Lindsay Simpson, who is described as a fanatical fly fisherman, was the Guest Speaker on 29 March 2018. The main theme for Lindsay’s fly tying demonstration was grayling flies, particularly patterns and flies that are appropriate for harder to fish grayling streams – Wherwell? He started with a fly called the Mull Killer – a jig pattern tied on size 14 Hanak BL450, with a 3.5mm tungsten bead, Andrews Scruffy Highland Peat Dubbing, silver wire rib and Globrite #4 collar. Lindsay introduced “Andrews Scruffy Dubbing” – a blend of rabbit/hare/squirrel and a few “other fibres” which is receiving very good reviews for both colour and texture as a dubbing for nymphs. This range of dubbing was developed by Andrew Ellis. Additional flies tied by Lindsay included a “Fly with No Name”, the Mary Nymph, Parachute Adams, Cased Caddis, Perdigon Fly and a Sedge pattern. The Perdigon nymph pattern was developed by Spanish fly fishing competitors and are small, delicate, slim, heavy weighted nymph patterns aimed at getting down to the working depth quickly.

This was an excellent fly tying demonstration with an introduction to several unfamiliar materials and techniques.

Jeff “Razors” Wilkinson runs Razor Sharp Flies. He ties quality flies commercially to order and also supplies a limited range of fly tying materials prepared by himself.

He is perhaps one of the most innovative and creative fly tyers that we have had as a Guest Speaker at the CFT&FFC. He is also a successful angler on the competition scene and is a regular fisherman at Grafham and Farmoor 2. His flies are often used by competition anglers and have proven to be highly successful, often when other, normally successful, flies have not been of interest on the day.

Jeff demonstrated the tying of a (competition) Damsel Nymph, a Black Hopper, a Suspender Shrimp and a Cormorant pattern. In addition to tying these flies, he explained some of the methods and techniques that he has personally found to be successful in fishing them, and for other fly patterns that he has developed and created.

This was an both an informative and an entertaining evening with a great deal of interest being shown in the extensive range of flies tied by him and the materials that he skillfully uses to create them.