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The Flytier's Companion by Mike Dawes

Reviewed by Terry Lawton

One of the best things that I have done since starting fishing again, in earnest, 12 or so years ago, was to join a local fly tying group. Anywhere between a dozen and 18 fly tiers of mixed ability - men and women - meet once a week for 12 weeks before and after Christmas in the back room of a pub much frequented by overnighting lorry drivers.

Each week our instructor demonstrates how to tie two flies, chosen to illustrate different techniques and the use of different materials, which we all then try to tie ourselves. If they are relatively easy patterns, we often have enough time to tie two of each during the two hour session. With particularly hard patterns, we sometimes struggle to tie one of each. One of the best things that these courses have done for my fly tying is to increase my confidence dramatically. I keep on surprising and impressing myself with some of the flies that I have tied! They might not win any prizes yet but most of them will catch fish.

If there is a fly tying group near you, I would recommend strongly that you join it.

Beginners or those with some experience but who have not done any fly tying for sometime, will find that the Beginner's Guide To Fly Tying will get them going or remind them of lost skills. All fly tiers who are looking to progress will appreciate Mike Dawes new book, The Flytier's Companion. This book is a sequel to the same author's book The Flytier's Manual.

The new book contains 180 fly patterns, both classic and modern, each of which is described in some detail, with a list of materials and instructions on how to tie them. All the trout flies in the book were tied by Bev Harper-Smith and photographed by the author. Harry Ranger, a highly talented amateur with only a few years of experience behind him tied the Steelhead flies. Both the flies and the photography are excellent. Taff Price has produced all the instructional line drawings. Whilst these are clear and well executed, for the less competent tier, the illustrations created on the computer in the Beginner's Guide are to be preferred.

The book is divided up into sections covering nymphs, dry flies, wet flies, lures and streamers, steelhead flies, sea-trout flies, tubes flies and waddingtons. While some flies, for example the Greenwell's Glory, have a page to themselves or even a double page spread for the Europea 12, there are usually two or three patterns on most pages.This works well as there is everything you want on the one page with some exceptions. There are some flies where you are directed to another page which describes the techniques with a change of materials to suit the pattern that you are tying. I can see that this could cause a degree of page turning, probably at the most inopportune time.

One surprising omission is that there are no Czech or Polish woven nymph patterns included. Nor are any patterns using CDC feathers which are excellent for both nymphs and emergers in particular. If, like me. you originally thought that CDC feathers were meant to float and where used only for floating flies, Marc Petitjean, the Swiss fly tier, demonstrated his technique at the Chatsworth Angling Fair last year, for tying nymphs using CDC feathers. He uses them for the legs because, as the feathers are naturally waterproof, the don't get stuck together and so move about in a very life-like way.

There is a clear index which includes the correct choice of Kamasan (the author's preference) hook for each fly, and a useful bibliography.

In the end, the success of this book will depend on potential purchaser's assessment of the patterns it covers. But for the progressive and creative fly tier, there are some very interesting patterns, materials and techniques, many of which can be adapted and used to tie flies of one's own choice. Those fishermen keen on fishing overseas and for Steelhead will welcome the section on flies for these exciting fish.

The Flytier's Companion by Mike Dawes. Published by Swan Hill at £16.95. Paperback 160 pages.