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| #6 Dee Spider ~ Steven Bird |
Still thinking about larger
patterns (#4 - #12) for swinging. My last two posts featured some examples of the
Spade & Dabbler design frames, & having laid that down, I thought it
might be a good idea to cover the topic by posting some examples of Low Water Spiders
as well.
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| #6 October Caddis ~ Steven Bird |
Don't know why but I feel the need to qualify this by
reminding readers that I am not the person who gave these types of flies their
family names (Spider, Dabbler, Spade). If the labels seem arbitrary & fanciful, that is because they
kinda are. Again, not my fault. But hey, ya gotta love language, &
particularly naming things.
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| #8 Green/Blue Spider ~ Steven Bird |
The angling lexicon &
usage differs, depending on your side of The Pond. For example, what Americans
commonly refer to as ‘soft-hackle flies’ are generally known as ‘spiders’ in Britain.
Interestingly, both European salmon anglers & American steelheaders apply
the term ‘Spider’ to a class of scantily dressed (more or less), wingless
wetflies meant to trigger wary anadromous fish in clear or low water conditions
– hence the term ‘Low Water Spider’. The Spade flies fit this category, though
I’ve separated them in these posts as they represent a very specific type, tied
with a single spade hen hackle & deer hair underbody & tailing. Though LW
Spiders are dressed down by Atlantic salmon fly standards, they are decidedly
fancy compared to the wee North Country Spiders familiar to most trouters.
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| #6 October Variant ~ Steven Bird |
My own experience leads me to
believe there is potential for great trout flies within the LW Spider design frame.
For the most part, these are tied as attracter flies (lures) designed to be
fished with the classic wetfly swing & in all the ways that one would fish
a streamer. Tied in sizes #4 through #12, the LW Spiders fill the niche between
large streamers & wee flies. In natural colorations they serve to simulate
minnows, larger nymphs, crayfish & sculpin. As lures, they afford tiers infinite
variability to run wild mixing irresistible trigger-color combinations to
create killing baits.
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| #10 Ruby/Black Spider ~ Steven Bird |
The Low Water Spiders are
easy to tie, satisfying to look at & fish. They are tied with & without
tailing. Bodies may be anything, generally sparse & not crowding the hook,
ending at or ahead of the hook point. Unlike Spade flies, LW Spiders are often
tied with multiple hackles, similar to the Dabbler designs, yet without the
palmer over the body. Sized to meet the water & fish, these are effective
on any stream, & perfect for Trout Spey.
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| #8 Plover & Partridge Hares Ear ~ Steven Bird |
If you are interested in
wilderness, rivers, swinging flies, two-handed rods, elegant useful flies,
Trout Spey, or anything Spey, & if you like the portable ease & cozy
satisfaction of a tactile magazine posted beside the recliner or on the night
stand (or, as in my own case, on top of the water closet back of the john) you’d
probably appreciate Swing The Fly magazine.
In my own humble opinion, STF is a breath of fresh air – discerning, smart
editorial & literary values, a soul commitment to our wilderness &
fisheries, a keen sense of what is authentic & valuable in the tradition of
our game, great photography, art & illustrations – in all regards the
finest angling magazine in publication. The Spring 2018 issue will be totally
devoted to flies & fly tying, & will feature Spade, Dabbler &
Spider patterns for swinging &Trout Spey, as well as sea-trout, salmon
& steelhead patterns from master tier/anglers. If you appreciate killing
fly designs that reflect long tradition, Swing
The Fly is the real thing. If you subscribe now you’ll get the Spring Fly
issue, alone worth the price of admission. http://www.swingthefly.com/
