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General Interest

Semperfli Yorkshire Grub Hooks Released

Dec 27th, 2011
by Andy.
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Semperfli Swimming Nymph Hook

Semperfli Swimming Nymph Hooks Released We tie flies using pretty standard nymph hooks, however one look at the real nymphs in action shows that they are highly mobile and their shapes are not always straight like the traditional nymph and grub hooks we use. This is why the Swimming Nymph hooks and the Yorkshire Grub hooks have been developed, to help you imitate nature and some of the real invertebrates that are in our waters. Try these for bloodworm imitations when fishing on the bottom of lakes and reservoirs or for Rhyacophilla when fishing for trout & grayling on wild, natural rivers. For a stunning Rhyacophilla simply use Semperfli Straggle String SF7250FL which is that stunning apple green colour of the Rhyac and hold tight! The Swimming Nymph hook allows you to tie more natural flies with deadly results.

Semperfli Weighted Czech Nymphing Hooks Released

Dec 23rd, 2011
by Andy.
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Czech Nymphing Weighted Hooks

Semperfli Weighted Czech Nymph Hooks Released When Czech nymphing quite often a heavily weighted fly is essential to hold bottom and allow the perfect presentation of the full team of czech nymphs. The Semperfli Size 8 weighted Czech Nymph hook is the tool for the job. Pre-weighted at 1.3gm (0.04oz) with a shrimp shaped body this is the perfect lead fly in your czech nymphing team.With its weighted body tying a czech nymph is very simple and you can match a natural shrimp or infected shrimp very easily using Semperfli Straggle String which with its’ uv flecks gives that leg like appearance to make a stunning shrimp imitation. The Weighted Czech Nymph hook allows you to tie more natural flies with deadly results. They come in a pack of 10 hooks per pack check them our here czech nymphing hooks

Sandy Dickson Tying The Foam Arsed Blob or FAB

Dec 18th, 2011
by Andy.
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Love them or hate them blobs are an essential piece of the reservoir and lake fly fishermans armoury. This is a simple fly to tie as demonstrated by Sandy Dickson of The Essential Fly. This simple fly is tied using Umpqua U501 Egg Fly Hooks Semperfli Blob Chenille Semperfli Booby eyes Semperfli Nano Silk

Strongest Fly Tying Silk In The World? Watch this amazing video

Dec 16th, 2011
by Andy.
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Nano Silk - Possibly the worlds strongest 12/0 fly tying silk

We are always looking at fly tying threads, we compare all the threads that come out with Semperfli’s Nano Silk which is by far our favorite thread, stunningly thin at just 12/0 but incredibly strong. Sandy Dickson and myself tested it when it was first made and we were amazed at the results, Yes we beleive it to be the strongest fly tying silk in the workd, we tried proving it by snapping a size 8 hook in the vice using this stunning 12/0 thread. We love Semperfli Nano Silk, a 12/0 incredibly thin fly tying silk which is virtually unbreakable, so we decided to do a little experiment. We got size 8 hooks in standard wire guage from a quality hook manufacturer, we twisted some Nano Silk around the hook , spun it then pulled. Even Sandy was surprised at the results, we managed to break the hook 3 times on the trot and had great fun proving that Semperfli Nano is amongst the strongest fly tying silks in the world. We love it for extra small dry flies as there is no build up from this stunningly thin 12/0 silk and for large Pike flies pull it tighter [...]

Fly Fishing Resources Directory Launched – Link For Free In Our Directory

Oct 24th, 2011
by Andy.
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Fly Fishing Resource Directory - Get Your Web Site Listed for Free

We are please to launch our new fly fishing resources directory. This is a resource where anyone so if you are a: fly fishing guide professional fly tyer fly fishing lake fly fishing club fly tying club or anyone related to the fly fishing industry you can add links to their site from our new software. The reciprocal linking software allows you to manage your own links making maximum benefit from the millions of page views from tens of thousands of visitors on the Essential Fly sites every month. With more unique readers than fly fishing magazines it can help get you visitors. Please feel free to add your links to the fly fishing resources directory ….. add your details here to get your free links to the fly fishing resources directory

Umpqua Fly Tying Hooks Available In The UK

Oct 15th, 2011
by Andy.
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Umpqua Fly Tying Hooks Range

