This is certainly not an opinion that every fly fisher will share, as flies are as personal to the waters in which you fish, as they are to the angler who ties them. All my friends and anyone whose strapped on one of my creations will attest to the fact that I am to fly tying what crochet is to contraception. But my well worn retort is that pretty flies are for pretty fishermen! The Hydrocynus family have the literal translation of Water Dog, in large it would I believe, be due to their ferocity and I would like to think because, that a nip from one of these beasts is worse than your average dog bit. I am a believer in function over form when it comes to Tigers and here’s my five favourite patterns that I never go on a fly fishing trip without. Most of these flies can be tied on anything between a size 2 to a 4/0 depending on which size and species of tiger you’re looking to attract. They are unbelievable predators, deserving of the apex status in the water food chain. Their tactics are to mug any unsuspecting passer by, so they know the structure of the river bed intimately, hence quite frankly a lot will depend on how quickly you can get your fly into their strike zone. So weight is critical, especially when you have the drift of a boat to content with. 1. That’s why Dumbell eyes and lead wrapped bodies form a huge part the patterns that I’ve had success with. Bob’s Clouser’s originally tied for Bass is a must in any tiger box, and if I was pressed to choose a single colour combination, then Jeremy Rochester’s precise Fire Tiger Clouser would be it 
4. A Tigers bottom jaw is hinged horizontally, allowing them to double the gape of their bite, so don’t be scared about using big flies. That said, hook strength and sharpness trumps size and crystal clear water often call for smaller, more imitative patterns. Hence a polar fibre minnow, would also rank in my top 5, which can also be tied with tubing and many other materials. The key being to ensure that it resemble the baitfish that is most prevalent in the water, whether is be a Minnow, Robber, Bulldog, Squeaker or even Kapenta.
As such, he is included not as a Guide in terms of the someone who can give you any indispensable tuition or direction, but to provide us with some fishing tales from the events that WildFly hosts and of course from the locations that the the WildFly team happen to be filming.
The real account from a social fisherman's perspective...
- Trout Report – TCC Leg 3 - July 2, 2024
- TOPS Kamberg Festival 2024 - June 11, 2024