A Hillend Doubler!

I was discussing salmon patterns a couple of days ago with some friends and was recalling that I hadn't tied such patterns for a while. In fact the last time I tied salmon flies was in preparation for my first and to this date my last salmon trip up north on the River Naver a few years ago.
Therefore I thought I would tie some more just for fun as I haven't got any salmon fishing trips lined up but I would be available if the circumstance arises.
So here is my first salmon fly for about three years. The Hillend Doubler!  A wee bit rusty proportion wise it could have been done with a longer slimmer hook and a smaller head but fairly pleased with it. I will just need to keep practising.

Grizzly Palmer Tying Demo

Here's a tying demo of the Grizzly Palmer patterns I tied last night and posted on the blog. You may have noticed the absence of one very important ingredient in the making of this video? These should be great for brown trout anywhere even without the inclusion of a malt whisky.

Grizzly Palmers

After dabbling in the dark art of tying lures last week it was a very pleasant change to get back to tying a more traditional style of fly pattern.
This style is always great to have on the top dropper of a two or three fly cast.
I must point out that no whisky was consumed in the making of these flees, however after tying these tonight I  was thinking I might make a a tying demo of this pattern tomorrow night and of course I cant rule out the use of a malt in the process of doing such a thing.

The Hillend Sunray

Over the weekend I tied a box of lures which should see me through the season. Twenty five in total.
As you know I'm not overly fond of tying these beasts but I actually like the look of this pattern which I think should be a good fish attractor at Hillend and The Black Loch.
I should only now need to tie more of these in order to replace any I loss.

Fluffy Trout Catchers

Last night I was tying lures. Those who know me,  know that I really don't like tying these beasts as I actually abhor working with marabou. Fritz is even worse but the straggle fritz that I've used on these patterns is actually not too bad to work with to be fair.
However these fluffy trout catchers are required on occasions at Hillend and its always helpful to have a few variations in your box. As you can see I've got some more hooks prepared as I'm going to tie another half dozen up later tonight. So hopefully that should do me and I wont have to tie up any more for a while.

Guess what I watched today?

I felt compelled to tie this pattern tonight after watching the latest Davie McPhail video on his youtube channel.
Its not exactly the same as his as I used holographic tinsel for the butt and the rib.
I like the look of this pattern and it really does suit the Kamasan B160 size 12 hook very well.
I have a loch in mind where I reckon this patern will be successful.

The Game Spider

Over the last week or so a fly pattern was brought to mind that I read about on a fishing forum. The name of this pattern is The Game Spider.
I first came across this pattern a couple of years ago whilst on a fishing trip in Caithness with two companions John and Paul.
To cut a long story short I had a really bad day on Loch Watten but John did reasonably well and the pattern which caught him a few trout was the Game Spider.
I had forgotten all about this pattern. John had been given this fly by his fishing friend Henry, who was the originator of the pattern and had great success with it all over the country but especially in Orkney.
This is my take on the pattern which is very simple to tie. It can be tied in olive or black.
I am looking forward to utilising this pattern at my local lochs and beyond in the coming season.

Walk about the Lily

Yesterday I went up over the hill and had a walk about the envorons of the Lily Loch. The area was looking great. The Clarkston club really look after this venue and keep it neat and tidy. This coming season I intend to get up there in the summer and have a few evening sessions on the loch. It has great potential.

Two for a drifting boat!

I had a drive up to the loch today just to hear the latest gossip and see how the pike anglers were getting on today as this was the first weekend that the loch opened up for those who pursue Hillend's toothy predators.
The weather was awful  with wind sleet and rain so I didn't bother going for a walk along the south shore.
I saw a double figure pike getting caught in front of the clubhouse and heard of another 10lb pike getting caught earlier.
Apparently there were over fifty anglers on the loch today. However pike fishing is not for me. I have caught a few by accident rather than design over the years at Hillend.
I much prefer to tie flies during the winter and pour over maps and books and plan future trout fishing trips. Here's a couple of flies I tied last night . No doubt there will be a few more from the vice today.