We are delighted to be one of the first of many retailers selling the Umpqua hook range in the UK. When we first saw the Umpqua hooks, with their range or dry fly hooks, nymph hooks, streamer hooks and saltwater hooks we were very impressed with the quality and strength. Stunning high grade carbon steel, chemically sharpened hooks with great micro barbs for easy penetration that can be flattened if you prefer barbless hooks. 50 top quality trout hooks at just £4.75 for 50 hooks! Better value than Fulling Mill, or any other manufacturer of hooks in the UK. However we then started to discover more about the Umpqua hook range that delighted us. To be honest at The Essential Fly we expected nothing less from Umpqua Feather Merchants, as one of the top companies in the fly fishing industry world-wide. However it was when we got our stock that we really started to appreciate the qualities put in by Umpqua Feather Merchants, we were used to the plastic boxed hooks from some fly hook  manufacturers, We  don’t know how often over the years we have spilled the hooks upon opening the annoying plastic box. We have used the plastic [...]

Starting Out In Fly Fishing

Oct 13th, 2011
by Ann Kitchener.
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Sometimes it can be quite daunting starting out with any new hobby as you often don’t know where to start.  But when it comes to fly fishing there are many aspects to consider.  You’ve seen the programmes on TV, watched the other anglers at the river/lake and fancy giving it a go! But what fly fishing kit do you need? What fly fishing clothing do you need? And the flies?  There are so very many to choose from!  Then factor in famous fly fishing ‘bravado’ (which can be a little nerve-racking to some) because every fly angler is an expert and only their flies are the best!  Put this lot together and you’ve a recipe for a potentially over-whelming situation for a beginner. So what do you do? Fortunately there are plenty of avenues open to you.  The first one being the fact that despite the bravado mentioned earlier, there is a wealth of incredibly kind and generous fly anglers out there who are desperate to share their hobby with a beginner and will do so with gusto.  So tap your fly fishing friends or relatives for some tips. To avoid getting into any self taught bad habits, it is [...]

Inspirational fly fishing story

Oct 12th, 2011
by Ann Kitchener.
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This kind and inspirational Essential Fly customer shared this wonderful story with us and has given us permission to share it with you.  These are her exact words – we hope you enjoy it. Im a single parent with one little boy, I cant do many sporting activities with him so at 41 years of age I learnt to fish and Ive never looked back Ive had some very very memorable days, not always because the fish were big or even just because they were beautifull but for a selection of other reasons.  The one I will never forget until the day I pop my clogs goes like this. It wasnt just a day it took me months to prepare for this one.  Small child, minimal fishing experience but loved it, 10 tears old watching Matt Hayes on telly catching big trout on the fly. Says to his mother “Id really love to do that Mum it looks awesome” (fatal words) Took him for a couple of casting lessons, took him fly fishing, easy to catch lakes and he’s started catching, take him to harder to catch lakes – and he starts catching, make him fish the Brennig- he catches, [...]

Great customer story and feedback!

Oct 12th, 2011
by Ann Kitchener.
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Thanks to a customer who shared his story with us today…. “I generally tie most of my flies and had a fairly dim view of a lot of shop bought flies. They are generally bulky and quite poorly finished. Having suggested flies as a gift to my father in law this Christmas, I was happy to see that they were extremely well tied and actually caught fish. Needless to say, I ‘borrowed’ one… possibly two! We bought from you by the way.” He bought a range of flies from www.theessentialfly.com and we are very glad to have him and his father-in-law as customers!

Yet Another Invader of Our Fly Fishing Rivers

Oct 12th, 2011
by Andy.
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Chinese Mitten Crab

Again fly fishermen are being asked to look for another invader of our fly fishing rivers. We have had the cray fish which has been decimated by the American signal crayfish, more recently Dikerogammarus villosus a visious shrimp which often kills its prey and leaves it uneaten was found in Grafham Water now we have Chinese Mitten Crabs! These have been around for a while, they have been found in the Yorkshire Region at Castleford in 1948 yet they are now spreading and while fly fishing we are being asked to watch out for these invaders and report them for monitoring. The Full Press Release has stated: Become a nature detective and record the invasion of the alien Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) in rivers of England and Wales. Scientists from a number of UK research institutes, including London’s Natural History Museum are calling for the public to become nature detectives this autumn to better understand the full extent of the Chinese mitten crab invasion and the threat these crustaceans pose to our rivers and waterways. Anglers, waterway workers, boating enthusiasts and other nature lovers to identify and record any sightings of the alien species via an online survey. The [...]

