A minimilist fly

The forums are very quiet

The Global FlyFisher forum has existed for almost as long as the site, and the oldest posts are more than 20 years old. Forums aren't what they used to be. Social media has taken over a lot of their roles, and the GFF form is very quiet ... to put it mildly.
We keep everything online for the sake of history, and preserve the posts for as long as possible, but as you will see, quite a few of them aren't in a good shape, but rely on old images hosted elsewhere, which are no longer available, odd codes from old systems and much more, which can't be shown in a decent way.
But the posts are here, and you can - if you insist - start new threads. But don't stay awake waiting for replies, because they are unfortunately few and far apart.
Martin

Patterns

[img:ff7d2027ba]http://www.dtnicolson.dial.pipex.com/_wp_generated/wp17a5a3c6_1b.jpg[/i…]

I thought that this might create some interest.

Donald,

That is one strange contraption!

What does it imitate - if anything?
How do you fish it?

Martin

It is a type of fly used on the River Tummel in the 19th and early 20th century.
The idea was to get fly down quickly by in effect using the bare hook as an aid to quick surface penetration and sinking. It is probably the sparsest type of fly ever used, even more than the Clyde style. There is not much info on them, except for W. H. Lawrie in "Scottish Trout Flies" and one picture in Skues "Way of a Trout with a Fly" of regional variations of the Blue Dun and (quote)' I have known Scottish burn fishers to fill bumping creels with just such simple patterns busked before setting out'(unquote). But Lawrie and Skues is quite a good recommendation. I am in the process of tying more of the flies for the article in my web-site.
I have tied a Greenwell and maybe a Blae (Blue) Dun and a couple of others.
They did not have the range of hooks we have now-a-days nor the aids to sinking flies we have. I have published most of Lawrie's comments from his book, still very appropriate today.

You wont go broke tying those flies. I am a minimalist tyer (sometimes) and have tied several flies like yours. And that Starling Hackle is one of the best Brook Trout flies on small streams that I have ever used. It is also the best Bluegill fly I have ever used.

Nice site.

Donald,

That is one strange contraption!

What does it imitate - if anything?
How do you fish it?

Martin

It is a type of fly used on the River Tummel in the 19th and early 20th century.
The idea was to get fly down quickly by in effect using the bare hook as an aid to quick surface penetration and sinking. It is probably the sparsest type of fly ever used, even more than the Clyde style. There is not much info on them, except for W. H. Lawrie in "Scottish Trout Flies" and one picture in Skues "Way of a Trout with a Fly" of regional variations of the Blue Dun and (quote)' I have known Scottish burn fishers to fill bumping creels with just such simple patterns busked before setting out'(unquote). But Lawrie and Skues is quite a good recommendation. I am in the process of tying more of the flies for the article in my web-site.
I have tied a Greenwell and maybe a Blae (Blue) Dun and a couple of others.
They did not have the range of hooks we have now-a-days nor the aids to sinking flies we have. I have published most of Lawrie's comments from his book, still very appropriate today.

You wont go broke tying those flies. I am a minimalist tyer (sometimes) and have tied several flies like yours. And that Starling Hackle is one of the best Brook Trout flies on small streams that I have ever used. It is also the best Bluegill fly I have ever used.

Nice site.

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