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Open Forums => Open Boards Viewable By Guests => Flies And Tying => Topic started by: zimtrout on February 21, 2011, 11:13:47 PM

Title: Top flies for caithness area?
Post by: zimtrout on February 21, 2011, 11:13:47 PM
Good evening
right question time, who has the top patterns for up in this neck of the woods?
I tie flies so will have a bash at tying some of the suggested patterns up, any help
would be great,  cheers zimtrout
Title: Re: Top flies for caithness area?
Post by: bushy palmer on February 22, 2011, 12:08:22 AM
Same idea as fachan although slightly different approach. I find traditional palmered patterns with a few extra turns on the body hackles does the trick. :)
Title: Re: Top flies for caithness area?
Post by: bushy palmer on February 22, 2011, 09:49:29 AM
Spot on! :D
Title: Re: Top flies for caithness area?
Post by: thewaterbouys on February 22, 2011, 05:21:11 PM



        Hogs do well.

      Henry :D
Title: Re: Top flies for caithness area?
Post by: zimtrout on February 22, 2011, 07:54:51 PM
thanks gents
have started tying up sedgehogs, in olive, black and claret, and stan headly's half hogs, in the same sorts of colours,some with flashier ribs,  will attempt to tie up some dirty weaker's,  watten warriors, loch ordie's,  not tied many tradition palmered patterns but have had a couple of hours playing about with hen hackles on slightly larger hook to get the hang of it, just for practice! any other must have patterns?? cheers zimtrout
Title: Re: Top flies for caithness area?
Post by: deergravy on February 22, 2011, 11:15:16 PM
Good chance of mayfly in June, be prepared!
Watten doesn't have any, nor Sarclet I think, south end of Calder was hoaching with them when I fished it in June a couple of years ago. Fishing was hectic with big olive-bodied DHEs.
I've always fancied a crack at St Johns when the mayfly are up.
Title: Re: Top flies for caithness area?
Post by: Sandison on February 23, 2011, 12:29:06 AM
Select from the following for a 3-fly cast: Ke-He, Soldier Palmer, March Brown, Greenwell's Glory, Silver Invicta, Bloody Butcher - any time and all the time -  weel, it works for me?
Title: Re: Top flies for caithness area?
Post by: Clan Chief on February 23, 2011, 01:33:43 AM
St Johns Heather fly, Silver Invicta, Watten warrior and Loch Ordies were the most successful flies for me and my two mates last year in July.
Title: Re: Top flies for caithness area?
Post by: Inchlaggan on February 23, 2011, 04:00:30 PM
Quote from: Sandison on February 23, 2011, 12:29:06 AM
Select from the following for a 3-fly cast: Ke-He, Soldier Palmer, March Brown, Greenwell's Glory, Silver Invicta, Bloody Butcher - any time and all the time -  weel, it works for me?

Add Alexandra, Black Pennell, and Dunkeld and that is my list.
Title: Re: Top flies for caithness area?
Post by: bushy palmer on February 23, 2011, 06:42:09 PM
Aye your Vice is going to be red hot Zimtrout!

Start tying now and you might be ready come June:D
Title: Re: Top flies for caithness area?
Post by: deergravy on February 23, 2011, 09:39:00 PM
Quote from: guest on February 23, 2011, 03:29:47 PM
If it's any help theLast time I fished St Johns I couldn't move a fish they were so gorged on mayfly - that was mid May!  :shock:
:shock: indeed!
Calder mayfly hatch was about the third week of the month, most hatches in the north seem to occur any time between early June and mid-July - or so I thought!

Seems to be a bit of a lottery compared with South England or Ireland.
Never known them to get sated - what an absolute pisser that must have been!
Usually a mayfly hatch is a shoo-in for good fishing.

(on edit: I have seen fish fish hammering small olives in preferance to a fair mayfly emergence on a few occasions. Spoilsports!)
Title: Re: Top flies for caithness area?
Post by: zimtrout on February 23, 2011, 09:43:35 PM
it would look like it, i have loads of patterns to try and master, what fun, just upgraded my vice as the one my lovely mother bought me as a nine year old has finally started to give up on me, you lads all fish/live up this way then??
Title: Re: Top flies for caithness area?
Post by: zimtrout on March 06, 2011, 10:46:05 PM
evening
had a good session on the vice today, tied up some Kate mclarens, soldier Palmer's, watten warriors, and some bibios, have ties some on size 10 kamasan b175's, some of these flies look to big? am i right in thinking this??? or do the highland brownies like slightly bigger flies??? cheers zimtrout
Title: Re: Top flies for caithness area?
Post by: zimtrout on March 06, 2011, 11:27:29 PM
thanks for that, lots of the patterns i have looked at are tied on size 10 hooks, was just wondering!
Title: Re: Top flies for caithness area?
Post by: Fishtales on March 07, 2011, 10:53:05 AM
My Floating Nymph pattern is tied on LS #12 or #14.

http://www.wild-fishing-scotland.co.uk/flydatabase/locationdetail.php?loc=16

In a wave a LS #8 Murrough/Loch Ordie/Muddler is worth using on the top dropper.

The Murrough

http://www.fish4flies.com/Dry/Sedge/Murragh

Try a #12/#14 Hillloch nymph on the tail.

http://www.wild-fishing-scotland.co.uk/flydatabase/locationdetail.php?loc=18

There are a few more flies to try in the Fly Database

http://www.wild-fishing-scotland.co.uk/flydatabase/locationdetail.php?loc=18"




Title: Re: Top flies for caithness area?
Post by: zimtrout on March 08, 2011, 04:07:48 PM
thanks for your help chaps, one more question what hackles do you use for palmering?? i have found saddle hackles the easiest to work with, got some hen hackles too, much softer and webbier if thats a word?
Title: Re: Top flies for caithness area?
Post by: Fishtales on March 08, 2011, 04:40:13 PM
You want the big bushy palmer on the surface so cock hackles are the best for that. The big hen hackles are best for lure wings, woolly buggers or any of the big wet flies as they give more movement to the fly underwater.
Title: Re: Top flies for caithness area?
Post by: zimtrout on March 08, 2011, 10:59:43 PM
thanks boys
right next question, i have a couple of saddles, grizzle and black, what is the best way of getting a good selection going???
and another question, jungle cock??? worth the money??
Title: Re: Top flies for caithness area?
Post by: Andrew Moray on March 09, 2011, 07:40:06 PM
Quote from: Exerod on March 09, 2011, 07:34:48 PMI don't think jungle cock is worth the money. It looks nice but I doubt it puts many, if any, extra fish on the bank.
I have three jungle cock capes  :D
Excellent !!  :lol:  :lol:
Title: Re: Top flies for caithness area?
Post by: zimtrout on June 25, 2011, 01:00:02 PM
hi all
well just returned, had a fantastic time up in caitheness, even managed a couple of days over on orkney fishing loch harray! what a famtastic  experience, flies that worked best were claret sedgehogs, lightly dressed claret and dark palmers, and snatchers, and olive dabblers! when conditions were righte we had some fantastic sport on watten and calder! fantastiv beautiful hard fighting fish! thank you for all your help cheers ZT