The Fox Box!

Rencently I have been on the hunt to purchase a new fly box for a selection of patterns that I have tied over the last couple of months or so.
The box I was looking for was "The Fox Box" But search as I might in all the local angling shops, unfortunately they didnt appear to stock my favourite fly boxes anymore instead all the shops and mail order sites are stocking the in vogue clear plastic boxes which are fine but I prefer the fox box so much so I have about ten fox boxes in my angling cupboard at home but they are all full.
The fox box in my opinion is the quintessential fly box . Its the perfect size, it holds the flies firmly in place, if dropped it floats,  fits neatly into my jacket pocket and also holds 120 flies which is absurdly more flies than you will ever need for a days fishing if not a complete season.
It was with great delight today that I popped into my refurbished and newly opened local angling shop and after a bit of searching the owner came across the last two he had in stock.
Therefore I purchased one, I should have got the other one as these boxes appear to be scarce.
Tonight I have put my recently tied patterns into it and look forward to filling he rest of it before the season starts.

Keeping the symptoms at bay!

After being stuck in the house the last couple of days with all this wintery weather we have been experiencing I managed to pick up a touch of cabin fever. 

In order to keep the symptoms at bay Ive been having a look through my maps and realised one was missing.

Later in the day I decided to take a walk up to my local loch , Hillend Loch.

So off I went wandering about the south shore with my ipod in my lugs and my camera close to hand.

It ws a lovely bright day all be it a very cold day. there wasnt many people around yesterday to enjoy the peace and quiet of Hillend at this time of year.

I rather enjoyed my few hours up there yesterday especially with my new found fitness. 

Im now counting down the days until the opening day of the season. Theres 54 days to go don you know.

Once I returned home I took a drive down to the local outdoor shop where I purchased the third and final golden treasure map for my stravaig later in the year. I am presently pouring over these maps seeking and collating lochs and lochans that hold the treasure. X Marks the spot! I reckon Ive got the grid reference for the one reputed to be the jewel in the crown. 

A Phenomenal Flee Barr None!

My blog received some criticism recently because of the lack of fishing articles of late.
There is a reason for that, I haven't been fishing.
I'm not really one for visiting commercial fisheries and Ive not had any time these last couple of months to have a go at the grayling on the Clyde.
Therefore Ive been posting a few fly patterns on the blog recently.
I had been concentrating mainly on patterns for my end of season trip but sometimes its good to just have some fun with fur, feather and tinsel.I hope you like the latest example of the fly patterns I tied tonight.
I came across this unusual brightly coloured pattern from a chap I met back in the summer. The title of my post might lead you to what he called this pattern.
Apparently a good pattern to try on your top dropper when all else fails.
Its very easy to tie, the materials are Orange life cycle dubbing , gold oval tinsel, Orange body hackle and a kingfisher blue collar hackle.

Ring out the old and Bring in the New!

This will obviously be my last post of the year. For me personally it has been a year of change as I finally got my act together and made lifestyle changes which will benifit me in the years ahead because for too long I have been restricting myself and not fulfilling my life because of my health and weight etc.
Therefore I look forward with great relish and excitiment to 2015 on the fishing front as I intend to get out and in among the lochs and lochans of the Scottish Highlands in search of brown trout and a real wild fishing experience. Don't get me wrong I will be going along to my local loch , Hillend as often as I can too but my main aim this year is to get up north more.
I have many lochs and mountains in mind which I intend explore and hopefully get some wild camps too.
Inbetween trips my focus will as always be flytying, however its my intention to carry less flies, I say this every year and I have cut down , but hope to restrict myself to just the one box this year.
Its much more comfortable and satisfying going light into the wilds.
Tonight I was at the tying bench for a short time and tied my last two fly patterns of the year. I had the seatrout of the Uists in mind when I tied these tonight.
That trip will be at the end of the season but there will be a lot of fishing to be done before then.
So folks I hope you all have enjoyed your fishing in the past year and I hope you have enjoyed having a look in here now and again too, Remember I'm no expert by any stretch of the imagination, I'm just an enthusiastic flyfisher, flytyer and hillwaker that likes to share my experiences in this my blog which recently was 5 years old.
As I finish this post off Im currently enjoying the sound of the Vattersay Boys and savouring a big glass of Glenmorangie awaiting the bells. Hic. Happy New Year!

