North Country Spiders
North Country Spiders came to prominence in 1885 with the publication of T.E.Pritt’s “Yorkshire Trout Flies” later changed to “North Country Flies” the North Country school of fly fishing came to the attention of the wider angling fraternity. This little book contained numerous north country spider patterns gleamed from various local sources throughout the northern counties of England; this style of fly fishing was and continues to be an inspiration to many anglers throughout the world, and these simple yet effective fly dressings that Pritt documented, are still regularly taking trout and grayling in many parts of the world today.In spite of a sport that is has radically changed in the intervening years, the North Country spiders and soft hackles; and the simple fishing techniques used with them still holds true today. Elegance and simplicity combined to make superb trout flies, fished in a timeless manor, that help to bring back the traditional angling experience.
Fishing North Country Spiders
Simple and sparsely dressed North Country Spiders and winged Clyde Style flies reign supreme on the fast flowing northern rocky streams of the U.k. and are equally adept at tempting even the weariest of trout from many river and stream further afield. To fish these Clyde Style and North Country flies in the right manor and to maximise their effectiveness a long soft action rod is required. A 10ft #4 rod is about perfect for controlling the flies in the current, this coupled with a floating line and a 10/12ft leader should see most situations covered. To this leader two 6” droppers are added about 3ft apart and the first dropper tied in about 5ft from the butt.
Casting is a gentle affair with a wider loop than normal; the flies are just flicked upstream with a short amount of line out of the top rod ring if you are fishing traditional style or at an angle of 45° and the rod held high if you are fishing downstream wets. The flies should land like thistle down on the water’s surface.
The angler should cover as much water as possible by keeping on the move and searching out any likely trout holding pocket water. The Clyde Style flies and well as the North Country flies can also be fished singularly to rising fish on any river as they perfectly imitate the emerging insects found throughout the season.
