The patterns that have found their way from the contributor, to photographer and into the Editor's fly box ... and stayed there!
No.2 Glasgow Rangers
(featured
July/August '96)
Here's a fly that never fails to turn an angler's head whenever they peek
inside your fly box. It's a very useful fly, the dressing of which was
given to me by Calum Macaffer, who fishes on the Scottish isle of Islay
and who has spent much of his time fishing the dark, slow-flowing Laggan
river. Because of its slow flow - a different experience for many salmon
fishers - Calum has been invaluable in helping me get to grips with the
island way of fishing it. Of course, during a spate usual fishing techniques
apply, but in lower flows and with fish in the river, the islanders turn
the fishing on its head (or at least, through 180 degrees).
Instead of fishing across and down they fish upstream, keeping low on
the bank for concealment, retrieving their flies over the fishes' heads.
The best conditions for this is a strong upstream wind which helps disguise
the approach.
The flies can be quite small - 10s, 12s, 14s and even 16s - and the Glasgow
Rangers is one of Calum's many patterns. It has many key points: the fluorescent
magenta tag, the silver body, and pulsing black hackle, but its main attraction
for me is the high-voltage brilliant blue wing of vulterine guinea fowl
fibres. These glow an electric blue, like the reflection in an arc-welder's
goggles. It has an important place in my fly box because it is in keeping
with a phrase the late, great Hugh Falkus managed to imprint on my brain
during a week's casting course on the Spey: "Remember", he would
say, referring to the salmon's vision in fading light, "the last
colour a fish can see... is blue". I still find myself imitating
his voice as dusk falls on a salmon and sea trout river, and I therefore
often find myself changing flies and putting on a Glasgow Rangers.
The name? If you come from the west coast of Scotland and devise a fly
with red, blue, black and silver in its dressing, it really can only be
named after one football team.
Glasgow Rangers
Hook: Treble (X2B) or low water double 10 -16.
Thread: Red.
Tag: Magenta.
Body: Silver Lurex.
Rib: Silver wire.
Wing: Electric blue fibres of vulturine guinea fowl.
Hackle: Black Chinese cock.