Classic River Don Trout Flies
Useful patterns for the River Don by Sandy Nelson: The following fly patterns were suggested by a variety of River Don fishermen and represent a general selection that covers the whole season, along with a few local specials to help things along.
Most of the flies will work best when fished upstream to moving fish, however there are a few prospecting flies in here too. Remember the fish can be anywhere on the river, so try most spots as they can all hold surprises.
Black Pennell
An excellent all rounder for most of the season.
Hook: 12-16 Wet fly
Thread: Black
Tail: Golden pheasant Tippets
Body: Black thread
Rib: Silver wire
Hackle: Black hen
Alexandria
An excellent attractor fly and a good imitation of the minnow, of which the Don trout are particularly fond.
Hook: 10-12 Wet fly
Thread: Black
Tail: Red Ibis or Subs
Body: Silver or pearl tinsel
Rib: Silver wire
Hackle: Black cock
Wing: Peacock sword
Cheeks: Red Ibis or Subs
Optional: Jungle cock eyes
Invicta
A great sedge imitation for those summer evenings.
Hook: 12-16 Wet fly
Thread: Black or yellow
Tail: Golden pheasant topping
Body: Golden yellow seals fur
Rib: Gold wire
Hackle: Palmered red game cock
Beard: Blue Jay
Wing: Hen pheasant wing
Butcher
Another super little attractor fly that in the larger sizes imitates the minnows and small fry found in the river. It may also be taken for a hatching midge with a shuck.
Hook: 10-14 Wet fly
Thread: Black
Tail: Red Ibis or Subs
Body: Silver tinsel
Rib: Silver wire
Hackle: Black cock
Wing: Mallard blues
Silver Invicta
This a good attractor pattern and is very effective during the summer evenings as a hatching sedge imitation. It is also very good with a pearl body.
Hook: 12-16 Wet fly
Thread: Black
Tail: Golden Pheasant topping
Body: Silver tinsel
Rib: Silver wire
Hackle: Semi palmered red game cock
Beard: Blue Jay
Wing: Hen pheasant wing
March Brown
This is another superb all rounder on the Don. There is a hatch of the naturals during early April, when this fly is extremely effective in larger sizes. Silver and Gold bodied versions are good too.
Hook: 10-14 Wet fly
Thread: Black or brown
Tail: Brown Partridge back feather
Body: Hare's ear fur
Rib: Gold wire
Hackle: Brown Partridge
Wing: Hen pheasant wing or similar
Adams
This a very versatile and effective dry fly in a variety of sizes. Tied with the original muskrat fur body or hare's ear (as shown) it covers most of the olives on the river and the March browns too. Traditional style dries are good but the parachute version is far superior.
Hook: 10-18 Dry fly
Thread: Black or brown
Tail: Grizzle and red game cock hackles
Body: Muskrat or hare's ear
Rib: Very fine gold wire
Wing post: White and orange antron
Hackle: A grizzle and red game cock hackle wound together
Badger And Yellow
This is a Don special to imitate the Yellow may dun that the Don trout have a particular fondness for. Use it on a June evening when the fly is hatching and some great dry fly sport can be had.
Hook: 14-16 Dry fly
Thread: Yellow
Tail: Badger cock hackles
Body: Yellow thread
Rib: Very fine gold wire
Wing post: White and orange antron
Hackle: Badger cock
Grey Duster
This a great imitation of the Small dark and Blue winged olives which hatch off the river it is also a great Iron blue imitation when tied with red thread.
Hook: 14-18 Dry fly
Thread: Black or red
Tail: Optional; badger cock
Body: Mole
Rib: Very fine silver wire
Wing post: White and orange antron
Hackle: Creamy badger cock
Black Klinkhammer
This is a very good fly all season but is particularly good in the very small sizes on some of the slower stretches of the river. It is a great imitation of hatching midge and of the reed smuts that the trout can become preoccupied with during a summers day.
Hook: 14-22 Grub hook
Thread: Black
Body: Black thread
Rib: Very fine silver wire
Wing post: White antron
Hackle: Grizzle cock
Hare's Ear F-Fly
This is a great little fly when a rise is on as it looks like a hatching bug of any description. A great dry fly banker which works all year. With or without a tail is up to you but I like the fly to have a wee shuck.
Hook: 12-18 Dry fly
Thread: Black or yellow
Tail: Hares ear or white antron ( about 7/8 strands )
Body: Hares ear fur ( lightly dubbed on the yellow thread )
Rib: Fine gold wire
Wing: Natural CDC 4-6 feathers depending on fly size
Orange Spinner
This is a vital fly to carry on summer evenings, especially just as dusk is falling. The trout really do key into these flies for a small period of time and nothing else will work. A sherry spinner or orange quill is also suitable, but I find this CDC pattern the most effective as it sits in the surface film. Just like the real fly.
Hook: 14-18 Dry fly
Thread: Hot orange
Tail: A few fibres of white antron
Body: A rusty red CDC feather tied in at the tip, twisted into a rope and then wound on
Rib: The finest copper wire
Hackle: A dirty white natural CDC feather spun in a dubbing loop, which should be fairly sparse.
