With many trout rivers opening up around Europe, we know everyone will be excited to get on the water. It’s been a long winter away, and the trout will be rising! As such, we wanted to share some of our favorite patterns from the legend himself, Davie McPhail. These are some great all-around patterns that we’ll never leave home without. Follow along and enjoy our top 6 Davie McPhail Dry Flies!
McPhail CdC Olive
You won’t want to be without olives in your fly box, especially in the early part of the season. Because olives are present in the early season, the McPhail CdC Olive is an ideal pattern. It’s a split wing fly, and it has a very realistic profile when viewed from below.
McPhail Spun Dun
This is another killer blue winged olive pattern, which is tied in slightly larger sizes than the CdC version. It’s a variation of the Spun Dun, where the wings are spun around the hook and trimmed at the back. As a result, this fly has an excellent footprint when it comes to olive feeders.
McPhail Wulff
Davie McPhail’s Wulff is a great Mayfly imitation that will be deadly on many rivers and lakes around the UK and Europe. This bushy dry fly will ride high on the surface just like the real thing.Tied in size 12, the McPhail Wulff is offered in ginger, grey and olive. Make sure you fish this pattern on strong nylon as takes can be explosive!
McPhail Big Wave Wulff
This is another great mayfly imitation. However, Unlike most Wulff patterns, this ‘Big Wave’ style has a palmered body. This is to ensure it will float in the strongest of winds. Like the regular Wulff it’s offered in Olive, Grey and Ginger. This version is tied in size 10.
McPhail Spent Mayfly
A a spent mayfly lays flat on the surface of the water, with its wings spread wide and tail flat. So when it comes to spent mayfly fishing, the key behind the fly is it’s footprint. As a result, this fly was designed to do just that. The Davie McPhail Spent Mayfly is perfect for evening fishing during the mayfly hatch. And with the mayfly on the horizon, you will need this in your fly box
McPhail Bubble Wing Caddis
The antenae and CdC Bubble wing gives a great profile on the surface with this pattern. It’s offered in three colors; cinnamon, grannom and chocolate to account for the major color varieties you’ll see in caddis on UK and European waters.
McPhail Big Red
The Big Red is a large buzzer pattern that hatches on many of the U.K reservoirs. Because of this, when it hatches, trout can become fixated on them and you need a fly which has the correct footprint. This pattern from Davie McPhail is a great point fly when the big red buzzer hatches.
McPhail Sedgehog Hopper
Sedgehogs have long been a favourite among wild brown trout anglers. In addition to that, as of late it’s become popular with those fishing for stocked rainbow trout. This pattern is a twist on a tradition wet fly, designed to be fished high in the water to imitate struggling insects. Fish this fly both fast or slow to cause a disturbance in the surface film, or static as a dry fly in calm conditions.
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