thefeatherbender

[thefeatherbender]

Adams hair wing dun

If you are looking for a superb all round mayfly dun pattern, that is easy to tie and will work for just about any mayfly hatch, if you match the correct hook size and colour – you need look no further! The hair wing dun series from Rene Harrop includes this classic, the Adams Hairwing Dun. If the Adams and the elk hair caddis got together and had a child it, this would be the result. Two of the…

[thefeatherbender]

Sparkle Mayfly Dun

This is probably the most important and universal mayfly dun that you can have in your box! The Craig Mathews sparkle dun is a no hackle pattern that can be tied in just about any size and colour to match the hatch. The sparkling trailing shuck makes this pattern a stillborn or cripple mayfly, making it easy pickings for feeding trout. How to tie sparkle mayfly dun Sparkle mayfly dun pattern…

[thefeatherbender]

Hard Head Euro Nymph

A very quick and easy tie for a super effective Euro Nymph. If you are looking for an all round jig that works well, you need look no further! This pattern has been especially effective for brown trout, char and grayling . As tied here ‘slim’ it works best in deeper pocket water , but if you are fishing shallower runs tie it with a larger dubbed collar. This will slow it down on the sink. How…

[thefeatherbender]

Pescare fishing show in Rimini

I will be tying and signing books at the huge Pescare fishing show in Rimini Italy 7-9 February 2025. If you are attending please come and say hello. I will be doing demos all day, every day.  54 Dean Street will have my last three books, including my latest for sale, and my special designed hair stackers. If you have any of my previous books and would like them signed, bring them along and I’ll…

[thefeatherbender]

Para weld Mayfly

An absolute must pattern if you are fishing mayfly hatches! Some very different and interesting techniques for this unusual parachute pattern, including my Para weld parachute technique. Once this technique is mastered, it can be used for any size or colour of mayfly that may match your hatch. How to tie Para weld Mayfly Para weld Mayfly recipe Hook: Mustad Heritage R43AP # 12 Tying thread:…

[thefeatherbender]

Book review UK magazine 'Fly Fishing and Fly Tying'

The Feather Bender’s Advanced Flytying TechniquesBy Barry Ord Clarke(Merlin Unwin Books; £30) Second in the Feather Bender series, the Advanced sequel. Nicely produced hardback. Barry Ord Clarke is a professional photographer, so unsurprisingly this is a very well illustrated book. The tying sequences are detailed and clear, materials and techniques are very well illustrated. I’d say this takes…

[thefeatherbender]

Skinny Damsel nymph

A pattern from Gordon Van Der Spuy’s book The Feather Mechanic, is a simple and quick damsel nymph that has lots of movement. Fish it slowly as a natural or with a faster jerky receive as an attractor, both work well. How to tie Skinny Damsel Hook: Mustad Heritage C53 # 8-14 Tying Thread: Sheer 14/0 Olive Tail: Marabou Rib: UTC Blue wire Abdomen: Marabou Wing case: Rafia Thorax: Ice…

[thefeatherbender]

Soft/wet fly hackle technique

Heres a neat technique for the perfect soft hackle. It can also be used as a wet fly hackle if less wraps are made.  The whole idea behind a soft hackle is ‘Movement’ the more the better. The use of a hen hackle is preferred, as these are much softer than rooster hackles and generally shorter in the barb. Choice and preparation of the hackle before use, is also paramount for the best result.…

[thefeatherbender]

Diane Mayfly

I’m not sure of the origins of this interesting pattern but it looks very fishy as both a Dun and an emerger. The hackle and legs are made from the long guard hairs from a hares mask (not ears) and create a very scruffy buggy effect. Here I use a foam cylinder for the collar but I’m sure a strip of foam cut from a sheet will also work. How to tie Diane Mayfly Diane Mayfly pattern Hook: Mustad…

[thefeatherbender]

Advanced Flytying Techniques Book Reviews by John Roberts

The Feather Bender’s Advanced Flytying TechniquesAuthor: Barry Ord Clarke Publisher: Merlin Unwin Books Price: £30 As a very average tyer of flies, I was a little daunted to be confronted by a book on ‘Advanced’ flytying. For sure there are many styles and techniques in the book I’ve never used; but isn’t that the point? I’m reading this to learn something new. None of it is so difficult that…

[thefeatherbender]

Spider hackle technique

A simple technique for tying a spider hackle. Using a grey speckled partridge hackle, that you will find located on the neck or back of a Hungairian or English partridge skin. With the correct preparation you can adjust the density of the finished hackle by adjusting how many barbs you leave on the hackle before you tie it in. Only the minimum amount of wraps of hackle are required. The…

[thefeatherbender]

Quick and useful hackle technique

Heres a quick and useful hackle technique that can be used for all types of hackle.

[thefeatherbender]

Bibio Dyret

We all know the original Dyret pattern from Gunnar Bingen, but heres a pattern that I have been playing with the past two seasons that has been a killer for wild brown trout. Just a simple variant of the original tied in black with a Bibio hot spot. How to tie Bibio Dyret dry fly Bibio Dyret pattern recipe Hook: Mustad Heritage R43 Long dry # 14 Tying thread: Sheer 14/0 Black Tail/head:…

[thefeatherbender]

Best emerger fly patterns

Emergers represent a vulnerable phase, of an aquatic insects life when they are in the process of transition from a, subaquatic nymph, larva or pupa, into a winged adult stage of the life cycle. They are not dry flies or wet flies, but can be fished as both. They shouldn’t fish high and dry like a traditional dry fly, nor should they fish deep like a nymph, but somewhere in-between. One of the…

[thefeatherbender]

Crested Caddis

Another scruffy fishing pattern with a paraloop wing/crest that keeps this pattern floating all day long high and dry. With a very spiky footprint it can double as a all purpose searching pattern and the trout love it! Crested Caddis pattern recipe Hook: Mustad Heritage Classic Dry R50 # 12 Tying thread: Sheer 1470 grey Rib: Pearl opal tinsel Body: Hares mask dubbing mix Wing/crest: Two…

[thefeatherbender]

Seals Fur Midge

A small seals fur midge pattern that has worked well all season for me. Tied here on a Mustad Heritage S80AP Heavy Wet # 14 but you can also tie it smaller if required. The jungle cock can be substituted with goose biots if wished. The genuine seals fur abdomen gives this pattern a very buggy appearance when wet. A must have pattern! Seals Fur Midge pattern recipe Hook: Mustad Heritage S80AP…

[thefeatherbender]

Start tying your own flies?

The nature of fly fishing – for most of us, is such, that once you have taken the first step and learned to cast with a fly rod and eventually land your first fish, you gain instant membership to a very special international brotherhood, that has no cultural or social boundaries.  We all become members of one and the same family, fly fishermen.  Our enthusiasm and hunger for knowledge within our…