Tips On Fly Leaders – More Important Than Your Fly Rod Yet Often Overlooked

Oct 11th, 2011
by Andy.
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Umpqua Red Hot Power Taper - Tapered Leader

Fly Leaders are the most important piece of tackle there is yet is is not thought about enough! So when Umpqua Feather Merchants launched one of the hottest fly fishing tippets we have ever seen we have been desperate for stock. We took our Red Hot Tapered leaders, played with them and loved the results.  This is by far the most innovative Fly Tippet or tapered leader we have ever seen. My eyesight used to be fantastic in my youth, however as my hair gets more and more grey my eyes get weaker at the same time and all too frequently I find I lose the fly as it floats down the river or I miss bites due to missing gentle and  subtle takes. Since fishing with the Red Hot Tapered Leader I have found I miss less fish and see more bites due to its innovative colouring of the butt section on this stunning tapered leader. However, this made us think how under-rated the most important piece of tackle a fly fisherman uses is! Typically we all take tapered leaders and leader material for granted however next to the fly it is more important than even our fly rod, [...]

Time for Fly Tying!

Oct 10th, 2011
by Ann Kitchener.
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According to the newspapers, the UK is about to be hit by Hurricane Katia! Bascially by Monday, we could be facing 70mph winds and 50 ft high waves! So that obviously means fly fishing is off the agenda sadly but remaining ever optimistic its a perfect time to batton down the hatches and get the tying vice out!  Get tying those flies, trying new fly tying materials and design some fab new flies for when the weather is better! Happy tying!

Salmon – an understanding of different types of salmon for our fly fishing knowledge

Oct 10th, 2011
by Ann Kitchener.
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What is a Salmon? The Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) is an anadromous migratory fish found in the temperate and arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Unlike the Pacific salmon that have complex and varied life histories that vary widely within and between species, the Atlantic Salmon have very similar life histories and are capable of surviving spawning and re-migrate to return again. Pacific salmon migrate from freshwater to the sea at different ages. Pink and Chum Salmon migrate at any time from one week to a month, Chinooks from 12 to 16 months, Coho Salmon from 12 to 24 months and Sockeye from 12 to 36 months. What does anadromous mean? The Atlantic salmon is referred to as being anadromous because of its habit of migrating from the sea into fresh waters to spawn. This is the exact opposite of the common eel which leaves fresh waters to spawn in the Sargasso Sea, and is therefore called catadromous. Is there just one species of salmon? When we speak of “salmon” we are referring to either Atlantic salmon or Pacific salmon. There is only one species of Atlantic salmon: Salmo salar. There are six species of Pacific salmon: pink (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha), [...]

River in Flood

Sep 8th, 2011
by Ann Kitchener.
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Well we had hoped to do some kick sampling yesterday.  There we were, all kitted up and with our kick sampling tools ready and our photographer Si with us too for those ace photos we were going to take!  We were hoping to get pictures of the local entomology for our studies and for sharing with our customers.  That way we all know whats out there currently for our fly tying. So we headed off to the river Wharfe in Tadcaster North Yorkshire.  This is a beautiful river, really picturesque with a weir and viaduct over it -worthy of many lovely photos. Even the company dog Tess was excited about this trip! We knew it had rained a bit recently, but in all honesty it wasn’t that bad. But when we got to the river we were amazed!  To say it was in flood is a bit of an understatement.  It was at least 6 ft up – the weir was not visible at all apart from some ‘waves’ where the weir should have been.  It was almost covering the trees too! So, the trip we were all looking forward to had to be cancelled so we simply headed off [...]

Magnetic Net Release

Aug 17th, 2011
by Ann Kitchener.
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Once you’ve used a magnetic net release you’ll wonder how you ever managed without one!  We are very proud of our own brand of fly fishing aid net release as its so strong and reliable.  Magnetic net holders carry the wooden and metal nets safely. The magnet can be attached to D ring very conveniently.  They come with a 80cm long elastic string.The added benefit of a self seeking magnet means you can easily manage your net on your back yourself without fumbling around! For the techie folk amongst you, our Magnetic Net Holders are CNC machine cut from marine grade aluminum. The strength of the magnetic net release is 7.7lb, these are made with superbly strong magnetic capabilities. So how do you use it? Attach to  your fly fishing jacket or vest “D” ring with spring loaded clip. Attach to standard net frames and released with a firm tug. Self seeking magnets ensure easy net release.

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