Cast of the Month - August
August's Cast of the Month comes courtesy of Whalsay man David John Anderson. David John is an accomplished fly fisherman, keen competition angler and innovative fly tier.
The month of August should see the trout up in the water and keen to feed on the ever increasing number of large insects which will be on the go such as sedge and cranefly. This is very much reflected in D.J.A.'s "top of the water" flies for August .
In bob position is the "Ramnaberg Hog." D.J.A. says that this fly was inspired by a pattern from another top Whalsay angler Ian Reid. It has worked well all over Shetland and is one of those flies which will always pull trout to the cast. This is an excellent example of how modern fly tieing materials can be incorporated in to a more natural and traditional design.
On middle dropper is the "Orange & Yellow Half Hog." Good middle dropper flies are hard to come by but this little gem is a winner. Usually you can never go wrong with a bright fly somewhere on the cast and orange is an excellent colour, especially on some of our more peat stained waters. D.J.A. has done well with this fly on the West side lochs and especially Vaara. This pattern would be in the first line of attack on a bright day and is another great example of the use of modern synthetic materials.
Tail fly is David John's excellent "Doobry Variant." Stan Headley's "Doobry" really has stood the test of time and this deadly variant is based on the classic black and orange hackles palmered over a gold body. This fly will work anywhere on the cast and has fished extremely well all over Shetland this year as well as Caithness. David John suggests trying different coloured heads such as black, or red with a red tail. He goes on to say that he tends to fish it on duller days but it also has all the hallmarks of a bright day fly.
For the majority of the season David John uses a "Buzzer Tip" line for his angling but of course this cast would be very much at home fished on a full floater with the "hogs" ginked up. David John puts a lot of emphasis on varying the speed of retrieve from static to stripped fast - and of course mixing it up.
August's Cast of the Month comes courtesy of Whalsay man David John Anderson. David John is an accomplished fly fisherman, keen competition angler and innovative fly tier.
The month of August should see the trout up in the water and keen to feed on the ever increasing number of large insects which will be on the go such as sedge and cranefly. This is very much reflected in D.J.A.'s "top of the water" flies for August .
In bob position is the "Ramnaberg Hog." D.J.A. says that this fly was inspired by a pattern from another top Whalsay angler Ian Reid. It has worked well all over Shetland and is one of those flies which will always pull trout to the cast. This is an excellent example of how modern fly tieing materials can be incorporated in to a more natural and traditional design.
On middle dropper is the "Orange & Yellow Half Hog." Good middle dropper flies are hard to come by but this little gem is a winner. Usually you can never go wrong with a bright fly somewhere on the cast and orange is an excellent colour, especially on some of our more peat stained waters. D.J.A. has done well with this fly on the West side lochs and especially Vaara. This pattern would be in the first line of attack on a bright day and is another great example of the use of modern synthetic materials.
Tail fly is David John's excellent "Doobry Variant." Stan Headley's "Doobry" really has stood the test of time and this deadly variant is based on the classic black and orange hackles palmered over a gold body. This fly will work anywhere on the cast and has fished extremely well all over Shetland this year as well as Caithness. David John suggests trying different coloured heads such as black, or red with a red tail. He goes on to say that he tends to fish it on duller days but it also has all the hallmarks of a bright day fly.
For the majority of the season David John uses a "Buzzer Tip" line for his angling but of course this cast would be very much at home fished on a full floater with the "hogs" ginked up. David John puts a lot of emphasis on varying the speed of retrieve from static to stripped fast - and of course mixing it up.
Ramnaberg Hog
Thread - Red .
Body - Brown Glister dubbing.
Rib - Tan medium tri-lobal hackle. http://www.tedcarter.co.uk/veniard/veniard-pure-tri-lobal-hackles
Wing - Deer Hair.
Head - Red Glister dubbing.
Thread - Red .
Body - Brown Glister dubbing.
Rib - Tan medium tri-lobal hackle. http://www.tedcarter.co.uk/veniard/veniard-pure-tri-lobal-hackles
Wing - Deer Hair.
Head - Red Glister dubbing.
Orange and Yellow Half Hog
Thread - Orange.
Body - Yellow Glister dubbing.
Rib - Fire Orange Micro Straggle.
Wing - Deer Hair.
Head - Orange Glister.
Thread - Orange.
Body - Yellow Glister dubbing.
Rib - Fire Orange Micro Straggle.
Wing - Deer Hair.
Head - Orange Glister.
Doobry Variant
Tail - Globrite floss No.11 (or No. 4 or 5.)
Body - Flat Gold Tinsel
Rib - Gold Wire
Body Hackles - Orange and Black cock hackles wound together.
Head - Olive Deer Hair muddled.
Tail - Globrite floss No.11 (or No. 4 or 5.)
Body - Flat Gold Tinsel
Rib - Gold Wire
Body Hackles - Orange and Black cock hackles wound together.
Head - Olive Deer Hair muddled.