Flies made with passion – to use with pride!

Dear fellow game fisher,

As the New Year has started, and the various new seasons approach, we are busy completing client orders in readiness for the open days and I am writing to you to let you know of two new unique opportunities for 201 in preparation for your season, and beyond.

“Design your own fly” [Prototype Service].

This is especially useful for those enthusiastic fishers who do not tie their own flies, or as a special, [and different] gift for one of your fishing friends.

You design your own fly and have it built to your requirements, and here is how it all works:

• You send either a design, drawing, pattern or description together with any particular requirements such as hook type or specific material
• At Silver Doctor flies we tie up a prototype [1] and mail it to you
• You comment on the design [compared to your original concept] on any aspect of the first version and send that back to us [email is fine]
• We tie up a second version incorporating your comments and any alterations and send it back to you, again you can comment, alter, or tweak the design.
• The third version is then tied and sent out to you and once you are satisfied with your design, 9 further flies of the agreed pattern are made and sent to you
• Then you have your own, and unique, designed fly. We will hold your details of the fly on file [in confidence]. Thereafter any replacement flies can be made at our ‘Replication Rate’.

The full cost of this service is £69 for Salmon / Sea Trout Flies and £49 for Trout Flies.

You will understand that for this service payment on order is required.

“Replace your favourite” [Replication Service].

Do not wait until your most successful, or favourite fly is lost forever, have some more tied up now and do not fear the rock, the snag, the tree or worse and lose that prized fly. At Silver Doctor Flies we can replicate your favourite and on fine quality hooks.

Here is how this service works:

• Email, Write, or ring your enquiry
• Carefully package your fly, in a safe manner, and send it through the post
• At Silver Doctor flies we tie up a replica and send that out to you for comment. At this stage you can alter any aspect of the fly
• Once you are satisfied with your design, 9 further flies of the agreed pattern are made and sent to you. You will understand that for this service payment at this stage of the order is required.

The full cost of this service is £49 for Salmon / Sea Trout Flies and £35 for Trout Flies.

What is working and what is the trend ……

Such a question is often difficult to answer objectively, as each fisher will have their own opinions, but a good measure of what has been recently successful must be those flies that are re-ordered for the coming season. Many fishers like to keep their variations of flies to themselves, and we respect that confidence, and amongst the standard patterns are those ‘client variations’ that we are happy to accommodate.

Amongst the standard patterns that are being tied up now there are clearly some firm favourites, and so to share those with you, here are the Top 3 [by volume] across the categories of Salmon / Sea Trout, and Trout patterns:

Salmon / Sea Trout;

1.    Silver Stoat

o     In sizes from 12 to 2 and tubes / bottle tubes this pattern [and its variations] is 4 times  more popular than any other Salmon / Sea Trout Fly

2.    Golden Gunn [Gold Willie Gunn].

o     Apparently across the big rivers of Scotland this was the most successful fly of 2015!

3.    Boleside Shrimp

o     This pattern caught the 50 pound monster on the Tweed in 2013 and therefore it has generated a great deal of interest. It is essentially a variant of a Francis / Snaelda pattern.

Other patterns of note are – Crathie [Deeside], Alistair [Helmsdale], Copperas [Tayside and Annan / Nith], Green Gunn Snaelda [Tayside and East Scotland], Tummel Snaelda [Tayside], Yellow Shrimp [Moy], Black & Yellow [Tweed and Tayside], The Monkey [Deeside & Tayside], Undertaker and Bourach ……

Trout;

Stillwater –

1.       Crazy Shipman’s

• A competition fly from 2013 that saw great catches when used either on its own or with a Diawl Bach

2.       Black & Red, Black & Green Buzzers

3.       Yellow Owl [a popular pattern in Scotland that appears to have been catching elsewhere].

River -

1.      Shrimps – in either olive and muted orange

• It appears that these have also been catching Grayling in sizes 10 and 8

2.      Hares ear nymph

• Standard and Copper and Gold Bead Heads

3.      Pheasant Tail Nymph

• Both standard, bead heads and those with a hares ear thorax

If you would like to order any flies you can email Silver Doctor Flies at: silver.doctor@icloud.com

Or ring at 07984-662261.

The 2014 standard pattern rates are now [each]:

Trout flies                           £2.25

Sea Trout Flies                  £2.75 – £3.50

Salmon Flies                      £3.50 – £4.50

Minimum order 6 flies [plus postage & packing]

3 flies per pattern, but sizes can be varied.

Have a fantastic forthcoming season and successful fishing.

With best wishes

Simon.

Silver Doctor Flies

“Fine Flies for Game Fish”.