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How To Tie The Orange Blob

Working alongside the Semperfli Gold and Silver Fleck Chenilles Semperfli have been working on other colour blends of chenilles that attract fish. Since the release of their Gold and Silver Fleck they have been using a new Copper Fleck in their Copper Tinsel Fleck 15mm, It produces stunning flies and has less ‘flash’ which can occasionally put fish off biting. With a more subtle copper flash we have found fish loving this chenille. Use as bodies of streamers, large fly patterns, Humungous or even blob fly patterns. Available on a multicard too!



Which Fly Box?

As all round anglers here at The Essential Fly we know how important it is for anglers to keep their winning flies safe and sound out of the elements! With this in mind we’ve chosen our top three fly boxes that will have you covered weather you’re a predator, stillwater or river angler!



River Fishing In November

It’s safe to say we’ve had a lot of rain over the last few weeks! We’re all itching to get out and get our grayling season off to a strong start! With this in mind we want to give you the maximum chance of getting some grayling into your net when the rivers become safe and fishable again!


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Cooler Temperatures & Fishing On Stillwaters

A drop in temperatures often puts an edge on the trout’s appetite as they prepare for winter. Obviously, trout will target fry and baitfish at this time of year as they represent a protein rich return for fish. That said, trout are extremely opportunistic and quick to take advantage of certain food sources available to them at anytime.


Fly In Focus - Diawl Bach

Diawl Bach in Welsh means ‘Little Devil’ and whilst the original Diawl Bach is devilish deadly these days we have many variants that are equally lethal. The original Diawl Bach simply consisted of a red game tail and beard hackle with the peacock herl body.


Top Ten Grayling Flies!

I’m often asked what flies are best for grayling. It’s always a tricky question to answer as much depends on where you fish the conditions and of course, what insects might be activity. That said, a quick glance at my fly box reveals more of certain patterns. Here’s what I consider my most important flies for grayling though they are not listed in an order of preference.


As the of another trout season draws to a close, those keen to continue swinging a rod, turn to grayling fishing through the winter months. Although grayling have the same spawning period as other coarse fish they obviously come into season on June 16th. However, most anglers still have their heads full of trout at this time and rarely switch to grayling proper until after September 30th.


Back To The Day Shift

With the nights drawing in and the sun sinking ever lower, evening temperatures take a dip now, which often sees insects and trout revert back to day time feeding habits. Gone then are those warm evenings when we never made a cast until the light faded and these are replaced by more sociable ‘office hour’ activities for us.


Which Fly Tying Thread?

Once upon a time, many moons ago…I guess those tying flies were pretty much restricted to one type of thread, or silk known as Pearsall’s, which in fact was not developed for tying flies, but nonetheless, it was fit for purpose. Of course, over time, threads have been developed with the specific idea of fly tying in mind, giving us modern day fly-tiers a wide range of threads, for various applications. Those new to fly tying often find the different thread types confusing and that’s before we even begin to discuss thread thickness, or denier, which we’ll discuss in the next newsletter. Outlined here are a selection of thread types we might choose and their various applications.


Not so many moons ago, when I was a lad, you attached a tapered leader to your fly line using only the nail knot. As secure and seamless as this connection was, it remained a permanent fixture, so you were pretty much stuck with the leader of your choice on your floating line, regardless of what method you might wish to fish.


Tippet Tips!

There’s no question, lighter outfits protect finer tippets that in turn vastly improve presentation because they allow our flies a greater degree of freedom. As a rough guide, the tippet strength can be match to that of the rod line rating. For example, a 5-weight rod marries up to a 5lb tippet where as a 6-weight rod might use a 6lb tippet. Of course these rules aren’t chiseled in stone and we must remember trial and error is the route to success


River fishing in September can be phenomenal and we usually get some nice warm and dry weather, which is music to the ears of a river angler after all the wet weather we’ve had this season! Fingers crossed we have a good end to the season!



Hooray For Heather Flies!

August is a prime month for Heather Flies, which are a close relation of the Hawthorn Fly we see in April. We can instantly identify heather flies by the orange, trailing hind legs. They’re what we refer to as a ‘terrestrial’ which means they actually emerge on land. Winged adults now are easily blown onto water when a breeze picks up. Upland areas are considered a hotbed for heather flies though they do appear at lower elevations too.


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Winning Ways With Wets!

When I was a youngster, wet fly fishing was all the rage. Then came the advent of mobile lures, typically incorporating marabou, or zonker strips. Our understanding of dry fly fishing developed too, when patterns like the Bristol hopper, or Leadbetter’s suspender buzzer took the stillwater scene storm. Obviously now, wet flies took a back seat.



River Rig Set Ups You Need To Know About!

Struggling When Fishing In Higher Water? These Rigs Can Help!
Here at The Essential Fly were always on the look out for what we can do to help you catch more fish! We're lucky to have inhouse fishing experts on hand to pick their brains for their knowledge and tips to help you well on your way to up your catch rate!

We picked the brains of Yorkshire angler and fly tyer Phillippa Hake to share with us her top three rig set ups for fishing the rivers when they're on the drop from recent rain!


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