American here. I am trying to incorporate ‘spiders’ into my repertoire. I’ve never seen anyone over here using spiders, so I acquired Dave Hughe’s book “Wet Flies” to help me learn. Excellent reference! This video is also a wonderful resource. I’ve added it to my video library saved for later studies. Thanks so much for making this classic video for us to enjoy!
'Incorporate' is probably your best way; a single one included with whatever method you normally use - whether on a dropper, behind a dry (or in front) or one behind a weighted nymph etc When fish start taking the 'Wet' - and at various depths - it will give confidence they actually work (and how) before jumping in to fishing a whole team of Wets/Spiders, and swinging them about haphazardly, in hope rather than expectation. Wets, and Spider-type flies on rivers never went away in Scotland (possibly because of their ubiquity when Loch fishing - though usually heavier dressed there) What you will find (as ever) is you have to disover what pattern works for your particular rivers. Some of the 'great' Wet Fly patterns' I don't have much success with (Snipe, and Purple, Partridge, and Orange etc) but I clean up with my own spartan, drab olive, and grey duns. Where a wing is used, I find very slim, rolled, and low - as opposed to pairs split, and high, to be the medicine - Clyde fishers would disagree... If in doubt, take your go-to favourite flies and just dress them Wet/Spider, and stick them on. 'Spartan' is the watchword - less is more dressing river Wets in my experience 👍 As an aside; observing trout taking Wet Flies high in the water, also led to my best fly dressing for head & tailers (or spooky risers sipping, especially on sluggish pools) a crippled wet fly , fished singly. Sparse olive rabbit dub/ grey partridge hackle (spider style, well marked) and a single, sparse, natural grey cdc wing - just enough to hold it in, or just below the surface a little longer. Is that a crippled wet, or a crippled dry? Well, intent I suppose - it's intended to be a 'Wet Fly' and dressed skinny as such - that's good enough for me! It still works when eventually well sunk, and fished truly 'wet' - though not quite as well as a slim, low-rolled heron wing (which I think probably causes less disturbance/pockets of micro bubble cavitations/erratic swim, which cdc might when sub-surface. Hooks: Personally I find short-shank, wide-gape better for Wets than trad. longer shank hooks. YMMV. 😎🍺
Love this program. I am in NSW Australia and fish spiders and other traditional wets all the time, along with nymphs as well. They are a delight to fish with and very productive. Fun to tie as well. :-)
I started fly fishing and fly tying 56 years ago as a new teenager and have never stopped! Don’t bother much with dry flys for trout as I find no need!
What of Michael Theakston of ripon in the late part of the seventeenth century ? People tend to overlook him as one of the fathers of the north country spider
Cracking film. I have fished since being taught to tie a snipe purple back in 1972 and still fish Yorkshire dales rivers with spiders and drys.
American here. I am trying to incorporate ‘spiders’ into my repertoire. I’ve never seen anyone over here using spiders, so I acquired Dave Hughe’s book “Wet Flies” to help me learn. Excellent reference! This video is also a wonderful resource. I’ve added it to my video library saved for later studies. Thanks so much for making this classic video for us to enjoy!
'Incorporate' is probably your best way; a single one included with whatever method you normally use - whether on a dropper, behind a dry (or in front) or one behind a weighted nymph etc
When fish start taking the 'Wet' - and at various depths - it will give confidence they actually work (and how) before jumping in to fishing a whole team of Wets/Spiders, and swinging them about haphazardly, in hope rather than expectation.
Wets, and Spider-type flies on rivers never went away in Scotland (possibly because of their ubiquity when Loch fishing - though usually heavier dressed there)
What you will find (as ever) is you have to disover what pattern works for your particular rivers.
Some of the 'great' Wet Fly patterns' I don't have much success with (Snipe, and Purple, Partridge, and Orange etc) but I clean up with my own spartan, drab olive, and grey duns.
Where a wing is used, I find very slim, rolled, and low - as opposed to pairs split, and high, to be the medicine - Clyde fishers would disagree...
If in doubt, take your go-to favourite flies and just dress them Wet/Spider, and stick them on.
'Spartan' is the watchword - less is more dressing river Wets in my experience 👍
As an aside; observing trout taking Wet Flies high in the water, also led to my best fly dressing for head & tailers (or spooky risers sipping, especially on sluggish pools) a crippled wet fly , fished singly.
Sparse olive rabbit dub/ grey partridge hackle (spider style, well marked) and a single, sparse, natural grey cdc wing - just enough to hold it in, or just below the surface a little longer.
Is that a crippled wet, or a crippled dry?
Well, intent I suppose - it's intended to be a 'Wet Fly' and dressed skinny as such - that's good enough for me!
It still works when eventually well sunk, and fished truly 'wet' - though not quite as well as a slim, low-rolled heron wing (which I think probably causes less disturbance/pockets of micro bubble cavitations/erratic swim, which cdc might when sub-surface.
Hooks: Personally I find short-shank,
wide-gape better for Wets than trad. longer shank hooks. YMMV.
😎🍺
There is a gentleness in this film that captures a world we seem to have lost, both in fly fishing and in the wider world.
Fished with Paul in Slovenia what a generous knowledgeable guy
Just found this film. I makes a change to see Spiders being fished and the Bloa catching fish. Nicely shot in the Dales.
Love this program. I am in NSW Australia and fish spiders and other traditional wets all the time, along with nymphs as well. They are a delight to fish with and very productive. Fun to tie as well. :-)
I started fly fishing and fly tying 56 years ago as a new teenager and have never stopped! Don’t bother much with dry flys for trout as I find no need!
What of Michael Theakston of ripon in the late part of the seventeenth century ? People tend to overlook him as one of the fathers of the north country spider
Spiders also work in New Zealand!
Johan has a very strange technique when playing fish ,weird