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.