Larry's Pride (step by step)

At last a step by step of my Larry's Pride after being asked many times over the years I finally knocked something together, far from proffesional but me thinks it will suffice. This fly has proved very successful for many anglers, especially for big browns around the Derbyshire rivers. I hope some will try for themselves and with a few pointers you should soon be as happy as Larry.

Materials
Sedge hook size 16 - shape important to highlight trigger through surface
Crystal flash blue - my personnel choice but feel free to experiment
Sheepskin - Offcuts from Isle of Sky in grey brown white cream, good luck.
Elk - Deer will do
Foam sheet - packs of multi colours from craft shops green,orange my fav's.
Brown or black thread
Natural mink tail - (down and guard hair) Strip tails and bag for dubbing.

Tie in blue crystal flash well down into the bend to create a target below the surface film. There are many products available so use your imagination if you wish, but blue proved most effective for me over the years.

Wind crystal flash in touching turns to just above the bend and tie off like shown below. Apologies for offcut of flash hanging around the bottom of hook but I couldn't see it until blown up on my laptop (balderdash) and I'm not doing it again.

Pull off some sheepskin wool and roll a small piece out sausage style, like rolling a cigarette then folding over to do it all again. You want to end up about 1 inch before offering upto the hook and tying down. You could place a drop of superglue to prevent spinning but I don't bother just be sure of tying the wool down tight with your pinch and loop technique and plenty of wraps as these will not be seen.

Trim the front off and your sedge shape begins to take shape, at this stage you can either leave the tail or pull tight and snip off the ends to splay out the tail as a bigger sedge or silouhette, your choice really. I leave mine alone nowdays to hold a little water, being sure to hold fly firmly in the surface.

Take a small pinch of Elk and tie firmly down again with your pinch and loop to keep hairs from slipping around. I try to leave the elk just a touch longer than the tail to show a leggy effect. You can use deer hair if you haven't elk and as a rough guide you should be around half way down the hookshank leaving room for the mink and foam.

Take a pinch of mink dub being sure to add spiky hairs and fluffy down for an overall fantastic buggy look. You can use the same wool to carry on dubbing down to near the eye of the hook but otherwise try to keep the colour near consistant if using another hairy material.

Cut your foam into a long triangular shape and tie down just above the eye with the narrown end like shown below.

Now fold back the foam and tie down creating the bubble shape of the head balloon caddis style.

Tie off with a half hitch and a drop of superglue will help in the crack of the foam. Trim foam to personnel choice to suit your eyes but remember its a sight indicator for blind gits like me.

Job Done! hope you like.

Remember the Larrys Pride will perform the duo well and catch fish in either slow or fast water. Avoid false casting as the wool needs to hold a little water to break the surface for the fly to be more effective. You can gink up the foam and elk to keep well up in the water. Remember theres never a right or a wrong way, just your way.

Patchy Day

Fished Willersley Castle today and although the Derwent was in fine condition the fishing proved very patchy with the odd couple here and there. Spent most of the time searching but no joy, some you win, some you lose. Got a suprise visit from a fine looking chub which was the highlight to be honest,apart from sharing cow clearing noises with a couple of members which was hilarious - Giiiiyuuuuup loudly has always worked for me,my father taught me many moons ago, how about you?

Trotting on Her Majesty

Finally got out trotting today at Mayfield after canceling the last 3 Sundays for various reasons. The Dove was holding a good level of water with a tinge of colour, perfick!. I quickly got amongst them and although still patchy snow everywhere it wasn't that cold, mind you I hammered the hip flask of slow gin which probably helped warm my cockles a bit.

I thoroughly enjoyed using the centre pin once we got re aquainted and afterall a change is as good as a rest. I should mention using the Berkley fireline crystal on my reel which impressed me to say the least, mind you many anglers swear by it for trotting and now I know why, its superb stuff and only one birdsnest all day.

Hopefully I'll get out again during half term, if I can whip through the Captains DIY list.

Grayling Days

I've decided not to blog my ventures chasing the ladies this season to avoid things become repetitive. The good news is I'm offering my services to help struggling brothers of the wangle in their approach to catching grayling,therefore their photo's will be added below throughout the winter season. No over the top prices and plenty of laughs along the way,should you wish to jump at a fantastic opportunity to get ahead in the ladystakes contact me on info@rivererewashfoundation.co.uk.

