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Author: Håvard Eide

Autumn Creeper Grub – Kelson

Posted on by Håvard Eide

Hook: Partridge M2 #1/0
Thread: Semperfli 18/0
Tag: Gold tinsel and yellow silk
Rear hackle: Red, cheeked with kingfisher
Body: Black chenille
Center hackle: Yellow, cheeked with kingfisher
Front hackle: Black and black heron, cheeked with kingfisher

2017 starts out with another Grub: the “Autumn Creeper” from Kelson (1895). The original have red macaw, yellow macaw and vulturine hackle with chatterer cheeks: here I have substituted with standard hackle to get the same colour scheme in the fly.

Black Creeper Grub

Posted on by Håvard Eide

Hook: Mustad 80500-npbl #1/0
Thread: Semperfli 18/0
Tag: Silver and light blue silk
Tail: swan & macaw
Rear hackle: Black, cheeked with kingfisher
Body: Black chenille with a black hackle in the center, cheeked with kingfisher
Front hackle: Black, cheeked with kingfisher

Continuing the grub series, here a pattern from George Kelson “The salmon fly” from 1895. I substituted ibis with swan, powdered blue macaw with blue/yellow macaw and chatterer with kingfisher. The look and feel is the what is important here (plus the fact that I don’t have 6 chatterer feathers around for testing out new patterns). Will try to tie this one up with light blue hackle tips to see how that can work: the kingfisher is not maintaining that clear colour once it is in water, so for fishing purposes it would be good to have something that will last a bit longer.

A pattern that can be tied up with both shorter (and more sparse) hackle and one with longer hackle, depending on the movement you want in the water. A heron hackle in front of either the rear or front hackle could also be something to explore.

Mar Lodge Grub

Posted on by Håvard Eide

Hook: Partridge M2 #1/0
Thread: Semperfli 18/0
Tag: Veevus Small
Tail: JC back to back
Rear hackle: Grey
Body: Silver with black band
Rib: Veevus Medium
Wing: JC back to back
Front hackle: Grey

Continuing my research on the grub patterns I came across a low-water Mar Lodge Grub version on a picture over at feathersfliesandphantoms.co.uk that had a interesting look: the minimalist flow, the grey hackle that will flow over the silver body and the JC that pops out. Would like to see this with the orange-colored JC that I have, but I’ll leave that for another time. The pattern should work for sea-trout as well, so I might tie up a version on a saltwater hook later on.

A friend of mine had a good input for this pattern: put a heron hackle over the rear hackle. I tied it in sparsely to follow the general feel of the pattern, this is one to bring for the sea-trout and salmon on those late summer days.

Tippet Grub

Posted on by Håvard Eide

Hook: Partridge M2 #1/0
Thread: Semperfli 18/0 Black
Tag: Veevus French Tinsel M, Seals Fur orange
Rear Hackle: Tippet wound as hackle and furnace hackle
Rear Body: Olive berlin wool
Centre Hackle: Tippet wound as hackle and furnace hackle
Front Body: Olive berlin wool
Front Hackle: Tippet wound as hackle and furnace hackle
Head: Shellac

Going through the old salmon patterns you find the standard classics that most will recognise as a “classic” salmon fly: the gaudy pattern with married or mixed wing that have a lot of color and flare. But you also have the grub – a pattern that you can follow up to the shrimp patterns of today, the “Ullsokken” salmon fly or various sea-trout patterns that we use here in scandinavia.

Going back through the history of salmon patterns I have come over some grubs from time to time and have wanted to start tying some up to carry with me in the box. The first is here: the tippet grub, tied it up in slightly different hackle length to start testing it out in the water once the season starts. This is a pattern I can see working good in this color, but also with oter color combinations – I will try with both black and orange colored tippet later on for variations over this pattern.

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