Spring Fly Fishing Show

I feel really honoured as I've just been invited as a guest tyer to the Spring Fly Fishing Show see:
http://www.thespringflyfishingshow.com/
For the latest info but in brief it is at the Newark Showground, UK on Saturday 26th & Sunday 27th February 2011.
I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to tie yet but it will definitely be my own patterns and is likely to include tube flies for salmon and trout as well as other modern salmon fly patterns on double hooks. I might even tie some of my semi-realistic and highly effective wild brown trout and grayling flies for rivers.
Please do come along and find me on the tyers row and say hi.

Alan Middleton receiving his present as retiring FDG chairman

FDG AGM pt 3

Just been elected to the new committee post of Accreditation Manager under the new chairmanship of Charles Jardine, which will be excellent but taking on this new post what have I left myself in for?
I proposed that the outgoing Chairman and all round guild stalwart Alan Middleton for life Vice President which everyone agreed. He was presented with a beautiful fully built salmon fly and book by Mike Humphries (as President).

FDG AGM pt2

Finally found the meeting room - directly opposite the BBC Broadcasting House.
The BBC motto 'Nation shall speak, Peace unto nation' could apply to our meeting in that 'Guild shall speak - peace unto branches'.
Why is it that groups such as this so poorly attended when so many people then complain about what they then receive. If people don't come and air their views at the AGM, as they have the right as a member to do, then how can they complain?
With this in mind 20 members are at the meeting.
So the rest of the membership will just have to accept what they decide!

FDG AGM

The Fly Dressers Guild AGM at 11am in London this morning. I'm currently on a chilly train - hopefully I'll be on time.

Bad Dog for Char

I went to an excellent lecture at Sussex FDG by Steve Cooper (the owner of Cookshill Fly Tying and the organiser of the British Fly Fair International) and he spoke about fishing for Arctic Char in Iceland.  I asked him about a particular Icelandic fly and did he use it.  The fly in question is a Dyrbytyr (for those whose Icelandic is a bit rusty – it is pronounced ‘Dur-Pitter’) and means – and this is an approximate translation – Bad Dog.  Whilst this fly really does the business for Char in Iceland it is also really successful on rainbows in this country especially at this time of year in the colder months. Pink has always been a sucessful cold water colour – I’m not sure why.

Here’s the fly and the dressing instructions – enjoy.

The Dyrbytyr

Hook: Any wet fly 2X long shank hook – size 10 or 12

Thread: Pink

Head: Brass Bead

Tail: Tips of pink marabou and a few slivers of silver tinsel.

Rear Body: Silver Fritz

Front Body: Pink Suede Chenille

Hackle: Pink Cock Hackle.

No photo

OK so I changed my mind!  I have redesigned the blog without the background picture as it was hard to read the text - I hope you like the new design.  Just so you don't feel left out here is the picture that was the original background

Background picture

Finally got the design of my blog sorted.  For those of you who were wondering where the background picture was taken.  It is of me spey casting at 'The Graveyard' on Beat 2 of the River Lochy in Scotland.  The snow covered mountain in the background is Ben Nevis, the UK's highest peak.

Welcome

Welcome to my first ever blog!!!
This is my site to record my adventures, triumphs and even disasters in the world of flytying.
I'll try to put all my new patterns here on the site as well as building up a catalogue of some of the more familiar patterns.
With regards
Paul