Published Sep 2. 2001 - 22 years ago
Updated or edited Mar 11. 2023

Salt water spiders

The least dressed fly of all. The classic spider fly has to be one of the least dressed flies of all times. A slender body and a thin hackle - and that's it.

The least dressed fly of all

The classic spider fly has to be one of the least dressed flies of all times. A slender body and a thin hackle - and that's it.
It works in a stream so why shouldn't it work in the sea? My own fly The Umbrella is not that far from a spider, and that works. Even in very large sizes the spider has to be a dream to cast - light in all ways - and yet the soft hackle will have all the life you can want.
The appearence of this fly relies heavily on a nice, smooth tinsel body.

Hook Size 2 Kamasan B840
Thread Bennechi 0/12
Body Flat silver or gold tinsel
Rib Oval silver or gold tinsel
Hackle Sparse front hackle from soft black hen
Head Small from dubbing thread
Two spiders on large salt water resistant hooks.


Lightly dressed spider on a size 2 hook. Body is Super Floss, hackle is hen


Heavily dressed spider. 2 layers of super floss forms the body that is ribbed with silver tinsel. The hackle is one grizzly and one black hen feather.

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Comments

I used some greenwel...

I used some greenwell glory patterns basically a trout spider pattern in the surf in Northern Natal South Africa - I never thought they would work given its predominatly a freshwater pattern - I cast back into the swell from behind the surf and had very many fish. I'm definitely a spider convert.

i cant belive they l...

i cant belive they look like hooks

I love your website....

I love your website.

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