Trouting. River. Idid not begin fly fishing with spiders until two. Part Five Spider Fishing

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1 32-36 River Trouting 23/8/04 10:58 am Page 1 Trouting Part Five Spider Fishing Angler File Name: Andrew Ryan Occupation: Instructs at Clonavav Fly Fishing Centre and runs courses on all aspects of fly fishing Location: Clonavav Fly Fishing Centre, Nire Valley, Ballymacarby, Clonme, Co Waterford Telephone: (0) andrew@flyfishingireland. com Web: River Qualified fishing guide Andrew Ryan concludes his series with a look at the traditional wet-fly art that is spider fishing. Idid not begin fly fishing with spiders until two years ago, as I favoured more modern techniques, such as nymph fishing and New Zealand style. However, I now believe that every technique has its time and place and on those days when fishing the spider is best, there s just nothing to touch it. North country spider patterns originated in Yorkshire in the late 1880s and were first written about in Mr T E Pritt s classic book, Yorkshire Trout Flies. Since then, they have been in and out of fashion at various times. Spider patterns are unusual looking flies but they are successful. There are many arguments as to why they work so well, but I believe it is because the translucent wings, along with a very slim body, make the fly look 32 Irish angler

2 32-36 River Trouting 23/8/04 10:58 am Page 2 similar to an emerging or crippled insect. Also, the hackles on the flies pulsate in the current, to give the impression of life. Similar wet flies are used in Spain and France and use similar speckled feathers. For example, some of the Spanish wet flies are very much like the Partridge and Orange or Partridge and Yellow, so this style of fly seems to work in Europe very well, too. I like to use two different styles when fishing spiders downstream, with a sink-tip fly line, a nymph and a spider pattern and upstream, using three flies, one dry as an indicator, and two spider patterns. Spiders can be made to work under virtually any conditions even warm sunny days! Downstream This is an easy way of fishing as you are casting across and down. I find it works very well when the fish are not rising and there is very little action on the surface. The advantage of fishing across and down is the amount of water that is covered. The flies practically comb the width of the river, so a lot of fish get to see the flies. 1 Irish angler 33

3 32-36 River Trouting 23/8/04 10:58 am Page 3 Equipment I use a 9ft 6-wt fly rod and a weight-forward, sink-tip fly line. The sink-tip line ensures that the flies are allowed to sink a few inches under the surface. The flies are not weighted, so it is a real advantage to use the sink-tip line. I use a 9ft leader with a single dropper about 18 inches to two feet back from the point fly. On to the dropper I tie a Gold-Headed Flashback Pheasant Tail and on the point a north country spider of choice. The nymph often acts as an attractor, but the fish will take the spider 80 per cent of the time. John Agnew with a beautiful River Nire trout taken using a Partridge and Yellow. Type Of Water To Be Fished I like to fish spiders in fast streamy water. The flies will have more movement in the current and look more like insects. Fishing in very slow water is difficult, but it does work, provided there is at least a moderate flow. Setting The Hook As you are fishing downstream there is no need to set the hook, fish will usually hook themselves if the line is taut. Setting the hook and lifting the rod results in a lot of lost fish! Fishing spider patterns upstream is a skill well worth mastering. Andrew Ryan s Favourite Spider Patterns William s Favourite Silk: Black Pearsall s Gossamer Rib: Fine silver wire Hackle: Black hen Black Magic Silk: Black Thorax: Peacock herl wound over a ball of wound wire Hackle: Short-fibred black hen Snipe And Purple Silk: Purple Hackle: Upper wing cover of snipe 34 Irish angler

4 32-36 River Trouting 23/8/04 10:58 am Page 4 Fly line Braided loop Fluorocarbon droppers tied on more or less 18 inches apart Dry fly Spider 1 Spider 2 Leader for Upstream Spider Fishing Leader for Downstream Spider Fishing Sink-tip fly line Braided loop Fluorocarbon droppers tied on more or less 18 inches apart Spider 2 Nymph Upstream There are several schools of thought on how to fish north country spiders upstream. Purists prefer to fish three spiders on a fairly short line, retrieving slightly quicker than the speed of the current. When the fish takes, it is often hard to see, and I would advise this technique for experienced anglers. Those who are not so experienced should try using a large dry fly on the top dropper along with two spiders. The dry fly will act as an indicator and help to 2 identify takes lower down. This ensures that you miss less fish. It is not the textbook way of fishing spiders, but it is very effective. Equipment Again, I use the 9ft 6-wt rod but this time it s coupled with a weight-forward floating line, and on this I use a 9ft leader with two droppers. On the top dropper I tie a large dry fly, such as an Elk Hair Caddis, Muddler or Humpy. On the bottom dropper and the point I tie two different spider patterns. This angler is using a sink-tip line to present a team of spiders downstream. Irish angler 07 35

5 32-36 River Trouting 23/8/04 10:58 am Page 5 More Of Andrew Ryan s Favourite Spider Patterns Light Snipe and Yellow Silk: Yellow Hackle: Snipe underwing Waterhen Bloa Silk: Primrose thread, waxed and lightly dubbed with mole fur Hackle: Waterhen underwing Yellow Partridge Silk: Yellow Pearsall s Gossamer Hackle: Grey speckled feather (without a brownish tinge) from the back of a grey partridge (English) Type Of Water Slow-moving or moderately paced water is most suited to this technique, as you will be able to see the fish breaking the surface to take your flies. Fishing this style in water that is too fast will mean that you will miss a lot of takes. I also like to use spiders for rising fish. They work exceptionally well just before a hatch on summer evenings. Trout are often feeding on the emerging insect and have not yet moved onto the adult fly. This can be great sport, as your evening fishing can start much earlier, and you are not just depending on having everything right for the last hour or 30 minutes of manic dry-fly fishing. To the victor the spoils. Flies The flies themselves are very easy to tie. Their inception was very simple and innovative. The flies should be slim and lightly dressed. Often, anglers tend to overdress them, making the flies very bulky and losing their ability to imitate the natural insect. The feathers used on the flies are very specific, so I would advise looking up the exact location of the feathers somewhere online, such as com/flytying/northcountrywets1.shtml. This is a traditional style of fishing, but is still very successful on rivers today. I rate it very highly, because, on his day, an angler experienced with spider patterns can often outfish any other angler on the river. Even shallow sections of river can be searched effectively with a light set-up. 36 Irish angler