Winter Fly Tying by Shane Broadby

What a great past time fly tying is and there is no better time for it than on a cold winters day.

I've been tying for well over 25 years, starting with a fly tying course at school, even before I owned a fly rod let alone knowing how to cast one. I've enjoyed it ever since and have even been tying on a small commercial basis over the last 2-3 years.

When thinking about which patterns to present here, I thought about some new hotshot patterns but then really they are no better than many of the basic flies that have been used for years.

So here are some good old standbys and a few that sell very well in the Bronte Park General Store at Bronte Park in the Tasmanian Highlands, where the owner, Shane Hedger, sells them for me.

007 NYMPH

Hook: #12-16 Kamasan B170

Tag: Hot orange Craft Fur

Rib: Blue wire or thin blue tinsel

Abdomen: Black seals fur or black possum (for the #16)

Thorax: Black seals fur or possum

Wing case: Crow wing fibres

Ken Orr's 007 nymph is as a deadly fly as they come.

Ken originally designed and refined the fly over several years as a nymph for polaroiding but soon discovered that it has many more applications.

The 007 is my go-to fly for tailers when they aren't interested in a larger wet. It's usually fished underneath a bushy, easy-to-see Zulu used for an indicator.

Attach the dropper directly to the bend of the hook on the Zulu using 2-3kg fluorocarbon leader material. You don't need the 007 far under the indicator, about a hand span is a good distance; you don't want the 007 lost in the weeds.

Many of the 007 patterns I see in catalogues or display boxes in the shops aren't the correct pattern. You see them tied with a pearl rib, red wool tag or a peacock herl thorax: these are only cross bred black nymphs.

The 007 must be tied to the correct recipe otherwise it is nowhere near as effective. When ribbing the fly with the wire or tinsel, make sure that there is plenty of blue showing. The best way to do this is to wind counter clockwise so the rib doesn't get lost in the dubbing material.