No that's not just a typo, but an admission of my status as a photo-journalist.
This is the picture I took at our fly-tying evening at Lamberhurst last night.
The big hairy 'spider' (in the centre) was supposed to be a close-up of the beautifully-tied Double Badger demonstrated by our tying expert and meeting organiser Keith. Luckily he's supplied me with a proper picture. I should leave the tying and photography to him I think.
A perfect specimen I'm sure you'll agree, and he made it look so easy!
The Fly-Tying evening was a great success once again, and if you're thinking of attending, don't be intimidated by the calibre of fly-tying from some of the experts; the evening is mainly about connecting with other people in the club and picking each others' brains and airing views and opinions on how the club is doing. Where else do you get the chamce to spend the evening swapping stories and gleaning tips and wisdom from the likes of Jeremy, our celeb member?
We also had a short talk about the Horsmonden Water Treatment Works (after we'd finished eating), and a demonstration of a couple more handy gadgets to make life easier on the river (more on those in future).
Of course the focus on the Double Badger (DB) was perfectly timed for the start of the Grayling season tomorrow (16th) as the DB has often been a 'goto' fly for our fussy little Grayling, though we'll have to see if it still retains its charms. We did debate why it was so successful, and what it could possibly represent as it sits so high on the water. I subsequently found one website that suggested it's supposed to look like two midges mating, so do look out for mating midges in future, and see what you think.
If you're not up to tying these (and they do need to be on very small hooks), you can buy them online quite easily, and you'll find them mentioned in some of the excellent Podcasts at PeaksFlyFishing, and you can also pick them up at Barbless and many other places. One particularly interesting site, if you want to know more about them is https://dryflyexpert.blogspot.com/2010/08/double-badger.html , and you'll probably notice similarities with several other flies, including the Griffiths Gnats, Knotted Midge and even the Tricolore.
Whatever you use, enjoy the sport, and think about attending the Fly-Tying evenings when they resume after a summer break; they really are worthwhile, and almost as much fun as the work-parties, but with beer.
Tight Lines
PeterB
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