Whickams Fancy
A dry fly yes, but more of a general attractor type. It may represent many of the winged insects skittering about the river surface but I fancy it for a sedge. As a wet fly it is also pretty good.
Hook: 12-16 Wet fly
Thread: Black
Tail: Red game cock hackle
Body: Gold tinsel
Rib: Gold wire
Hackle: Red game palmered, Another for the collar
Wing: Starling wing or similar
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
Thread: Black or brown silk
Body: Black or brown silk
Hackle: Starling back feather wound with silk through the first 1/3 of the fly
Greenwells Spider
A devastatingly effective fly for Don trout and one most locals never have off their leader. Good as a dry and a wet, but best fished spider style.
Hook: 12-20 Dry fly
Thread: Well waxed pearsalls #5 yellow silk
Body: Thread as above
Rib: Gold wire
Wing: Rolled blackbird wing or similar, tied up at an angle as shown
Hackle: Two turns of Cochybondhu hen hackle
Hares Lug And Plover
( Hares Ear Soft Hackle ) Many versions of this are popular. Tied with hackles of plover, partridge, woodcock and grouse. The Plover one is perhaps the most effective all rounder, but the others can have their days too.
Hook: 10-16 Dry fly
Thread: Yellow
Body: Lightly dubbed Hares ear
Wing: Golden plover back feather.
Snipe And Purple
A good dark olive and iron blue imitation, this is yet another spider that fishes well most of the season. Especially on the top dropper.
Hook: 14-16 Dry fly
Thread: Purple silk
Body: Purple silk
Hackle: Outer covert of a snipe's wing
Stewarts Red Spider
A borders fly that works very well mid season for trout on the river. The original used Landrail for the hackle. A few substitutes are available but I have found the lightly barred rusty red feather from the lesser coverts of a blue jay wing are an excellent alternative.
Hook: 14-16 Dry fly
Thread: Well waxed Yellow silk
Body: Silk as above
Hackle: Rusty red barred feather from a Jay wing
Waterhen Bloa
This is a brilliant large olive imitation and in the smaller sizes it is also a good blue winged olive imitation.
Hook: 12-16 Dry fly
Thread: Yellow silk
Body: Lightly dubbed mole or muskrat fur
Hackle: The pale grey from the inside of a moorhens wing
Black Buzzer
The Don is full of black buzzers and the trout feed on them voraciously. If there are no upwings or sedges about, or even if there are, the rising trout are often taking buzzers. Try in the slower sections of river. A size 12/14 duckfly can do some damage during the summer. Not sure why though.
Hook: 12-18 Grub Hook
Thread: Black
Body: Black feather fibre (pheasant or similar)
Rib: Silver tinsel
Thorax: Peacock herl or glister ( Optional: White feather breathers )
Hares Ear Nymph
This is a great all round general nymph pattern. Use weighted and unweighted versions and prospect with it.
Hook: 10-18 Wet fly
Thread: Brown or black
Tail: Partridge or Coc De Leon fibres
Body: Hares ear fur
Thorax cover: Pheasant tail fibres
Thorax: Hares ear fur well picked out.
Pheasant Tail Nymph
Another good all rounder, but especially effective as a baetis nymph ( small and blue winged olives and iron blues ) Again try weighted and unweighted ones.
Hook: 12-18 Wet fly
Thread: Brown or black
Tail: Pheasant tail fibres
Body: Pheasant tail fibres
Rib: Gold wire
Thorax cover: Pheasant tail fibres
Thorax: Hares ear well picked out, or you can form legs with the tips of the pheasant tail.
Red Fox Squirrel Nymph
This a good early season fly when fished czech style. It can also be tied without the bead and smaller with a tungsten head to represent different nymphs. But the large copper one is great as a caddis fly nymph/ stonefly imitation in fast water.
Hook: 10-16 Longshank nymph
Thread: Black
Tail: Red fox squirrel fibres
Body: Red fox squirrel belly fur
Rib: Gold tinsel
Thorax: Red fox squirrel back fur
Head: 3 or 4 mm copper bead
Shrimp
The Don has an abundance of freshwater shrimp and they tend to be a dull straw/light olive colour. It is an effective pattern to fish czech style.
Hook: 12-14 Grub
Thread: Straw or light orange
Body: Dirty straw coloured dubbing
Back: Clear flexibody
Rib: Copper wire
Bead: Orange hot head
Czech Nymphs
This is an effective fly on the Don when worked through some of the Pocket water areas. There is an abundance of Hydropsyche and ryhacophilia nymphs, so take green and cream/tan versions.
Hook: 8-12 Grub
Underbody: Tungsten or lead wire
Thread: Black
Body: Cream or green seals fur
Rib: Gold tinsel or wire
Thorax: Hares ear
Back: Tan flexibody
Optional: Pheasant tail legs ( as seen on the green one )
I hope you find this fly selection useful and informative.
Tightlines to all.
Sandy Nelson