Soft hackled wets for lochs?

[Amadan]

Hullo,

I've heard rumours of a trip to Assynt next June (yes us poor eejits that live in London have to think that far ahead about fishing...).

Anyway, I've not had much experience of lochs and as the river box is fairly full at the moment thought I would have a go at some loch flies.

The trouble is I am skint (as usual) having just decided to get one of the 1/2 price Greys travel rods from GAC (which they promise they have delivered along with the other bits n bobs I ordered..... a miracle if true- although expect may be told my goose biots are growing on a goose farm somewhere when the rod arrives....).

Anyway, digression aside, I am skint. What I don't have in the materials box are any decent capes etc for wets- I tie most of the river dries which use a hackle with a genetic grizzle cape I'm slowly working way through but don't have much by way of webby style hen hackles/slightly softer cock hackles in v. dark colours (or claret etc) of the sort I see a load of wets for lochs use.

What I DO HAVE is some nice partridge and also woodcock wings. So to get to the point... (coming up)- anybody do any patterns/can point me to patterns for successful loch wets using soft hackle of this sort? I thought spider style but- bigger bodies with some of that tinsel loch flytyers seem to love and more turns of hackle? Would that work?

As you can see I am going to struggle- any tips appreciated (including- "save your pocket money you wee southern **** and buy a cape of x description").

Thanks.

Amadan

[Inchlaggan]

Hi

Try using the forum search function as follows-
Click the search tab at the top of the page.
Scroll down and clear the check all box at the bottom of the page.
Scroll back up and check the boxes for flies and fly tying.
Enter woodcock in the search box.
Perform the search.

This will give you some ideas for flies that use woodcock feathers, repeat the exercise for partridge.

[Malcolm]

Spiders are great when the fish are near the top. Hopper on tail and spider on bob.

[Amadan]

Thanks inchlaggan and malcolm. Saw the woodcock and mixed. In the end got some cheap indian hen capes: one black and one badger. Idea of tying lots of bibios etc. And maybe some hoppers too atttactive.

Malcolm : do you use standard very finely dressed spiders for lochs? I can't help feeling they would need bulking up a bit- even on a river the idea that covering a third or so of shank in thread and two turns of hackle is gonna catch causes me to have to take a breath b4 I tie one on

[paulr]

Hi Amadan,

My Dad sometimes uses the same spiders he fishes on rivers when fishing lochs and catches plenty of fish on them. These are usually sparsely dressed greenwells, black spiders, and black and peacock spiders.

cheers

Paul