Since rediscovering soft hackles a few years ago, the Dark Spanish Needle is one of my go to flies early and late season. Both the river Tees and the little river Leven have good hatches of these tiny stone flies.

Those look fantastic........!
Having seen them previously in the North Country Fly, I have often thought about tying some and fishing them for autumn (fall!) grayling on my local stream.

Hi David

If your lockdown flytying is anything like mine, you have months of experimentation to look forward to! Enjoy

Alistair

Hi David,

Nice elegant tie there, particularly like the orange hotspot behind the hackle. Have you managed to fish it yet? If so, what were the results?

Alistair

I pick them up from my local tackle and gun store - they shoot, skin and cure their own and sell them for about £1.75 - £2.00 each. They also knock out Mallard and Teal wings for a few £'s, depending on size, a pair. In the past I have even been able to get a hold of Coot and Moorhen wings as well! ...

Hi all Up date on this fly. Normally I am a dry fly man (I can hear the jeers and hisses across the pond!), but I have been talked into using wets again by a few of you over there and this has been a go to fly for me this season. It has worked really well during sedge / caddis fly and small stone-fl...

ScottP wrote:
A Spanish Needle on steroids.

And Creative...........

I like them..........

No it is from down the sides of a rooster cape. The way it has been cut by Root River has included a few (just a few :( ) spade hackles but quite a few feathers that I guess must make up the root or base of the wing (I think they are called the scapulars?). They are quite soft for rooster hackle so ...

Yeah Bolly does that!