A bit of this, that and the other!

Its  been a frustrating time for me of late due to a  bout of sciatica.

I've not been fit enough to get out and about with my rod and reel.

However I'm spent my free time at my new vice tying this that and the other, with the my summer trip to the Outer Hebrides in mind! 

Ive really enjoyed using my new vice which has so many advantages over my old regent!

Pictured here is a dozen colourful examples of my recent vice work!  Which I hope you enjoy! 

My condition is improving and I hope to get out and about in the next week or so!

In the meantime I'll just keep on keepin' on! 

New Vice!

For over a year or so Ive been contemplating on upgrading my 20 year old regent vice.

The jaws on my regent have been playing up a bit as there seemed to be a fault of some sort as they were very stiff and seizing up on the odd occasion. Still very usable though.

I considered replacing the regent with another as I really like the simplicity of mounting the hook in the spring lever action jaws.

However after much thought I decided to opt for a rotary vice and all its advantages.

Budget played a part as I really was tempted  by the vices in the £500 bracket however I just couldnt justify that cost so in the end I opted for the Wolff Indiana Atlas vice.

First impressions are encouraging. its certainly a solid  piece of kit and beautifully designed and engineered.

I have to admit that I found mounting the hook a bit fiddly, having to adjust the jaws etc. However I seem to have it set now to suit the size of hooks I'll be most commonly using.

I've tied a few flies with it now and found it to have many advantages over my old regent.

The obvious benefit of the rotary function goes without saying. Its fantastic for winding on tinsel bodies and ribs as well as for ease of tilting the jaws upside down for tying in beard hackles and generally all round inspection of the fly..

In conclusion I'm very pleased with my new vice. It was quite strange using a new style of vice after all these years. 

I felt a tinge of sadness when I put my old regent away in the cupboard as it has served me well for over 20 years however I'm really looking forward to using the new Atlas vice now!

Bug Fluff!

The number of syntheitic and  natural dubbing suppliers these days in the fly tying world is bewildering. 

However I would like to highlight and bring to your attention a new kid on the block in the person of wonderful flytyer John Ferguson from Dalmellington in Ayrshire,  who is the man behind the recent dubbing enterprise called Bug Fluff..

John's dubbing is carefully selected and  prepared from natural hare fur and comes in various shades in handy plastic boxes.

I have found it ideal for preparing bodies on some loch style wets as well as forming bodies on small emerger patterns. However I find it most useful for tying various nymphs.

The natural spikiness of the hare fur is really suited for the nymph bodies and thoraxes.

So if you are in the market for hare dubbing give John a call at bug Fluff and I'm sure he will be more than happy to help you out. 

Four More Wets!

The first week of the new fishing season has now passed and I'm pleased to report that Ive had a couple of successful and enjoyable trips to the local Loch.

I didnt bother visiting the Loch at the weekend as I know from past experience that the first weekend of the season is always extremely busy.

Instead I did a bit of cycling on the local back roads to aid my fishing fitnesss.  

I also replaced my old tying chair which had seen better days and which was giving me back problems. So for the first time in a while I sat comfortably on my new chair at the vice tying a few flies over the last couple of days for my Hillend Box and a few for my Highlands & Islands box too.

The green tailed Kate is a pattern I've neglected using the last few years but has been sucessful for myself and others at Hillend in the past.

The Soldier Palmer has been a pattern that seems to be a bit of a bogey fly for me at Hillend despite its excellent reputation.

Therefore in this variation Ive included an orange head hackle.

The other two patterns pictured were tied with the Machair lochs of the Outer Hebrides in mind as I was reminded by a couple of my angling friends that patterns with a bit of yellow in them are  considered  a good choice for such lochs.

Now that the weekend is over I'm off for a run out on the bike then later today after dinner I will head up to the Loch to fish the last few hours of light.

First of the season!

On the opening day of the season this year I decided to head up to the local Loch when I finished work just for a couple of hours! 

It didnt start too well though! 

As I was driving up to the Loch I realised that just as I was passing the old Craig Institute building that I had forgotten my membership card!

So I about turned and returned home for my card! 

When I eventually got back up to Hillend I parked up and made my way along the South Shore eventually  deciding to try my luck in the Easterroft Bay at about 5.15pm

I set up with a Blae & Black on the point  and a Zulu snatcher variation  on the dropper! 

