Fishing with dry flies is possibly the highlight for most fly fishermen. So What is a dry fly? A dry fly is a fly that sits on the top of the water and can look like any number of natural flies from a Blue Winged Olive to a Sedge or Caddis, Damsel to a Daddy Long Legs or Crane Fly. To use a dry fly correctly many things must happen. Our cast needs to turn the fly over in the cast so it lands gently on the water surface film making it land like a genuine fly landing on the water. The fly needs to be carefully tied to present the required trigger points which could be different according to the dry fly we are imitating. Additionally we need to ensure our leader is well placed so that it is 'disguised' and that means using as thin leader as possible for the trout we are chasing so that it is invisible. Finally we want the fly to land as closely to the point we next expect that trout to 'rise'. Finally as our dry fly floats magically on the water we must continue to make the fly look as natural as possible, in the case of a Mayfly it may be just sitting on the surface dropping eggs as it floats down the river so here we must make sure that we do not create drag yet with a Caddis fly we may retrieve it say 12 inches and stop to make it look like a natural sedge on the water. Once we have all these magic elements coming together at the same time you will be presented with the highlight of any trout fisherman trip, a superb trout hitting the fly on the surface and battle commencing!
Available in Fly Size(s)
10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20
Sandy Dicksons Blank Buster Assassins
Sandy Dicksons Blank Buster Assassins
Different species of flies hatch at different times of day and a hatch may be rapid and over quickly! We have been at a river and the conditions suddenly become perfect and we are presented with a 15 minute interval where the trout become pre-occupied with the hatch. Where possible against each department we have added a hatch chart to show you when different flies are hatching to help you in your fly fishing.
When fishing for River Trout there can be many differing types of fly fishing flies that should be considered to catch trout. Flies fall into 4 major categories of fly types, wet flies, dry flies, nymphs & buzzers or lures. By far the most fun form of fly fishing is dry fly fishing, in some rivers just like the chalk streams of England they are the one flies permitted to be used. A dry fly, as the name suggests, are flies considered to be fished at the surface in the water. They're created to imitate a good quantity of different bugs. There's extremely little to match a dry fly being taken by a for river. Dry flies imitate many different natural flies from mayflies, caddis, sedges, dragon flies, damsels, flying ants and midges. A dry fly is typically cast as a single fly on a tapered leader which turns the dry fly in the cast allowing it to gently fall on the water like the natural insect it imitates.
Occassionally dry flies are sometimes created with no particular insect in mind, such type of artificial flies are called fancy or attractor flies, the Wickham's Fancy can be an example attractor or fancy fly. A number of procedures can be used while using the dry fly starting with traditional casting with a fly line and tapered leader which turns a fly over through the cast allowing it to carefully fall on top of the water like a natural fly, stimulating the Trout. Additional techniques used consist of multiple dry fly rigs and dapping flies. Actually dry fly fishing is possibly the oldest type of fly fishing when long poles used to be used as rods plus fly lines made from horsehair or other natural fibres. These were the original dapping flies!
Today numerous fly tyers have created dry fly fishing flies, starting from Adams, Ron Steenrods' Hendrickson named after one of his best customers to the modern Klinkhammer. One of the most well-known nowadays will be Klinkhammer designed by fly fishermen Hans van Klinken. The Klinkhammer includes a parachute hackle that floats at the surface, a post that is visible to the angler along with a body that sits over the water surface and tucks down into the surface film imitating an insect emerging from its pupal form. Of all the dry flies obtainable it's the Klinkhammer that should be kept back in each fishermans fly box. Ranging from size 8 to size 22 the Klinkhammer stimulates Trout move toward to the surface and feed.
There’s a small olive coloured upwing species that despite its tiny size, causes quite a stir with trout on warm summer evenings. We’re talking about the Blue-winged olive (BWO). On rivers and streams across the UK this wee fly will have trout queuing up as the light fades.
The mayfly period might well be referred to as ‘Duffer’s Fortnight’ when apparently all the trout in our waters throw caution to the wind and feed greedily on mayflies. However there are periods when trout become bewilderingly tricky. This usually occurs in the early days when fish that have previously been eating tiny morsels such as midges and black gnats feel a little intimidated, or outfaced by the sheer size of adult mayflies. That said, once trout get a taste for mayflies they really do ‘lock on’
River fishing in September can be phenomenal and we usually get some nice warm and dry weather, which is music to the ears of a river angler after all the wet weather we’ve had this season! Fingers crossed we have a good end to the season!
The long hot days of July and August will see the bulk of sedges (caddisflies) hatch off come evening time. Whether it’s on a stillwater, or river those prepared to hang around in the evening often get the best of the fishing during summer, especially when hot, bright conditions persist. Better still, anglers who are stuck in the office all day, can rest assured that they’ll get a slice of the action too by heading out after dinner.
Fly In Focus - March Brown. Paul Procter talks all things March Browns, methods to fish them and fly choices to fool them fish! The fabled March Brown is considered by many as one of our most icon upwing flies. And whilst they don’t occur everywhere, they are one of the first upwings we experience during the opening weeks of a trout season. Naturally, as their common name implies they appear during the month of March. That said, some of the best hatches are often experienced throughout April.
I recently had a red letter evening on my local river. I arrived at the river and it just felt right! I always stand and observe what is happening before I make a cast. It can often give you the answers you need to fool a fish! Weather that be you spotting what the fish is taking or the fish rises and gives away its spot! I tackle up with my trusty 10ft 4wt, my go too rod for river fishing. I have a 12ft tapered leader and with us being mid season and the rivers being on the low side, I added a couple of extra feet of tippet to the end of my tapered leader.
Trout are currently going bonkers for this fly! The perfect dubbing to tie it too!
There’s a small olive coloured upwing species that despite its tiny size, causes quite a stir with trout on warm summer evenings. We’re talking about the Blue Winged Olive BWO) On rivers and streams across the UK this wee fly is causing quite a stir with trout lining up to grab this in demand meal!
There are lots of sedge/caddis patterns we can choose from when it comes to imitating sedges on the warmer evenings, however perhaps one of the most versatile dressings is the ‘Elk Hair Caddis’. Developed by an American called Al Troth this pattern can be dressed with, or without a palmered hackle. Obviously, a fly with the body palmered hackle has superior floating properties, which comes in handy when fishing more animated water, like a tumbling pool on a stream, or a big, rolling wave on a reservoir. A hackle-less version naturally rides lower in the surface film, making it a favourite where smooth, flat water occurs and when trout are targeting stillborn, or spent caddis that lie almost flush in the film.
We take a look at the mayfly compara dun, a fly you need in your box for the mayfly season!
There’s countless mayfly patterns out there, which decorate our fly boxes and granted most of them are killing patterns. However, it seems many of them fall into one of two camps, those for stillwaters and the others for use on rivers. There are some though that cross the divide and appeal to trout on both lakes and running water. One such dressing is the Compara Dun Mayfly. And whilst it trades on being a ‘adult dun’ pattern in essence, such is its low riding profile it will easily pass off as an emerger.
A common fly that appears in our gardens and homes towards the backend, Daddy Long Legs (Craneflies) really need no introduction here, as they’re instantly recognizable by those six gangly legs. Gardeners know they larvae stage of daddies as leatherjacket, which are considered a pest as they eat the roots of various plants and vegetables. These larvae eventually pupate and what emerges from the soil is an adult cranefly, which makes them a terrestrial. Craneflies can be found far and wide, especially in undisturbed areas like bracken clad fells.
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