On my local small stream (The Yorkshire Derwent), it's been strange fishing of late, especially with the recent wetter weather and variable water levels we are seeing here in North Yorkshire. I've seen Mayfly hatching (and doing their evening dance), but not seen a fish take one just yet - it can only be a matter of time!

I received these Mayfly patterns from 'our man in Bosnia' last Friday and took them out for a spin over the weekend, and even though I didn't see a fish take a real Mayfly, they took one of Kenan's imitations - the Upside Down one to be exact - those really do defy gravity in the way they present on the water:

I know that lots of you who read our emails just love to 'roll your own' flies, so I've included full step-by-step tying videos for each of the patterns contained in this selection - see the very end of this email for details.

 

Reducing Leader Twist

When fishing with flies which have large wings - like Mayflies, this will induce twist in your leader (there's nothing you can really do to stop it). The majority of Mayfly patterns (especially the spent ones) have wings which act just like helicopter rotor blades and spin when you cast them. The best way to combat this is to: 

Shorten the overall length of your tapered leader to around 6ft and step up your tippet diameter - use 3X or 4X.

Once the fish really switch on to the Mayfly they become indifferent to your tippet, so step it up where you can.

At the beginning of this year we asked 'our man in Bosnia' what he would use when the Mayfly season came around, the first time we saw them was last Friday - and here they are, these stunning Bosnian Mayflies. Have a read through the descriptions below for the info on each of the patterns.

These flies have been specifically tied for fishing in variable water levels and are ideal for both rivers and stillwaters:

Our Bosnian Mayfly Selection consists of 8 mayflies, 2 each of 4 separate Mayfly patterns:

• Bosnian Detached Body Mayfly - tied on a curved Ahrex FW541 - Size 10
• Bosnian Cream Biot Mayfly - tied on a traditional  TMC 100BL - Size 10
• Bosnian Upside Down Mayfly - tied on a curved Ahrex FW541 - Size 10
• Bosnian White Biot Mayfly - tied on a traditional  TMC 100BL - Size 10

We are supplying 2 of each of the above patterns, that's 8 flies in total for £24.00 - I know at £3 each these are some of the more expensive flies we sell, but the quality is truly outstanding.

Please Note: This premium Bosnian Mayfly Selection is very limited (we only have 40 available - I'm keeping some for myself!) and once they are gone, we will not have any more until next year. Just click on any image or button in this email to view details and buy your selection.

If you would like a set, you will need to be quick off the mark!

Here are a few more images (and full descriptions of each pattern) to really tempt you:

Detached Body Mayfly

A classic mayfly imitation, super buoyant and tied to exacting standards. A classic detached-body Mayfly imitation. These flies are ultra-realistic when tied on a size 10 curved Ahrex FW541 barbless hook.

They really are too nice to cast. One of the most effective Mayfly imitations when spinners are on the water. Target slow, deep and silty water; this is where the female will lay her eggs.

Top Tip: If you see spinners dancing above you, pay very close attention to the water for softly rising fish, and look for dead spinners caught in small pockets of dead water behind rocks or debris. If you find any, pick them up so you can get a good idea of their size and colour and then select an appropriate pattern.

Cream Biot Mayfly

On this fly Kenan has mixed traditional and modern tying materials. This Mayfly combines the traditional TMC 100BL size 10 hook, Veevus GSP thread (30D) in white, with Coq de Leon tails and Wapsi turkey biot in white (coloured with a cream marker). This gives a perfect segmentation on the body. All topped off with CdC wings (using the best quality CdC from David Jedlicka) and Pro-Grade grizzly rooster hackle for the legs.

Upside Down Mayfly

This fly is a little left-field! The initial intent was to completely remove the hook from under the water. Tied on an upside-down Ahrex FW541 curved hook in a size 10, with Coq de Leon tails using cream Veevus thread and Antron yarn as a ribbing. Why curved hook you ask? - If it is tied on a straight hook the tails will be in the same plane as the body (i.e. the complete body would be on the surface and it would look unnatural), so when this fly is on the surface the only thing fish will see is the silhouette of a Mayfly, a small portion of the legs and wings. The wings are tied from David Jedlicka naturally selected CdC and measures 2.5cm in length. The legs are Pro Grade Metz Rooster feathers.

White Biot Mayfly

On this fly Kenan has mixed traditional and modern tying materials. This Mayfly combines the traditional TMC 100BL size 10 hook, Veevus GSP thread (30D) in white, with Coq de Leon tails and Wapsi turkey biot in white. This gives a perfect segmentation on the body, especially when secured with Zap-a-gap glue, rather than the traditional method of wire. All of this is topped off with CdC wings (using the best quality CdC from David Jedlicka) and Pro-Grade grizzly rooster hackle for the legs.

Go on, you know you want to!

If you like the look of the above Mayfly patterns and would rather 'tie than buy' then you're in luck, we've made all of the tying videos available to you - for FREE (just click on any image below to view the video - you will need to re-enter your email address to gain access):

All of the above step-by-step tying videos are available on our Feathersmith Step-By-Step Fly Tying page.

Tight lines & have fun.