I fished from the old concrete jetty round to the area we know as the Cliffs without a touch.

I then decided to retrace my steps fishing back towards the jetty. 

Just as the rain started and my Hope's were fading I got an almighty take and a lovely coloured brown trout leaped from the water trying to rid itself of my Zulu snatcher!

After a brief fight with a couple of heart stopping runs the trout succumbed to the resistance of my rod and came peacfully to my net! 

After taking the obligotary photo and releasing the fish back Into the loch I punched the air with delight as I cant remember the last time I caught a trout on the opening day of the season! 

I had a few casts more but decided it was time to head home when I caught my flees on a tree on my back cast!!!

When I got  home I had some explaining  to do to the cat as I had promised her a fish! Maybe next time I'll take one home for oor wee Belle!!! 

Let's Go Fishing!

The nights are definitely fair drawn oot! And at last the five month wait is over, the 2021 trout season is upon us!

My ever increasing number of fly boxes are full, my rods and reels have been checked and cleaned, lines and leaders are at the ready and I can only hope that my waders still fit! But I doubt it! 

I am full of enthusiasm and I've had my first Covid vaccination, however the latest travel restrictions are somewhat disheartening!

I'm lucky I suppose that I have Hillend Loch within the limits of this authoritarian Orwellian Scottish Government's travel restraints.

Trips to the highlands and beyond will have to wait for now! 

Its pleasing to note that my local fishing club have now stabilised and put some of the past troubles behind them.

Over the next few weeks it looks like I wont be travelling much further than Hillend Loch's North Shore, Mound, Boathouse Bay, Lowe's Bay, Woodside, Narrows,  Eastercroft Bay, Big & Wee Moss, Braco Burn and Shields Burn which to be honest I'm really looking forward to as over the last couple of years I havent fished much or appreciated my local Loch as much I should have!

Let's Go! 

Greenwell's Glory!

I recently tied a few Greenwells/Glory for the forthcoming season, put them in my box and never thought much else about them until I posted a pic of one of my patterns on a well known social media page!
That was when the confusion started!
As I was told that the pattern I displayed was not a Greenwell's Glory at all as I had included a few light furnace hackles for a tail. I was informed that the original dressing of the Glory didnt have a tail and that I had infact tied a Greenwells wet which includes a tail. Perhaps someone was just having a laugh?
So off I went to my bookshelf to try get a definitive answer on the correct dressing!
Stan Headley's book of Scottish Flies and John Reids Clyde Style Flies both suggest a tail.
However there is no mention of a tail in Bert Sharpe's Let's fish the Clyde and Tom Stewart's Fifty Popular Flies.
Still confused I reached for A.Courtney Williams' Dictionary of Trout Flies in an attempt to clear up the puzzlement.
As you will probably know the Greenwell's Glory is a very old pattern dating from the middle of the 1800's of that there is no doubt.

it is well documented that the pattern was devised by Canon William Greenwell of Durham and tied by Tweedside flytyer James Wright.

However within the pages of this book is the description of the Greenwells Glory which is beyond all dispute as the following dressing comes from a letter handwritten by Canon Greenwell and dated 1st June 1900.
Wing. Inside of Blackbird's wing.
Body. Yellow silk.
Hackle.  Coch-y-bondhu
Hook. 14.
So there you have it! For the attention of the Flytying Police (Vice Squad) The pattern I tied is just a Greenwell's Glory Variant! 

The Blae & Black

Recently Ive been filling a row in my fly box with these wee fellas! The Blae & Black.

Trout flees dont come more traditional than this.

A Scottish wet fly pattern of great repute for early season brown trout!

Its origins are hard to track down as they appear to have been lost in the midst of time.

It is however believed to be centuries old and used extensively not only in Scotland but South of the border and across the Irish sea too.

Its famous on the Clyde with the wing in the usual  Clyde style upright position and as the season progresses a lighter shade of blae is preferred.

It is a recommended pattern for the top dropper on lochs when midge pupa are hatching!

The Old Timers at Hillend swear by it early in the season. However this probably dates back to the time before our club water introduced rainbow trout.

