Fishing Flies

Thread: Light brown.

Abdomen: Grey or light buff fur.

Rib: Fine gold wire.

Thorax: Hare’s ear.

Legs: Few fibres grey partridge hackle (optional).

These two flies are most effective in fairly shallow, turbulent, bouldery water where the trout are most likely to find washed-out or drifting natural larvae.

Gorjan Franko lives in Tolmin, a small town on the Soca River (Slovenia). The Soca is full of trout, grayling and Hydropsyche, and the three come together well with Gorjan’s imitation.

HYDROPSYCHE (GORJAN FRANKO)

Hook: Wet fly, sizes 10–12.

Thread: Brown.

Body: Mix of

⁄

brown and

⁄

cream fur (fine textured).

Rib: Fine gold wire.

Hackle: Brown speckled partridge.

Upstream of Tolmin there are some very rapid stretches of river. To fish there, tie some with a tungsten bead at the head to get the fly down to the fish!

The following is a slight modification of one of Roman Moser’s caddis larvae for the River Traun.

HYDROPSYCHE

Hook: Wet fly, sizes 10–12.

Thread: Brown.

Tails (to represent the short tassel-ended ‘prolegs’ at the end of the body): Few fibres grey partridge hackle, cut short.

Body: Light grey or buff wool.

Shellback: Brown raffine.

Rib: Thick brown thread.

Legs: Brown speckled partridge hackle fibres.

Head: Hare’s ear.

Gary LaFontaine wrote the important textbook, Caddis Flies (1981), in which he explored North American caddis species and their life cycles, and created some fine imitations. The following is a useful general pattern – change the abdomen colour to buff, grey, brown and olive to match other species.

BRIGHT GREEN FREE-LIVING CADDIS

Hook: Curved grub/shrimp, sizes 10–12.

Thread: Brown.

Underbody: Fine lead wire.

Abdomen: Mix of 50 per cent olive and 50 per cent bright green fur or wool.

Rib: Brown cock hackle stalk.

Thorax: Dark olive-brown fur.

Hackle: Speckled grouse hackle fibres.

The next two tyings are by Oliver Edwards, whose book FlyTyers’ Masterclass, videos/DVDs and tying demonstrations have inspired many around the world of fly-tying, from Japan, through Europe to the United States.