Tying Small Spinner Spiders with Davie McPhail

Spider fishing's tradition goes back century's. The origins of the simple North Country Spider wet fly pattern – often referred to as the ‘soft hackle’ fly by Americans – can be traced back to early 19th Century Yorkshire, when descriptions appeared in an 1807 manuscript by Ilkley farmer John Swarbrick. Spiders are intentionally tied to be very sparse, this allows them to represent a full spectrum of insects which Trout and Grayling will actively feed on. Spiders can be tied in a variety of colours with matching hackles which makes them incredibly popular for those who need something a little unique to attract Trout. Davie however, has instead made this fly into a Dry Fly variant, adding a more built-up body with Squirrel Dubbing to allow the fly to sit on the surface. Excellent for when the Trout are on the rise in the Morning or Evening!

All of the materials needed to tie this fly are available from Glasgow Angling Centre as listed below, but as always, if you need any help finding materials or substitutes then we'll be happy to help. Time to tie a Small Spinner Spider Fly, with the guidance of Davie McPhail.




Materials Used:
Hook: Fulling Mill Ultimate Dry size 18 Thread: Uni-8/0 Cahill Tail: Grey Dun Cock Fibers Rib: Cahill Thread Body: Cahill Thread Thorax: Bleached Ginger Squirrel Dubbing Hackle: Grey Dun Cock

Additional materials: Additionally, Davie made use of Glue, which he applied to the thread after completing the fly.

Davie's preferred type of whip finish tool can be found HERE!