The Fancy Flies of T.K. Wilson
During his service in the R.A.F. the well-known angler and author T.K. Wilson planned the idea of a book dedicated to the subject of “Fancy Flies”. Unfortunately, Wilson’s intended publication…
Family Treasures
I follow in the family tradition of collecting rare fly-tying materials. It’s turned into an obsession. Some early collected materials date to the mid-1800s, whilst others date to the inter-war…
Material Changes
As a flytyer, I am always drawn to vintage auction lots that contain healthy proportions of tying materials and associated ephemera. More so if the auction lot is north country…
Pearsall’s Gossamer Silk
It is safe to say that for the past century a certain brand of silk thread has become synonymous with the tying of traditional north country spiders. I am of…
A Guide to Choosing North Country Hackles
A Guide to Choosing North Country Hackles It goes without saying that to dress the finest of flies, you need the finest of materials. And now thankfully, with the growth…
Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear
Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear The Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear features one of flyfishing’s most ubiquitous dubbing materials and I can’t think of any other flytying material that is so adaptable as…
Snipe Hackles and North Country Spiders
Snipe Hackles (Gallinago gallinago & Lymnocryptes minimus) Snipe hackles are synonymous with the tying of north country spiders, and have along with waterhen and partridge become for many, the very…
Woodcock Hackles & North Country Spiders
Woodcock Hackles (Scolopax rusticola) The Woodcock is one of those quintessential North Country spider hackles, that has due to its scarcity become often overlooked by modern flydressers. However, these secretive and…