A fly worth having where ever wild brown trout exist!

It's a very simple dressing that is basically a black pennel with a wing and is the third fly in a trio of patterns that the novice flytyer is advised to start with when tying for the first time. The first two patterns being a black spider and the black pennel. Learn the tying methods entailed in all three patterns and you will almost certainly be able to tie most other wet fly patterns! 

Get tying and get fishing! 

Heres to the start of the 2021 season! 

Lockdown Flytying Day!

On Sunday I popped in and and out of the virtual flytying day  that was organised by Lindsay Simpson  and other fantastic flytyers on you tube. It was a really great event and much food for thought from the fantastic patterns and styles that were on display. 

A couple that caught my eye were Davie McPhail's detached Green Peter and Stevie O'Neills Claret Georgeous George!

Suitably inspired I had a go at Stevie's pattern this morning.

I didnt have a claret grizzle cape for the body hackle so substituted that with a fiery brown grizzle!

This pattern will be a welcome addition to my box!

Big Wave! Big Flee!

If you're experienced enough, brave enough or daft enough. Fishing in a big wave on a boat on a wild highland loch can be extremely rewarding! 

I recall one such night a good number of years ago on Loch Watten with my fishing buddies, Scott the Toonheed Tiddler and Tam the Clarkston Tangler. 

Yes the three of us were on a boat each taking turns on the oars. 

To be honest we really shouldnt have been out for that last hour that night as the wind was really high and the waves, rather scary at times. But it was the last night of our fishing holiday and we didnt want to leave.

Sitting getting rocked back and forth in the boat in the lashing rain, pulling our big bushy flees through the waves was an exhilarating experience  as the trout were leaping through the waves and aggresively taking our flees.

It was a fantastic sight to see so many eager trout take our patterns in such wild conditions.

I recall we were using big leggy trout patterns that night.

Never has that old flyfishing cliche "Big Wave, Big Flee" been found to be so true! 

To be honest we were really stupid to be out in such dangerous conditions and wouldnt really recommend it. We got away with it that night, on another night it could have been so different! So it was a lesson learned.

The other lesson learned that night was that wild brown trout absolutely love bushy leggy flies.

Since that night I always make sure I have that style of pattern on my cast whenever im fishinig in a strong breeze all be it  not as wild as that night.

With this in mind and hoping to get to the Outer Hebrides later this year where the wind is a constant feature in the weather  I tied these patterns, which I'm sure will be a good addition to my box! 

Books & Flies.

One of the benefits of Lockdown restrictions if such a thing can be said is that I've spent more time at the vice than ever before!
It's no exaggeration to say that I've been tying flies every day and as a result I've filled quite a few fly boxes.
I also believe that my flytying has improved considerably!
Due to having plenty time on my hands these days,  I've also been delving into my sizeable collection of Angling literature and refreshing my mind with the influential sage advice and over looked fly patterns to tie and try contained within my books!
In my last blog I focused on a fly pattern from the Excellent "Fisher in the West" by Eddie Young. It really has some great patterns in it which are well worth tying.
Today I received another excellent new addition for my bookshelf.
Emyrs Evan's " Plu Stiniog."
This regional book is a wealth of Information and a great source of inspiration on which to base further work at the vice.
It's a book Ive been meaning get hold of for a few years now after reading an article  about it in a flyfishing magazine!
Although this book deals with fly fishing and
flytying in North Wales
It has to be said that I've no great desire at all to fish among the Hills of Wales. Theres far too many places here in Scotland I've yet to visit and fish.
However I do enjoy reading about the social history contained in books like this as well as learning of the tradition and history of regional fly patterns!
Im really looking forward reading this book and picking out a few more patterns from it to tie and add to my box.
With the new trout fishing season soon to be upon us It'll be interesting to see how these patterns fair here in the Lochs and Hill Lochs of Scotland and elsewhere for that matter!
The first pattern I chose is a simple one.
The Petrisen Corff Coch (Partridge & Red)
According to the author this is a great pattern for the summer months of June and July and should be fished on the top dropper!
Until I make that first cast of the season in March I'm looking forward to reading this book in more depth and tying more flies from it.
I will also be on the lookout for more regional flytying books to add to my shelf.
I'd be grateful of any recommendations!