Top flies for caithness area?

[deergravy]

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!)

[zimtrout]

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??

[zimtrout]

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

[zimtrout]

thanks for that, lots of the patterns i have looked at are tied on size 10 hooks, was just wondering!

[Fishtales]

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"

[zimtrout]

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?

[Fishtales]

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.

[zimtrout]

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??

[Andrew Moray]

I 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 

Excellent !!  :lol:  :lol:

[zimtrout]

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