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Spider Patterns

Although spiders were known about and described as far back as the early 1800’s (some of the first descriptions of these little creations were found in an 1807 document written by Yorkshire farmer - John Swarbrick) it was only during the late nineteenth century that the spider pattern really became recognised from the publishing of the classic book "Yorkshire Trout Flies" by Thomas Evan Pritt in 1885 and re-published a year later under the title "North Country Flies".  For those who like ironic facts Pritt was a Lancastrian!

Pritt's belief in the spider pattern was based around commonsense thinking basically his reasoning was that it was far more difficult to create a perfect imitation of an insect and to impart life afterwards, than to produce an impressionistic resemblance of an imperfectly developed insect, struggling in the current.

From 1886 onwards the spider patterns’ recognition spread until 1916 saw the publication of “Brook and River Trouting' by H. H. Edmonds and N.N. Lees.  This tome caused the spider patterns popularity to soar higher than ever. Both Pritt’s, and Edmonds and Lee's books are considered to be THE bibles on the tying and fishing of North Country Spiders and are well worth reading.

In brackets after the name I have given the number of the fly as published in the two books.  At the end is a recently invented pattern rather than one of the ‘old timers’!

 

Old Master (Pritt No. 39)

Designed to imitate a small dipteran e.g. a midge.  Pritt notes, “This is a capital killer from April to the end of August, on warm days, or in the evenings.  It was originally dressed  by Bradley, of Otley, and in his time he caught many heavy dishes of trout with it. It bears some resemblance to ‘Greenwell's Glory’."

 

Hook:  

Size 14 Medium Weight Wet Fly Hook

(e.g. Drennan Trad Wet Fly)

Thread:  

Ash Coloured (e.g. Uni-Thread 8/0 Grey)

Body:  

Thread under body wrapped with Heron herl.

Hackle:  

Small light mottled feather from the underside

of a woodcock wing (a feather near the

‘armpit’ seems to work well)

 

Stone Midge (Pritt No. 40; Edwards & Lee No. 20)

Designed to imitate a small dipteran e.g. a midge or gnat. Pritt notes, “The natural fly [stone midge] is not good to imitate owing to its diminutive size, but the above will kill well on cool days.”

  

Hook:  

Size 14 Medium Weight Wet Fly Hook

(e.g. Drennan Trad Wet Fly)

Thread:  

Ash Coloured (e.g. Uni-Thread 8/0 Grey)

Body:  

Thread under body wrapped with Heron herl.

Hackle:  

Feather from a Lapwing (Peewit) neck, breast

or rump.  NB. Lapwing is pretty much impossible

to come across therefore a small glossy

green/black feather from the underside of a

Magpie wing works as a very good substitute.

Head:  

Magpie Herl (completely dark herl from a

wing or tail feather)

 

Knotted Midge (Pritt No. 42; Edwards & Lee No. 21)

Designed to imitate a small dipteran e.g. a midge or gnat.  Pritt states, “Does very well sometimes on hot stuffy days, when thunder is about.”

Hook:  

Size 14 Medium Weight Wet Fly Hook

(e.g. Drennan Trad Wet Fly)

Thread:  

Ash Coloured (e.g. Uni-Thread 8/0 Grey)

Body:  

Thread under body wrapped with Heron herl.

Hackle:  

Pritt = Hackled with a feather from the back

of a Swift or Martin, or from the shoulders

of a Lapwing (Peewit) wing.

Edwards & Lee = Hackled down the body

"palmerwise" with a small black

[and soft] cock's hackle.

Head:  

Magpie Herl (completely dark herl from a

wing or tail feather)

 

Fog Black (Pritt No. 53)

Pritt states, “Suitable for cold dark days, from June to the end of the season. The natural fly is very diminutive, and the artificial must be kept as small as possible. A capital grayling fly.”

 

Hook:  

Size 14 Medium Weight Wet Fly Hook

(e.g. Drennan Trad Wet Fly)

Thread:  

Purple

Body:  

Thread under body wrapped with Heron herl

or, more sparingly, with black Ostrich herl

Hackle:  

From a Bullfinch's wing (use any soft pale

bluey/grey hackle as a substitute)

Legs:  

Fibres from a Starling neck feather tied in

as a beard hackle.

 

Olive Bloa

A more recently designed spider from Phil Holding.  It is a superb imitation of many of the olive species

 

 

Hook:  

Size 14 Medium Weight Wet Fly Hook

(e.g. Drennan Trad Wet Fly)

Thread:  

Yellow (e.g. Uni-Thread 8/0 Yellow) well waxed.

Body:  

Thread under body ribbed with Heron

herl dyed olive

Hackle:  

Marginal covert feather from wing of

French partridge died olive