A Team of Early Season Wet flies for Lough Fishing

The spring for me always brings lots of anticipation and expatiation's for the coming trout season. That first chilly and bumpy ride up across the Lakes of Ireland is a thrilling experience, with the rod made up in the boat and all the new wet flies in my boxes charged and prepared for a long season of trout hunting ahead. It often can be a slow and disappointing start as the trout are still in winter mode around the early part of February, but I have had a few good starts in this month and here is a couple of my trust worthy dressings that could very well make the starting line up this season.

                                                  THE POINT FLY

SLIVER DABBLER

Hook: size 12-10 B175 Kamasan 
Thread: Red twist thread 
Tail: UV polar chenille
Rib: Sliver wire 
Body: Flat sliver tinsel
Body Hackle:  Grizzle cock hackle 
Wing/ Cloak: Light bronze mallard  
Cheek : Split jungle cock feather in center and tie half on each side of the fly 



THE MIDDLE DROPPER
FIERY BROWN DABBLER

Hook: size 12-10 B175 Kamasan 
Thread: olive twist thread
Tail: natural pheasant tail 
Tag: Glo-brite no 8
Rib: Gold wire 
Dubbing: Brown blend dubbing 
Body Hackle: Dark ginger cock hackle
Wing: Bronze mallard 
Cheeks: Sunburst turkey biots  

THE TOP DROPPER 
GRIZZLE BIBIO

Hook: size 12-10 B175 Kamasan 
Thread: Black twist thread 
Tail: Natural golden pheasant tippets
Rib: Sliver wire 
Dubbing: In three parts black/red/black blend dubbing 
Body Hackle: Black and grizzle wound down the body together.
Shoulder Hackle: Jungle cock back feather

I have dozens of good trust worthy lake flies and theses are just three of the one for the early part of the season, I do like to fish these on a fast or slow intermediate line and I strip them back fast which I find is good for attracting follows from hungry trout at this time of the year. It is important though to dabble the fly's on the surface of the lake just before you lift off to recast, this is often the moment when the chasing trout will attack the fly. 
These flies will be used through out the season on different occasions as the sliver dabbler is a good fish catcher all year around; the Fiery dabbler is a good early and late season fly in September it has given me some great bags of fish. The top dropper fly I like it to be a bumble or bushy fly for two reasons, one is it makes good noise to attract fish and secondly it is a good structure of a fly to dabble at the end of a retrieve just like the Duck fly bumble in my eariler post, http://peterdriver.blogspot.ie/2014/02/duck-fly-bumble.html. These flies are worth giving a swim this February and hopefully you will enjoy these dressing as much as I have and with the same success. 
I hope you enjoy reading this post and if you have any comments or questions just drop me a line below, also if you would like to see whats coming next and what I am tying for the coming season just sign in and follow us. Thanks for reading.

BIBIO & VARIANTS

The Bibio fly is related to the duck fly family and has been a very successful fly for me through out that time of the year when these small black insects hatch on our lakes in the spring. Like most other popular flies the Bibio has undergone many developments and variations over time; some good and some not so productive. For me growing up on the lakes of Co Wicklow these dressings were a must in my box and I would often fish three different patterns on the one cast. Over the last number of years living in the mid lands and fishing the likes of Lough Owel in the spring I have often have treble hook ups fishing these flies during the duck fly hatches.  I would fish the on anything from a sinking line to a floating line and on any part of the leader also.

The Orange Bibio.
Hook: size 12-10 B175 Kamasan 
Thread: Black twist thread 
Tail: Glo-Brite no 8
Rib: Hends burnt orange wire 
Dubbing: 3 parts 2 parts black blend dubbing and center part orange spectra dubbing
Body Hackle: soft black cock
Shoulder Hackle: partridge dyed orange 

The Bibio Hopper Variant 

Hook: size 12-10 B175 Kamasan 
Thread: Black twist thread 
Tail: UV Ice dubbing teased out
Rib: sliver wire 
Dubbing: 3 parts 2 parts black blend dubbing and center part red spectra dubbing
Body Hackle: soft black cock
Legs: black daddy legs
Shoulder Hackle: partridge natural 

Jungle Bunny Bibio

Hook: size 12-10 B175 Kamasan 
Thread: Black twist thread 
Tail: UV Ice dubbing teased out
Rib: sliver wire 
Dubbing: 3 parts 2 parts black blend dubbing and center part red spectra dubbing
Body Hackle: soft black cock
Cheeks: jungle cock cheeks 
Shoulder Hackle: partridge natural 

The original dressing is a simple fly and is so effective in its own right but I love playing around with it and adding in some extra bits to give it that little bit more. Over the years I have seen, tied and fished so many different patterns but these three stand out the most for me. Have a go at them and enjoy there productivity on the lakes...if you have and questions please drop me a line here or any dressings you would like to see, you can also sign in and follow this blog to see what flies I will be doing next... thank you.