Premium Fly Fishing Flies, Tying Materials, Tackle & Gear - The Essential Fly Shop

Fishing is a beloved pastime for many, offering a chance to connect with nature, relax, and perhaps catch dinner. However, within the world of fishing, there are various techniques and styles that cater to different preferences and experiences. Two of the most popular methods are fly fishing and regular fishing (often referred to as spin fishing or bait fishing). While both aim to catch fish, they differ significantly in technique, equipment, and approach. In this blog post, we will explore these differences in detail.

As we head into October the fry fishing on the reservouirs around the UK is phenomenal! The trout are feeding hard on fry patterns so keep reading to see our top fly choices! There’s a real chance of catching yourself a big, overwintered and hard fighting fish at the moment too! Getting yourself out in some open water with a fast sinking line with a big snake or minkie fly is proving to be deadly at the moment! Those who prefer to fish a lighter sinking line will likely find fry feeders around the weed beds. What are you waiting for? Call your fishing friend and get out there with our top fly picks!

Phillippa Hake shares this winning gem! As we edge ever closer to the colder months, another trout season passes us by in a flash and leaves some great memories! You can’t help but feel the chill in the air which really, is actually getting me quite excited for some grayling days! Over the last few weeks I’ve been busy whipping up some grayling flies to try this autumn and winter. Keep reading to see my step by step on a little Pink Tag Nymph! Guaranteed to put a few grayling in your net!

We all know that grayling are suckers for anything pink and purple when it comes to fooling the lady of the stream during the crisp cold months! Now is a great time to stock up on your beads and get some flies tied up and grayling in the net this winter!

We know, We can’t believe it either! In just a few weeks this trout season will have ended and out attention will turn to winter grayling fishing and refilling our fly boxes! But that’s in a few weeks! There’s still plenty of time to get in the mix with some trout but be quick! This is your call to get the rods out and head to the river!

For anglers who are new to river fishing or transitioning from stillwater to river fishing. It can be quite daunting to know what flies you need and when to use them! Over the past few years I’ve made some slight changes to how many flies I carry in my box. At the end of a past season I looked at my fly box and realised I hadn’t used almost half of the flies in there! So now, my box often just a hand full of flies in different sizes and colours.

It seems these days that the camera has replaced the priest, as more and more anglers look to return their catch rather than kill fish. In many respects this is a great trend as not only are more fish to go round, but in a world of ever increasing prices, generally speaking catch and release permits work out cheaper. And, where wild trout are concerned, it’s important to return our catch so they can go on and spawn future generations. Firstly, whether you plan to return, or kill a given fish, we should respect our quarry.

I recently had a red letter evening on my local river. I arrived at the river and it just felt right! I always stand and observe what is happening before I make a cast. It can often give you the answers you need to fool a fish! Weather that be you spotting what the fish is taking or the fish rises and gives away its spot! I tackle up with my trusty 10ft 4wt, my go too rod for river fishing. I have a 12ft tapered leader and with us being mid season and the rivers being on the low side, I added a couple of extra feet of tippet to the end of my tapered leader.

Targeting Pike on the fly can be some good fun! For beginners we’ve set out some bits you’ll need to tackle up for success for catching these beast fish! including Rods, Reels, Flies & Leaders.

The weather certainly doesn’t know what do at the moment! Last weeks mid 20’s temps have disappeared and it’s now back down to a chilly 12 degrees! The fishing however has still been ok! I headed out to my local river one evening after work recently, I was greeted with some good looking rising fish, after watching and making a few casts at them they weren’t to be! A quick move downstream to some faster water I grabbed my 10ft #3 nymphing rod and worked my nymphs through some of the deeper runs.

Picture this, You’ve arrived at the river to low water there are some fish rising but they are super spooky. These can be technical fish to fool with a stealthy approach. Spooking these fish can result in the pool being disturbed for some time. During this time a good tip is to seek out the faster, rifflly and more oxygenated water. Here, nymphing can be a deadly option!

It seems we have been waiting for a warm patch of weather for weeks now. The UK is currently seeing some nice warm temperatures, but, what does that mean for our fishing adventures? During the warmer months of the trout season, the fishing can become a little tough. Trout can become lethargic and not in the mood to eat! You’ll be pleased to know we can beat the heat but be prepared for some early starts!

Fishing repots from some of the UK’s top fisheries such as Rutland, Carsington & Grafham show it’s not easy out there just now! With the cold temperatures, fishing has been tough for some! With this in mind we’ve put together some flies you need in your box to conquer these waters on your next trip!

Trout are currently going bonkers for this fly! The perfect dubbing to tie it too!

There’s a small olive coloured upwing species that despite its tiny size, causes quite a stir with trout on warm summer evenings. We’re talking about the Blue Winged Olive BWO) On rivers and streams across the UK this wee fly is causing quite a stir with trout lining up to grab this in demand meal!

The mayfly period might well be referred to as ‘Duffer’s Fortnight’ when apparently all the trout in our waters throw caution to the wind and feed greedily on mayflies. However there are periods when trout become bewilderingly tricky. This usually occurs in the early days when fish that have previously been eating tiny morsels such as midges and black gnats feel a little intimidated, or outfaced by the sheer size of adult mayflies. That said, once trout get a taste for mayflies they really do ‘lock on’

Tying Crunchers are pretty easy to do! Kit yourself out with these materials to tie up some of these fantastic flies!

Phillippa Hake went out to explore a local urban river and was greeted with some great dry fly sport! It was great to arrive at the banks of the river to see good numbers of olives hatching off and the fish going bonkers for them as they fluttered down stream! It was the first time this season I‘ve arrived at the river and thought, oh we’re in for a treat today! This particular river I was fishing on this day is only small but is home to some of the most stunning wild brown trout! I feel very lucky to have such great wild trout fishing on my door step. With typical sized brown trout and the odd surprise thrown in, Keep reading for a small insight to my most recent outing!

Tapered leaders are a must for fly anglers, especially for dry fly fishing. They make casting a single dry fly much easier than using a level length of tippet, helping the fly turn over and be presented the best it can! With the many different brands, lengths and breaking strains, for beginners, choosing the one for their needs can be a difficult task!

We hand pick some fishing essentials that wont break the bank. We use these ourself too! from snips to fly boxes. We've got you covered at The Essential Fly!

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!