Now thats what I call A Selection Box.

Good afternoon and a coolyule to y'all.
Im now stuffed and enjoying a few after dinner drinks.
I thought I would share with you something which I'm certain you will agree is the kind of selection box all anglers and flyters would love to receive. Or perhaps it might be something the trout fancy . I certainly hope it is as this will be going to the Outer Hebrides with me next year.

Hillend Sedgehog

Recently I've not had fishing or flytying on my mind as other stuff has taken precedent. 

However tonight I got a chance to sit at the bench and I thought I might as well tie up some sedgehogs for the Uist fly box.

The first few I tied are in size 10's but will knock up some 12's too.

These are great patterns for wild highland broonies as well as rainbows @ Hillend. 

The Ultra Bumble!

I give you the Ultra Bumble. Nothing to do with football supporters groups you understand.
Yesterday I was in the GAC watching Davie McPhail @ his vice giving free fly tying demonstrations.
Inspired by the patterns I watched him tie, I walked the fly tying isles and picked up some new materials with a few new ideas in my head.
Once again I had Outer Hebrides in mind when I tied these tonight. I really like the look of the purple tails on these.
I tied one of them with a sky blue tinsel rib the other three have a blue wire rib. I think I prefer the blue wire.

A Bibio Quartet

A fly pattern which I have had great success with over the years at Hillend and beyond is the Bibio.

The Bibio is a fly of Irish origin and was originally designed for sea trout but over the years has proved to be a great deceiver of wild brown trout on highland lochs as well as rainbows from reservoirs.

As with most patterns these days there are quite a few variants of the original deressing going around. Its usually tied small and sparse for reservoirs but for highland lochs its tied big and bushy and usually with a hen collar hackle to create movement.

Its predominantly a bob fly and as such usually fished on the top dropper.

With this mind I tied this quartet of Bibio variants for use on the Scottish highlands and island's lochs and lochans particularaly in a big wave.

Black n Blue Bumbles.

Its on dark cold November evenings such as tonight that my thoughts turn to fly tying and spending a few hours at the vice with a warming glass or two of a smokey malt whisky or maybe sometines just a few good cups of coffee with various podcasts or music playing in the background.
On nights such as this its heart warming to imagine long summer nights in the North Western highlands or Islands out on a lochan with obliging wild brown trout for company.
As a consuquence I added a few more trad wets to my Uist box. I must have been subconciously thinking of sea trout with the black n blue bumbles that emerged from my vice this winter's night.

Six for a North West Archipelago

Tonight I was at the vice again. I set out to tie a another three dark mackerels with a red holographic body but soon realised I hadn't left enough space to tie in the wing before tying on the final hen collar hackle. So I just proceeded to carry on and form three claret bumbles of sorts.
The other three flies haven't got a name. The body is greenish holographic tinsel.
It has a sooty olive body hackle ribbed with silver tinsel and an orange partridge collar hackle
I'm sure these will be the ideal style to use on the Outer Hebrides. I cant get that archipelago out of my mind at the moment.

The Dark Mackerel

After picking up my copy of FF&FT this week I found within its pages an interesting article on an old traditional wet fly pattern called the Dark mackerel.

Its was first devised by a tackle dealer from Edinburgh called John Dickson and was said to be a great pattern for sea trout as well as brown trout in peat stained lochs. Through the years there have been many variations of this old timer. It became popular on Loch Leven too but is more synonymous with the sea trout of the North West Highlands and Islands of Scotland.

Hope you like my take on this old traditional pattern. Its a fly that will no doubt find its way on to my leader when I visit the Uists next year.