due to a combination of old age and poorer health I now struggle to put in a shift with a DH fly rod.  Some of my time on the river will now be spent with a trout rod in hand. However I have tied up a fresh supply of Tilbouries Shrimps for this season, and, who knows, we may manage to outfish the red-francis brigade.
  Tight lines to you all.

[Mike Barrio]

Hi Mike
Another excellent entry to the competition thanks! As above, nice fly, great post ( We'll have to send you on a photography course ) and a good story

Best wishes
Mike

[Eddie Sinclair]

Mike,

I remember that day in September with fond memories, I had 9 on middle Drum on that day on a red cascade. But you were having a whale of a time. Every time I looked across you seemed to be playing a fish, well done. It is still my best single day on the Dee.

Eddie.

[Geoff Gill]

Having a look through my fly box, i've chosen the crane fly or daddy longlegs.
I havent tied it myself, but it the one fly i always seem to have in my box for no apparent reason.
25years ago i asked my folks for a flyrod out of the blue and i got a 2.7m #6/7 shakespeare rod with a rimfly reel.
Having never fished and not knowing anyone who did, i headed off to Inverurie to fish the don full of wonder and confidence. I set up with my rod, reel and 8lb nylon on an intermediate line. Having never heard of "spiders" "nymphs" or matching the hatch i chose the only fly that looked like something i recognised, the daddy longlegs ! Surely in the hot sun and low water conditions this fly had to be a banker i thought!! Having struggled to keep the fly afloat for any length of time ( thinking my intermediate line was the only line you could get obviously ), i moved onto the Urie and saw a rising fish, 3 casts of what must of looked like lassoing cows, but to me was pure silk and i was in to my first ever brownie of about 6 ounces.
Ever since that day i have been hooked. Now i always seem to carry a daddy longlegs in my box although i dont recall fishing it in over a decade.
It just reminds me of how it all started, and how even in the worst of weather for fishing with no clue there was still hope. And thats what its all about for me, just being out and enjoying it. 


Still got the original rod too, albeit with a different line, Dont know why i keep it, but there you go.
Geoff

[Mike Barrio]

Hi Geoff
Another excellent entry to the competition thanks! As above, nice fly, great post with photos and a good story too

It is starting to look like I'm going to have problems choosing a winner

Best wishes
Mike

[Mike Thornton]

TILBOURIES SHRIMP.

Hi Eddie,
Shane Christie came down to the tail of the Lawson in the morning and called over asking what I was getting the fish on.I gave him a detailed description of the fly. Kenny Reid asked me the same thing in the afternoon. He got the standard reply, "Oh,jist a sma' reid flee.
  Thanks for your comments.
   Mike T.

[Eddie Sinclair]

Mike, Fair play to you the fish that you caught were down to your skill on the day and that is not something that can be taught. I have spent many days opposite you and regardless of how many fish I have caught it has been a pleasure to be on the other bank from someone who so obviously gets it.


Mike,

I hope that you get better and can weld the double hander soon. Otherwise I will have no opposition.

Finally,
There are not many fishers that I see as serious competition on the other side so I want to see you healthy as soon as possible

regards,

Eddie

[Mike Barrio]

A wee peep at the prize ..... the flies are all tied on barbless hooks

[Hamish Young]

I thought long about this as there are a couple of patterns I could choose..... difficult to make the choice but in the end it came down to which fly have I had the most success with on rivers in the last five years, and it's a Salmon fly.

The fly that - almost in any conditions - reminds me that wherever you choose to look there's probably fish about.
The fly a Spey Ghillie said 'will never catch any sort of fish in bright conditions' and immediately went on to catch a 4lb Brown Trout.
A fly that I will chuck on when I need a confidence inspirer every time over anything else.
A fly that has given me more hair-raising experiences with Salmon in the past five years than any other.
A fly that reminds me just how visual Salmon fishing really can be.
A fly that has actually caught me more good trout than you would maybe expect......

The favourite fly that is in my Salmon box or, more truthfully, in a jacket pocket, trouser pocket, wader pocket or simply 'to hand', is the Sunray Shadow.
Never leave home without one.

H

[Mike Barrio]

Great stuff Hamish ...... but you're gonna need a photo to stand a chance of winning

Cheers
Mike

[Marc Fauvet]

they don't show up on film or in mirror reflections, Mike.... 

[Hamish Young]

Great stuff Hamish ...... but you're gonna need a photo to stand a chance of winning

Cheers
Mike

Aye, I don't know what happened to 1st upload.... anyway..... here's two, just for the hell of it:

H

[Mike Barrio]

Hi folks

Firstly, I'd like to say thank you for all the excellent entries ..... it certainly hasn't been easy to choose a winner!

But there has to be a winner ..... and the winner this time is Sandy

Thanks once again!
Best wishes
Mike

[Marc Fauvet]

congrats !!! 

[Rob Brownfield]

I never had any photos, hence waiting for the comp to finish, but the first fly I tied was when I was perhaps 8 or 9. I lived in Essex and had never seen a trout fly, let alone a trout. However, I did have a book, a paperback, and in it there was some rough, hand drawn pictures of trout flies. I was mesmorised.

Now, living in Essex in the 70's I did not have access to fly tying materials or equipment so I had to hunt out stuff. First stop was my fathers shed where I found a mini metal working vice. This was used to hold a pair of forceps in which went a size 10 hook.

Next stop was my mothers needlework box where I found thread and wool.

Lastly, the budgie cage was raided. We had a blue budgie, so naturally, my first ever fly was blue. The fly itself was my version of a Greenwells Glory. It had a blue body, blue "hackle" and the wings were whole budgie feathers.

To me it was the most glorious thing I had ever made (except of coure, an Airfix Mosquito).

I would love to tell you of the huge Thames trout it caught, or the Brownie from the River Lea, but alas, that fly never saw the water. It was placed in a box and forgotten about.

It was not until I was 14 that I picked up my first fly rod. The flies I bought were Sweeny Todds, Missionarys and Zulus...none of which shared the glorious blues of my first fly.

[Sandy Nelson]

 

Didn't expect that. Thank you

I don't need any more flies or boxes, can we donate them to a good cause like the wild trout trust auction or similar?

Cheers

Sandy