Venues can be arranged or I'm happy to visit yours.

Hope to hear from you - Mick Martin

Mayfield - Dove

Lovely to see plenty of water back in Her Majesty and she was fishing her socks off today to both nymphs and dries. I had the place to myself and made the most of a few spare hours around lunchtime. Strike while the irons hot if your a DCAC kinda dude. Water was refreshing but far from cold yet and holding a little colour which probably helped today.

Big Girls - They Are Beautiful

Me and my brother fished the Wye on Sunday in search of a few grayling and what a fine day it turned out to be. We arrived in overcast conditions with little insect life and nothing rising so we assumed small nymphs were in order. Once set up and after a few casts the sun broke through instantly kicking off a good hatch of LDO's and sure enough with no offers to nymphs we began spotting a few rises. After both setting up again for dryfly we landed onto the right track in what could only be described as a lovely spring days dryfly fishing for grayling.

Our John began catching grayling in a spectacular hatch resulting in a few lady's like the one below. We both had some intense dryfly sport as good as any all season, hard to believe this sun drenched afternoon was during the middle of October. Eventually the hatch died down and the grayling sank soon after so off for lunch.

We fished through Scots garden with little success for a change just one or two and then walked down to the beach and fished back up. I was most pleased that all the homework and reckies throughout the season payed dividends as knowing/remembering where a few likely spots are for big girls to hang out. The best of the day shown below were the icing on the cake for a lovley days angling. The 2 beauties below say it all about fishing for grayling on Derbyshires finest and check my brothers blog for a nats whisker off 3lb grayling (Derbyshirefishingblog).

Top Tip - You'd do well to remember big grayling come good as the light falls during Oct/Nov and below is the proof. Baffles me how many anglers dissapear once the sun falls off their backs, missing that chance of a stunner.

Der - went

Nipped to Willersley Castle for a few hours nymphing at lunchtime and was suprised how low the Derwent was, my God I didn't recognise the place. No insect life to speak of but it was a try out day before Sundays grayling fishing. My last day of trout season and what a beautiful little brown to finish on with a few other tiddlers to boot. My new homemade Viper indicator worked a treat I'm pleased to say, so bring on the winter I say.

Wye

Arrived afternoon to tons of traffic Bakewell bound so fished the lower stretches under overcast sky quickly turning into showers. There were a few sedge about and a trickle of LDO's but nothing to write home about. I targeted pods of grayling and stubbornly set about catching them which wasn't easy and very time consuming, however I did catch plenty under a pound eventually having to use 20's or smaller but only in 2 out of the 3 chosen pools. Bloody frustrating how I cracked the code twice only 1oo yrds from an impossible to catch pod just upstream, but thats fishing folks.

I spent the last 2 hours around town after a brief chat with Alex Swan when the rain fell a little heavier finishing the fishing really. I managed a few rainbows but called it a day before dark. As I've filled my boots the last few weeks no doubt I won't catch one next week now the trout season is closed.

Mayfield - Dove

Spent a few hours fishing in glorious sunshine today perfecting my techniques after a season of dry fly only, while also trying out some new indicators and leaders for my guests on grayling days through the winter. I've never seen Her Majesty so low with little fish holding water available, pretty grim to be honest but I managed a few trout and grayling on both dry and nymph.

The big girl picture below was the best of the bunch of underwater shots. Obviously I haven't quite got the hang of it yet, just need to work on my distances a little to try and get the whole fish in the shot.

Patience Is A Virtue

I arrived at Riverside just as the Heavens opened and decided to sit this one out in the car, while watching the steady stream of walkers swimming by.Eventually the sky cleared and I took a few trout both brown and rainbows passing through Sheepwash and Scots Garden. I did spot a couple of huge ladies but had to give in with frustration as they simply weren't being caught today, not by me anyway. I came across another angler named Patrick and we joined forces for a pleasant evening, both landing lovely browns.

I landed this fine brown on my Larries Pride and bounced off Colin under RW's bridge aswell before venturing into the park where i spotted a grayling rising. It was taking the odd spinner trickling by in the evening sunshine and on my 3rd take and buckets of patience I eventually landed my best fish of the day. The takes faded with the light so no point hanging around tonight so farwell to Patrick and adios Bakewell.