What Exactly is a Spider Fly?

[Randyflycaster 0]

How do spider flies differ from other soft-hackle flies? I'm still a little confused.

 

Thanks,

 

Randy

[Piker20 0]

A sparse thin body and a sparse game hackle that stands out 90 from hook. So a hackle that folds back isn't really north country spider. A heavy dubbed body isn't really although some patterns use a herl collar to hold up the hackle.

[shoebop 0]

http://www.flyanglersonline.com/features/advancedff/part4.php

 

Here's some info

[Piker20 0]

/www.fishingwithstyle.co.uk also has good NCS info

[Randyflycaster 0]

Thanks for the links.

 

Then what's the best way to get my hackle to stand 90 degrees to the hook?

 

Randy

[flytire 0]

they never will because hackle fibers are not perpendicular to the hackle stem. they will be close but not 90 degress

 

hackle fibers are angular to the hackle stem

 

http://www.spidersplus.co.uk/history_page.html

 

http://www.spidersplus.co.uk/about_spiders_page.html

 

http://www.spidersplus.co.uk/design_and_materials_page.html

[Piker20 0]

No not strictly 90 but a cock hackle for example will stand prouder than a softer hen. Forming your head so it doesn't encourage the fibres backwards, making just one wrap of hackle so it doesn't cover itself and push the fibres back.

[Crackaig 0]

One thing that has been said isn't quite right. No spiders, at least none of the historical spiders, have a thorax behind the hackle. the collar (usually called the head), usually of herl, is between the hackle and hook eye. One modern spider does have this, the Black Magic. There is a thorax of copper wire and peacock herl. However, this is a modern pattern, developed, I believe, in the 1920s.

 

Not only are spiders a kind of fly but an entire fishing system. Long soft rods, often as long as 13 feet, were used to roll the "cast" (English term for a leader with a number of flies attached) up stream. They are then tracked back as they drift toward the angler. When the rod is vertical the next cast is made. Casting this way no line is shot. The gentle roll cast does not shock the flies, which retain water, thereby sinking faster. Great attention must be paid to the point furthest visible on the line to detect takes. I know many of you will fish them across and down. I will leave Mr Pritt to comment. "'Tis the devil's work my son, and do not let me catch you about it."

 

This method was used to fish the streams and rivers of the north of England by anglers who fished commercially, like W.C. Stewart. It is hugely effective. The flies are intended as direct imitations of specific insects. These anglers would have known which flies to fish by observing the hatches. In just the same way dry fly anglers do today.

 

A "cast" would have consisted of three or four flies, on blind hooks, snelled to a length of horse hair. The horse hair must come from the tail of a stallion (mares urinate on their tails, weakening the hair). This is then braided into the line to form the cast. That means that a fly would be attached by a single hair with a breaking strain of no more than 2 lbs. Though when a fish takes the braided line will tighten absorbing much of the shock. The soft rod will further cushion the impact. so quite large trout can be effectively landed on such equipment.

 

For some years I was privileged to have access to the water on the River Aire where Pritt, Edmonds and Lee fished. In fact the lower length, near Airton, was the length Edmonds and Lee took Halford, when he visited. The River holds some extremely large trout. The best I have had was around 5 lbs, and I have seen many larger. In this area the Aire is hardly more than a stream, often less than 10 feet wide. Anyone who has the book by Roger Fogg, Fly Fishing in the North Country Tradition, need only look at the dust jacket to see the bridge over the Aire by which we parked at Hanlith whilst fishing there.

 

Cheers,

C.

[tidewaterfly 0]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't there also a style of dry fly called a spider? As I recall it's basically nothing but hackle & a thread or tinsel body?

[mikechell 0]

And the confusion is all cleared up.

[Rocco 0]

There were skimpily tied dry attractor patterns tied with maybe a thin thread body -- or none at all -- and an oversize, very

stiff, sparse hackle with fine points -- sometimes supported in back by a shorter stiff hackle. They were fished on a long thin leader. IIRC some tiers called them spiders but they also went by the name skaters as that's how they were used to attract strikes. They could tempt big browns into smashing strikes towards evening.

 

As a kid 50 years ago, I tried them on the Au Able and they drew fish from under the sweepers there to inspect and sometimes eat them. Getting the balance right was not easy as you did not want them to land tail or nose down but dancing on the hackle tips.

 

Rocco o

[phg 0]

Back in the late '60's, spiders were popular. They were tied on a 2x short shank with an upturned eye, and the hackle was 2x normal size. So a size 12 hook, the length of a size 14 with 3 or 4 turns of a size 10 hackle. All they were was hackle and hook, no real body, and definitely no tail. They were meant to set, hackle splayed on the surface, like a spider would. Brown and black were the most popular colors, but badger and furnace were often used as well. I still have some size 12 spider hooks from back then.

[flytire 0]

catskill spider/skater fly

 

http://media.midcurrent.com.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/rosenbauer_skating_5.jpg

 

probably better known as skaters

 

http://www.flytyer.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2992

[Randyflycaster 0]

Great thread, folks. Thanks so much for the great info.

 

Seems that two recent classics about spider flies are The Art of the Wet Fly by Fogg, and Fly Fishing: the North Country by Magee.

 

Problem is both these books are rare and very expensive.

 

Randy

[flytire 0]

then get this one on amazon

 

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51F6%2BrVUGJL._SY344_PJlook-inside-v2,TopRight,1,0_SH20_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

 

or

 

there are hundreds of patterns on the internet

 

lots of used books from affordable to ridiculous prices