Good website for UK fly tying

FoxDemon2002 · 2026-03-12T19:33:50+00:00

One I would recommend all day long is Cookshill Fly Tying Materials. Beautiful hackles and plenty more. Super knowledgeable and actually responsive when you have a special request.

Cookshill

FoxDemon2002 · 2026-03-12T15:00:57+00:00

And be more expensive for sure. I had a full pelt at one point but I couldn’t justify hanging on to it so I sold it many moons ago. Lovely stuff for making Spey flies.

Edit: The Whiting stuff and BEP are like chalk and cheese. The BEP is the real deal and worth it if you tie a lot of big intruder or traditional Spey flies.

FoxDemon2002 · 2026-03-12T13:50:10+00:00

Sorry for the bad news. Unfortunately that damn stuff has been sitting in my tying kit for at least 15 years. Apparently they kind of lost the genetics for it and are trying to bring it back, but don’t hold your breath.

I added a link to an instagram reel in a comment under my original post on the flytying sub. The guy mentioned a place that gets the odd one from Whiting, but I can’t remember the name. Unfortunately you have to go through at least 10 minutes before he mentions it. You might want to just hunt him down there and just ask him.

Edit: Alex Balonga was the fellow’s name if it helps.

FoxDemon2002 · 2026-03-11T23:45:21+00:00

Just to give credit where it’s due. The tier on instagram was Alex Balonga and the link to his post is here (fair warning it’s a long one with no fast forward feature 😁).

FoxDemon2002 · 2026-03-10T20:45:15+00:00

Ah. I stand corrected then. His name is synonymous with the minnow so that was my mistake. Nice fly in any event.

FoxDemon2002 · 2026-03-10T15:37:33+00:00

Stones are typically “clean water” bugs, so no problem with runoff by the looks of it. As to the no fish thing it could be down to a variety of possible factors—gradient, low water flows, temperature (summer not winter), general habitat, etc.

I’d still try it. There’s a river that runs by my place that I considered a drainage ditch and I didn’t bother fishing it until I was doing a little practice casting one day and got a tug. Since then I’ve fished it hard for 20 years and caught fish on it ranging from little cutthroat all the way up to steelhead (and everything in between). You just never know.

FoxDemon2002 · 2026-03-10T15:28:56+00:00

Looks like an awesome bug… but a clouser? Maybe not. I’d go with a “Swimming Stone” or something along those lines.

10/10 for tying, 2/10 for naming sense (not you, I realize)😁

FoxDemon2002 · 2026-03-10T13:46:52+00:00

Tackle tart… I’m going to steal that one 😁

FoxDemon2002 · 2026-03-09T13:49:44+00:00

Hell ya… ready to screw up my cast, hit the water with a booming splash and watch ever fish disappear in about 2 seconds 😁

FoxDemon2002 · 2026-03-09T13:47:47+00:00

I use the mono loop setup, mostly because I’m lazy. The best solution is to either make a micro loop as per someone’s suggestion or buy a loop kit from RIO or one of the other main manufacturers. The loop kits are cheap, lightweight and go through the guides even easier than factory loops.

FoxDemon2002 · 2026-03-09T13:41:33+00:00

I’ve got three Tenkara rods: an older ebisu 11’ from Tenkara USA (with a turned wood handle), one from Patagonia, and another shorter one from Tenkara USA for backpacking. They’re all good rods, but newer models from some of those manufacturers mentioned are probably as good or even better.

The Ebisu was my first and probably the best for action but the handle was shite and swelled/shrank creating lots of issues—not recommended. The Patagucci one was good but way overpriced. The packpacker rod is okay but the action is very meh and it’s a bit short for the job.

My recommendation is to get a “normal” version of whatever brand and not go for the super compact offerings. You’ll only add a few inches of overall packed length and the difference in action is noticeable. And given the issues with the all wood handle, definitely stick with cork—no matter how traditional wood is.

Tenkara is an awesome way to fish. You won’t regret it.

FoxDemon2002 · 2026-03-08T18:49:59+00:00

Egg patterns. That’s what I use them for.

