For 3 flies only!

[Wildfisher]

2 x wets :Silver Invicta,  Black Pennel
1 x dry:  Greenwells parachute

[Malcolm]

Today it'll be a black hopper, snipe and purple and CDC buzzer. Ask me tomorrow and I'll have changed my mind.

[Jemhill]

Well the most popular so far seem to be kate mclaren, Bibio, Black Pennel and Claret Bumble. Thanks for all the answers (so far!) its been interesting reading!

Cheers all - Jemhill

[Fishtales]

As a friend of mine used to say, "That'll be a wee black fly then?"

[Arbroath Smokie]

A Kate Mclaren (or very similar) at the top, greenwell in the middle, and a small, thinly dressed black muddler on the tail.

[Fishtales]

I use these three right through the season.







Supplemented by this if the dry isn't working.

[Fishtales]

My experience too Davy. Fished it on the Ling in Attadale, Clyde and a few others and caught fish. I think it is because it has movement from the seal fur and the short hackle and the contrast between the black thorax and the ginger body. It also has muted more natural colours. Whatever, it works which is the main thing

[Crawhin]

Got to say that unlike some others I really wouldn't like to restrict myself to 3 patterns all season long even if I could vary the size and style of the 3. I would be quite happy though to have early season, mid and back-end casts. If I was to restrict myself to just the 3 season long, and for all waters, I'd go for:-

-  Claret sedgehog
-  a red-arsed palmered black mini muddler thing that I came up with a few years back
(tied straggly on size 12 and 14 grub hooks it has taken the place of my previously beloved zulus in my box recently)
- Wormfly - can I be allowed a variety of hackle colours?  (great all round pattern, I like to tie mine slim and nymph like on size 12 deepwater nymph hooks with fairly sparse webby hen hackles).

Cheers,

Ian

[Highlander]

Bob:Soldier Palmer
Dropper: Blae & Black
Tail: Invicta
A wee story about The Invicta
The Invicta in particular has a been a "never fail me" sort of fly, Whilst it has never accounted for "big bags" is has caught most of my bigger fish & has saved a somewhat dour day on many an occasion. I remember once after a steep walk up the side of Ben Stack to fish a Scourie hotel loch, Eileanach,reputed to have large fish. The guests at the hotel spoke of a Trout they called Papa Doc & it was reputed to have a mouth festooned with Invictas. I did not see it & certainly did not hook it but it is that sort of place, so who knows. Feel the story may have been a bit far fetched & for my benefit but interesting never the less.Despite the few hours we had on it's water only a wee hauf pun fish was caught by "Mackie". He was the "gillie" on that TV programme that fished the Scourie area with what was his name Nick Hancock, yes that was it, he was the narrator.  He was a guest then at Scourie & was I believe the Board Master (An interesting way if somewhat flawed to fish) when I spent a pleasant week there many years ago, whilst my wife was in hospital having our first born. guess he still goes up there, a very nice man he was. Anyway virtually the last cast of the day towards a large submerged stone in the water the Invicta was intercepted by a 3lb.9oz fish which fought as hard as any I have ever caught & only pales to the one I hooked & lost on a loch of the same name but in the Altnaharra region. Believe the names means "Loch of the Islands". which certainly describes the two of them.

Tight Lines

[Highlander]

From Scourie Hotel Web Site

Beat 14 - Eileanach

Getting to Eileanach involves an initially steep walk along the stalker's track up the side of Ben Stack. This is well worth it but the beat is for the reasonably fit only and should not be taken lightly. The six fish in glass cases which surround the hotel entrance were all taken from the main loch and good fish are still there to be taken in reasonable numbers (See June 1998). The loch itself is dotted with islands (hence the name) and on a clear day the views over the loch and from the top of the stalker's path are magnificent.