With only ten days to go before the '09 season commences, there should be lot's of new reports to post here. This year, I have a real sense that this could be an amazing seven months of fishing. The season is already planned, I know what to expect during each month, surprise weather conditions aside and I have a finely tuned tactical approach to the familiar waters I'll be fishing.
I'll still be tying during the season, but less so in favour of time on the water. So it seems appropriate to sign-off the close of the main tying season with a pattern that represents a significant personal achievement... a new benchmark in my micropattern tying.
The TMC 518 #32 is the smallest commercially available hook. Ed Engle describes the 518 as the smallest "useable" hook in the world. And so they represent a panacea to the tyer of micropatterns. If you are based in the UK, the trick is first to actually source a supply - they are simply not available. Roy Christie supplied a mixed dozen of #28, #30 and #32's to help me out for which I am hugely grateful. An alternative is the Varivas 2300 available down to #30; this is a nicely proportioned, and strong hook but there is something uniquely authentic about the TMC 518.
The pattern below is a simple, spent spinner, that can be tied in a range of colours to suit hatch conditions. It is very hard to provide any perspective on scale, suffice to say the body on this tie is just 2mm in length. The goal of tying a neat and fishable #32 has evolved over time. Thanks must go to Roy Christie for providing the hooks and telephone tutorials in pursuit of this goal.
Hook: TMC 518 #32
Thread: Sheer 14/0 cinnamon
Wing: Niche "Midge Wing"
Tailing: Niche microfibbets, cream
I'll be fishing this pattern during late evenings in high Summer on Roy's Mystery Burn X, and I look forward to posting a picture of the wild brown trout that succumbs...
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