Fishing Flies: Very productive fishing flies
Well tied fishing flies are essential when you head out fly fishing. Some fishing flies are tied to catch fish, while others are designed to catch fishermen. I tie both types but I am more known for my "fish-catching guides-flies." The key to any fishing fly is that it won't fall to bits after you land a dozen fish on it. The flies I tie will hold up just fine as they are both productive, some say devastatingly productive, and they are durable. Plus, each fly goes through a rigorous 6-week training program to ensure that it's in top-notch shape. I was just kidding about that last bit. All my flies are tied on free range - non genetically modified - organic hooks.

We have all been there. It's dawn and in the mist you share the river with a few herons and perhaps a mallard duck. With hardly a ripple you wade carefully while all around you the fish are splashing and slurping down bugs.

With great anticipation for the day ahead, you open your fly box only to discover that you are out of the productive fly you used last season. "Du-Oh!" But, it does not have to be like that.

There are four pages to this section of my Website which contain some devastatingly effective fishing flies.

1. Reference Flies. On this page.
Note: Flies marked with an asterix (*) are from: Fumbling with a Flyrod.

2. "Grab Bag Flies." Grab
Productive but very inexpensive flies. A new pattern each month.

3. Custom Tying. Custom.
Tell me what you need, and I will make them.

4. "Scratch and Dent Flies." Dent
These might have a few blemishes but they still get fish.

Reference flies.
I have assembled three reference cards, each containing productive fish catching flies.
These are "guide's flies," developed, out of necessity, by myself over the last 20 years, or in conjunction with some of the best fly fishermen in Ontario, the US and Scotland.

The first time they were made available to the general public was in the Spring of 2001 at the Isaac Walton Fly Fishing Forum in Toronto. The flies will work for a wide variety of fish species and have taken fish in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Ireland, Iceland, the UK and North America.

They might not catch many fly fishermen but, day-in-day-out, these flies get fish.
Some have appeared in various fly fishing magazines and books like:

Bob Church's Guide to New Fly Patterns, by, funnily enough, Mr. Bob Church.
Flies for Trout, by Dick Stewart and Farrow Allen.
Fumbling with a Flyrod - a favorite of mine.
The Collins New Illustrated Dictionary of Trout Flies, by John Roberts.

These flies are productive, durable, and the dressing for each is printed on the card. Yes, I tied all of them, using authentic materials found in the original dressings.

Card #1. Flies for Bass and Carp.
*Double Elk Hair Caddis - Orange. Size - 8. Dry.
*Dexter. Size - 4. Attractor.
*Outcast Crayfish. Size - 6. Imitative.
These flies are smashing for smallmouth bass, pike, crappies, brown trout, gar pike, steelhead, redhorse, carp, drum, white bass, yellow perch, bowfin and sunfish.

Card #2. More Flies for Bass and Carp.
No Name Nymph. Size - 8. Nymph.
\White Puke Fly. Size - 6. Attractor.
*Big Joe's Crayfish. Size - 4. Imitative.
These catch smallmouth bass, chinook, coho, rainbow trout, crappies, carp,
brook trout, brown trout, drum, quillback carpsuckers, perch and sunfish.

Card #3. Flies for Trout.
*All Black Pheasant Tail. Size - 16. Nymph.
*Copper Buzzer. Size - 14. Nymph.
*Grand River Caddis. Size - 12. Dry.
*Big Joe's Waterboatman. Size - 10. Imitative.
The above patterns will catch: grayling, rainbow trout, brown trout, splake,
brook trout, bull trout, carp, quillback carpsuckers and smallmouth bass.

Cost:
$12.00 per card (All 3 for $36.00 - now there is a deal!).
Canadian Funds. Tax and Shipping included.

Four easy step purchasing:
1. Send me an E-mail to place an order.
2. I will confirm your request and package it up.
3. Send your cheque, payable to : Ian Colin James,
....P.O. Box 48034, Pond Mills, London, Ontario, Canada, N6M 1K5.
4. I ship the flies to the address on your cheque.

To purchase reference flies
E-mail: Reference Card Order.

 

 

 

 
... "There are many superb professional tyers in Canada who offer custom-tying services. One of them is Ian James of London, Ontario. Many of the flies he offers are his own designs, derived from years of observing, innovating and experimenting on rivers and lakes in Canada, the USA. and Britain. A number of his clients buy his patterns for framing, but the clincher is that they're all great fish getters." ...
Chris Marshall, Editor, The Canadian Fly Fisher Magazine.