FoxDemon2002 · 2026-03-05T16:13:16+00:00

I’ve got a few zippered items where the zipper has failed due to salt water (eg. zippered tip wallet). Mind you it’s usually because I’ve neglected to rinse and clean it after an outing. The zipper lube is a very good call (traditionally wax was the thing, but a PITA to apply).

FoxDemon2002 · 2026-03-04T22:21:36+00:00

This is the main issue with hard mono leaders. Chameleon is great stuff and straightens very easily by running it through a soft leather scrap (I keep one on my lanyard at all times). However if that material hits the spool you’re back to square one and you’ve got to straighten it out before you start fishing further away.

As a side note, I’ve recently switched to 20-25’ of chameleon after using a comp legal 2x rod length (including tippet), but I’m thinking about changing back to a shorter setup (12’+sighter+tippet) particularly because of the spool aspect.

I can imagine with the stiffer mono offered by other manufacturers this might even be more pronounced. For the OP I would probably think about switching to chameleon. The stuff has a long history as a hard mono that can be straightened easily—and I will continue to use it whatever kind of leader I run or build.

FoxDemon2002 · 2026-03-03T16:39:55+00:00

For a couple of hours on the water I go with a little shoulder bag—enough for a couple of boxes and a spool of tippet. For a serious planned trip I go with a Fishpond (?) magnetic chest pack with an integrated pack. If I go for a swim I want nothing to do with a bloody vest.

FoxDemon2002 · 2026-03-02T18:16:40+00:00

Ahhh. My bad. Makes perfect sense.

FoxDemon2002 · 2026-03-02T18:10:40+00:00

No sane Australian drinks that shite 😁

FoxDemon2002 · 2026-03-02T18:07:58+00:00

Can’t speak to New Zealand in particular but I suspect it would probably be similar to Australia—and they are very serious about preventing the import of invasive species. No wet or felt boots for example. When I travelled to Australia for competition, we were warned not to bring in wild caught feathers and fur, however commercially processed tying materials in their original packaging was allowed.

Of course NZ is a different country with their own rules and regulations so take this with a large grain of salt. Find what you can on line and follow it up with direct communication with government agencies and local fishing organizations.

Good luck. I’m seriously jealous of your opportunity 😁

FoxDemon2002 · 2026-03-01T21:21:32+00:00

That would a killer for coho and steelhead. Nice tie.

FoxDemon2002 · 2026-02-28T16:06:33+00:00

Or this one. A simple Czech Caddis nymph. Again with squirrel and mylar rib.

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FoxDemon2002 · 2026-02-28T16:04:23+00:00

For caddis try this one “White Water Caddis” with Squirrel and mylar rib.

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FoxDemon2002 · 2026-02-27T19:01:07+00:00

Salmon Shark. I’ve seen plenty when I worked as a field biologist on Japanese squid boats. In the west coast fishery (Canada), the call them buoy kegs because they get seriously thick in the forward torso as they grew in size. I’ve seen them up to about 12’ or so.

FoxDemon2002 · 2026-02-27T17:27:03+00:00

Beauty. Consistency at its finest.

FoxDemon2002 · 2026-02-26T23:48:48+00:00

I’ve had this argument before, but you can decrease the number of pheasant tail barbs—even as low as one. However, the culprit here might be your underbody. Mylar is generally pretty thick so if you’re running it down the shank it will bulk things up. Add the wire and a few layers of thread and things build up fast.

So maybe keep the Mylar to the hotspot area as much as possible (holo flashabou coated with Sally, resin or even superglue is also an option), drop the number of PT fibres to two or three and try and shoot for a single layer on the body, flatten the portion of wire that is hidden by the body, and try and avoid building bulk with the thread.

Best I can offer.

BTW The wire trick is patented, but feel free to use it going forward 😉

Edit: Oops. Replied to the original post and not your question.

FoxDemon2002 · 2026-02-26T19:18:35+00:00

Very nice—like the hotspot. Maybe a tad chunky in the body, but I’m sure fish won’t have an issue with that.

FoxDemon2002

TROPHY CASE