Tutorial - Easy Tie Damsel - Allan Liddle

Everyone’s got a damsel pattern in their armoury, or to be more exact probably several of them so it might not seem the most attractive of tutorials to offer another one.

However this one is a very simple tie but has all the trigger points of more complex ones as well as versatile enough to be used on a host of different scenarios from stocked fisheries, to wild lochs and running water. In fact it’s actually not too shabby a saltwater pattern either.

I like this one as I feel the addition of a tungsten head over the more general brass bead helps add a little more to the action of the fly when in the retrieve, as well as the obvious increase in sink rate helping you get down to the fish quicker. That said sink rate increase might be minimal, however you might want to note that tungsten will continue to drop between ‘pulls’ so be careful you don’t end up too deep.

My favoured style is to use this fly on a floating line which helps control the depth somewhat and I love fishing it alongside weed beds or on drop offs. In a big wind it can make an excellent ‘tail’ (point) fly and help ‘anchor’ the ‘team’ helping you work a ‘dibbled bob’ through the waves better.

Where some salt water bait fish are around, this colour and flash can be pretty effective as often there is a predominant olive base colour to the small target fish making this one fit the bill perfectly although a switch to a salt water hook such as Partridge CS52 Sea Prince might help them last a little longer.

Dressing:

Hook; Sprite S2175 Barbless Competition Wet size 8 - 12

Bead; 3.3mm Gold Tungsten Bead (adjust bead size to suit fly size or desired sink rate, another variation is to vary bead colour)

Butt; Semperfli Cheeky UV Chartreuse

Thread; Semperfli Golden Olive Micro Glint thread

Tail; Light Olive Marabou with four strands of Golden Olive Micro Glint over top

Body; Tying thread under UV varnish

Thorax; Dubbing loop of Olive Glister (Veniard)

Tying Sequence:

Step 1 Place bead on hook, secure hook in vice, catch in UV butt, wind on and secure, seal with UV varnish

Step 2 Catch in thread above UV

Step 3 Catch in light olive marabou tail above UV

Step 4 Trim off waste marabou and secure with thread

Step 5 Tie in four strands of thread over tail for added sparkle. (Note prepare these before tying in thread for body)

Step 6 Form body with thread

Step 7 Secure body with UV

Step 8 Prepare thread for tying in spun dubbing thorax

Step 9 Insert desired amount of Olive Glister into dubbing 'loop'

Step 10 Spin tight then wind on dubbing loop thorax.

Step 11 Secure loop with thread and trim off waste. Whip finish but don't cut thread yet

Step 12 Take varnish and place on thread before second whip finish ensuring fully secured and head protected.

Allan Liddle

Based in Moray in Scotland's North East, Allan has specialises with the wild trout from the rivers and burns, lochs and lochans throughout Mainland Scotland and the Isles. A strong passion for fishing simple dries he feels there's nothing better than to see the fish take off the top, but isn't slow to fish a range of different styles when mood or conditions dictate. Although trout is his first love Allan occasionally chases the Salmon, Grayling stocked fish and even dabbles in salt water when the chance arises.

Allan has also represented Scotland at international level, is a GAIA qualified trout instructor and a has been a regular contributor to Fly Fishing and Fly Tying Magazine for almost twenty years. Allan’s love of fly tying spans almost thirty years and has been a regular at many tying demonstrations and work shops prior to, and since joining the Partridge Pro-Team in 2013.