freshwater fly

Watson’s Fancy Bead Chain Caddis

Watsons fancy ball chain caddis

The Bead Chain Caddis is an interesting variation from the vice of Ola Andersson, using ball chain to both imitate the caddis larva and provide weight. Ola's home waters in Sweden abound with caddis, and stick caddis feature heavily in his fly patterns. Along with weight, the chain also provides a nice colour highlight and has some inherent movement with its grub-like wiggle.

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Gartside Gurgler

The Gurgler Fly Pattern is a floating fly that spits and “gurgles” when stripped, and is designed to imitate everything from shrimp to baitfish and a frog for bass.
Invented by the late Jack Gartside, the Gurger is a simple and very effective fly to tie, and the tying technique has even been incorporated into mouse flies for trout.
It can be tied in many different colours and sizes. White, Tan, Shrimp, Chartreuse and Olive are favourites among many fishing guides in both the salt and freshwater.

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Carping On!

Paul Fedeles' Go To Carp Bash fly

These flies were originally recommended by HFF Distant Member Paul Fedeles for the Hunter Valley (formerly Singleton) Fly Fishing Club Invitational Carp Classic, however they still apply to any carp fishing, eg. Nundle. The Carp Classic was held on mid…

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Variations on a Theme – Woolly Bugger

The Woolly Bugger is a very versatile pattern that will catch fish on virtually any lake or river. It can be tied in a variety of colour combinations, usually natural ones such at black, brown and olive.

The basic woolly bugger pattern is fairly simple, however, don’t be afraid to experiment. Remember, any fly that catches fish is a good fly. Below you’ll find some variations as tied by Club member and Fly Tie Coordinator Ben Hicks (red was the colour of the day, apparently).

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Cat’s Whisker

The Cat's Whisker is one of the best, if not the best, when it comes to stillwater trout fishing. There are many variations but the original remains as effective today as it was decades ago when Bob Church popularised the pattern after being given a handful to try by its inventor David Train.

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Czech Nymph

With the basic profile of a caseless caddis larva, the Czech Nymph is extremely effective when trout and greyling are feeding hard on the riverbed. Developed by Czech anglers, the combination of heavy hook and lead underbelly ensures that the…

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