Top 6 New Stillwater Flies for 2025 from Fulling Mill (Outside of US)
Published: 8th January 2025 | Author: Fulling MillLast week we dove into some of our new nymphs for 2025. This week we’ll dive into another category of ours, stillwater patterns. At Fulling Mill we’re lucky to have a deep history in stillwater fly fishing, and many of the world’s best stillwater anglers working with us and offering their patterns. If they make it into our range, they really are something special. Read below to check out our top new stillwater flies for 2025.
Jackie’s Daddy Booby
Jackie Mahon is a guide and angler who spends his seasons on Ireland’s famous loughs. This new pattern, Jackie’s Daddy Booby, is a a classic Irish pattern with a modern twist. It can imitate daddies and sedges, and is designed to create a wake when retrieved. This pattern is best fished on a intermediate or fast intermediate fly line.
Join Jackie in the boat with Tom “Doc” Sullivan
Jenkin’s Cruncher Barbless
The new Cruncher series from Signature Tyer Kieron Jenkins are must-haves in absolutely any stillwater anglers fly boxes. Jenkins’ Hot Head UV Cruncher is an exceptional fly pattern for targeting trout feeding subsurface on emergers, Corixa, Shrimp, Pin Fry or even Damsels. The UV thorax really compliments this fly, enhancing visibility especially in low-light conditions or murky water.
However, when fish are being picky and turning their noses up at other patterns, the Jenkins’ Natural Quill Cruncher is the first fly to reach for. Its realistic quill body makes it an excellent choice when trout are selective or wary. The UV highlight strikes a balance between subtlety and attraction, making it great for varying water conditions. Best used when targeting fish feeding on hog louse, shrimp, hatching buzzer, corixa or damsel fished on a floating line or sink tip with the washing line method. In addition to the natural quill, the The Jenkins’ Black Quill Cruncher is an exceptional pattern whether fished as a team of nymphs on a washing line, or on the middle dropper with a team of lures. Its realistic quill body over black styling thread mimics emerging buzzers. It’s a great choice for stillwater nymphing.
Jenkin’s Buzzer Barbless
Another great addition to our collection from Kieron this year is his buzzer series. Two of them are holographic, and three are quill buzzers. The Holo buzzers are both black, wrapped with silver wire, feature a strip of UV over the back and have holographic cheeks. One is orange, and the other is red. It’s fished on the top dropper with a team of buzzers or nymphs. The combination of UV and holographic simply ‘ping’ in the daylight. On the right day, the UV can be the single thing that gets your fly to stand out among the crowd. This is one of the most consistent buzzers patterns Kieron uses on any large or small stillwater.
If the UV and holographic combination is too much, keeping it simple can often be the way. That’s when the Jenkins’ Quill Buzzers come into their own. Available in three different colors, they’re the perfect example of a super effective and simple buzzer pattern. Fish them fly as part of a team of buzzers under the indicator, on the washing line or straight line nymphing. This pattern will work on any lake or reservoir throughout the UK. These are tied on a Fulling Mill barbless hook and are ribbed with Fulling Mill natural Stripped Quill.
Jenkin’s Diawl Barbless
A third addition from Kieron Jenkins is his Diawl collection. This holographic Copper Diawl Bach has been his best nymph pattern for the best part of the last two seasons. It is extremely effective when fishing the washing line method on any dropper of the cast. The copper holographic rib gives a beautiful contrast between the body and imitates a nymph/buzzer segmentations perfectly. Super effective on Rutland, Grafham, Lake of Menteith and Chew Valley. Tied on a Fulling Mill Barbless hook with Fulling Mill’s Ginger Goose Biot Cheeks.
Another version in this range is the Black Holo Diawl. Kieron says: “I often describe this Black Holographic Hot Head Diawl bach as ‘subtle but dangerous’ to my angling friends, as it seems to have all the fish catch attributes needed to consistently put fish in the net.” The black holographic rib gives a subtle but powerful glint in daylight. In contrast, the hot orange head gives a more obvious attraction. This Diawl Bach is especially effective in slightly muddy water close into the bank or around weed beds when targeting stocked fish feeding on buzzer. Tied on a Fulling Mill Barbless hook with Fulling Mill’s Ginger Goose Biot Cheeks and Fulling Mill’s premium selected peacock herl
As you can see below, Kieron has 3 other unique versions as well. They all have a specific purpose and use case, and you can read more about them all here.
Fry’s Balance Bung Leech
This balanced stillwater damsel pattern was designed and tested rigorously by Curtis Fry at Fly Fish Food to work in conjunction with Howard Croston’s Drop Back Bung. This pattern is tied extremely small and sparse so that it will sink quickly, yet have tons of movement even when suspended under the bung. This whispy damsel imitation is one of the best out there when you want to indicator fish on stillwaters.
Learn how to fish Howard Croston’s Drop Back Bung
New Colors!
Finally, we added some new colors on already successful patterns, which round out our coverage of the top new stillwater flies for 2025.
From Kieron: “When it comes to dry fly fishing, the Sumo Hopper is by far my most effective fly.” This year, he’s added a bibio coloration. This pattern is tied with a loosely dubbed body and thorax with a slightly oversized hackle at the head to give a large profile on the surface, the hackle is also clipped underneath to ensure the fly sits perfect in the surface film. Trout sitting high in the water often take this fly intuitively, as well as when they’re feeding hard on Heather Fly, Hawthorn or Buzzers. This is a super effective on large UK reservoirs such as Llyn Clywedog, Llyn Brenig and Wimbleball where terrestrial insects are in abundance.
Another pattern, Jenkins’ Popper Hopper, has two new colors. As anglers are turning more and more to catch and release on our reservoirs, our trout are definitely becoming wiser to frits and marabou! This Olive Popper Hopper is a great pattern to use on the buoyant end of a washing line when the takes dry up with blobs and boobies. It can also be fish as a dry fly in windy conditions to ensure your flies are sitting high in the surface. Tied with a thorax cover of foam, as well as the popper head, this fly hangs perfectly in the surface rather than on it, giving more positive takes and hook ups. The Jenkins’ Olive Popper Hopper is a great pattern to use on lakes such as Rutland Water and Grafham Water where there are an abundance of Shrimp, Buzzer and Corixa. Tied on a Fulling Mill Barbless hook with olive Seal X Dubbing.
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