[Mike Livingstone]

A dangerous thing happened yesterday - Spiderman and myself got together and talked fishing and fly tying last night for about 5hours solid.  Heather was bored silly.

Anyway, free of the effects of alcohol (we are in Norway) we talked about complicated patterns, among other piscatorial things.  However, we got on to the subject of simplicity and it struck me how difficult it is to bring yourself to simplify flies if you are a tier.  I always want to tweak something, try a difficult method, tie the hot new fly or some mad Olly Edwards pattern.  When it comes down to it though, I fish mostly with patterns that have only 2 or 3 materials and I can knock out in around 1-2minutes per fly.

By the way, I dont know where I am going with this post, just on a general ramble.  Blame Sandy!

Does anyone else find this?

[Mike Barrio]

Hi Mike

Yeah ......... I blame Sandy too

[Mike Barrio]

Sorry Mike ........ seriously now

Sandy and I have spent endless hours on this topic and yes, the "keep it simple" idea works time and time again when it comes to all things fly fishing.

Best wishes
Mike

[Iain Goolager]

Mike,

I know what you mean, I am typically a lazy tier and the fact that I fish buzzers 90+% of the time on stillwaters coupled with the fact that "fliesbuythedozen" sells 12 x hoppers, and other nice dries for £3.00 odds hasn't really given me the urge to expand my skills (or lack of them).

Here is a photo showing what I mean - this is a new fly box which I've started to fill (eventually there will be 3 sizes of the 6 different patterns), 3 patterns have 3 materials and 3 patterns have 2 materials - this includes the tying thread.

The two basic silhouette patterns on the right have been stalwarts for me for many seasons - outfishing many other methods during comp's in the blistering heat of Summer and even lures in the Winter/ colder months, how simple is that even a monkey in a bow tie could knock these up.

Tying thread, fine tinsels & floss is all that's needed.

ALSO during the Winter/colder months I would fish an Apps Bloodworm on the point with a buzzer/ buzzers on the droppers. See picture for my version of the 3 material Apps (I now use vinyl for a nice segmented body), yet another deadly fly with limited materials (and Skill) required.

now I'm rambling - time for an Ale (and it wont cost me £9.00  )

Cheers

Iain

[Rob Brownfield]

I used to fish a wee tributary of the North Esk that was stuffed with wee Brownies to about a pound. When I first started i went through the entire dry fly box with only a couple of fish to show for it. I tried all the fancy patterns, the parachutes, the CDC's etc etc..until one day, out of frustration, I tied up a fly that consisted of a metallic royal blue body, a blue dun hackle..and that was it. I had fish after fish on that wee simple fly

Another simple fly was a red hook with 5 turns of red wire around it near the eye, then varnish over the top. Thats what i took my double on on Mikes first tube day. I "tie" the same fly with a green hook and green wire and black on black...and they take all of 10 seconds to tie

[Irvine Ross]

They don't come much simpler than a Stewart's black spider. Only brown silk and a starling hackle and that's a fly that has been catching trout for centuries. Equally simple is Bob Wyatt's deer hair emerger and that is my most successful spring fly on the Don.
Roll on the 1st of April

Irvine

[Dave Mundie]

How about posting some pics of these simple flies in the fly box gallery that way us novices can learn what they look like?

Dave

[Mike Barrio]

Hi Dave

This is Sandy's tying of a black spider ........ you can find it on the main website in the River Don section.

Black Spider
This is perhaps the best fly of all and it can be used confidently all season in many sizes. It represents almost anything and the trout love it.

Hook: 12-20 dry fly ( Partridge SLD barbless )
Thread: Brown or black silk
Hackle: Starling back feather wound with silk through the first 1/3 of the fly



I have added it to the gallery too
Best wishes
Mike Barrio

[Mike Barrio]

They don't come much simpler than a Stewart's black spider. Only brown silk and a starling hackle and that's a fly that has been catching trout for centuries. Equally simple is Bob Wyatt's deer hair emerger and that is my most successful spring fly on the Don.
Roll on the 1st of April

Irvine

Hi Irvine

I've done the spider ........ Do you fancy posting a photo and tying for your Bob Wyatt's Deer Hair Emerger in the gallery "Virtual Fly Box"

Best wishes
Mike Barrio

[Tam Greenock]

In last months FF&FT a french guy is tying a fly using a single CDC feather, looks great

[Irvine Ross]

Hi Irvine

I've done the spider ........ Do you fancy posting a photo and tying for your Bob Wyatt's Deer Hair Emerger in the gallery "Virtual Fly Box"

Best wishes
Mike Barrio

Mike

OK give me a day or two to play about with the camera. In the meantime here's the link to Bob Wyat's page on Hans Weilenmann's web site.

Irvine


http://www.danica.com/flytier/rwyatt/dhe_rough_olive.htm

[Sandy Nelson]

I like the way people take advantage when i don't have ready access to a confuser

I'm home for a brief flash of normality, Mind you i did have a great evening with Mike and family even if i did bore everyone to tears

Simplicity is the definatley the way forward, what i've been working on whilst stuck in a hotel room, is a way of making Olly edwards Baetis nymph, that doesn't take ages, i think i almost have it down to a couple of mins, and it still looks the part. Last months FF&FT helped inspire, Alan Bithells Two tone nymphs Development is still required but i should have it down to fine art by the time i get back.

 I have tied up a couple of interesting spiders though, i'll have to get some piccies over the next couple of days and post them See the first one in the virtual flybox, picture doesn't capture the way it glows in real though , i think it'll work really well on the small stillwaters.

Sandy