Roy Christie RPE #32

[AndyBaird]

I tied, fished and caught on #28's throughout last season, a killer pattern and very effective in small sizes - it fishes sweet on degreased 8X tippet. Gotta keep pushing the envelope on the water, so late evening's mid-summer will hit the local burn with a #32.

Gonna join me, Roy?

Not a great image but you get the flavour...

Best,
Andy

[scotfly]

Awsome is all I can say!

[AndyBaird]

Thank you Dennis... appreciate that. Here's a slightly clearer shot. Hope RC approves ;)

[Chef]

GORGEOUS!

Keep my Mayo & Sligo towns well...My blood runs through those farms and trickles.

O'Dowd clan

[Roy]

Beautifully executed, Andy.
First weekend of July would be a good time to try that, around the IIFF show.
I'm up for a trip soon, I think, need to check the rocks.

That is a lovely wee fly
I could do it no better.


all the best

Roy

[AndyBaird]

GORGEOUS!

Keep my Mayo & Sligo towns well...My blood runs through those farms and trickles.

O'Dowd clan

No worries Chef - although I'm based on the North coast of Co. Antrim, this is a precious island. I tread lightly, fish small and cherish every step.

Best to you and yours.
Andy

[AndyBaird]

I'm up for a trip soon, I think, need to check the rocks.

Cheers Roy, we'll have some fun this summer... ;) The burn is missing ya!

[rossa]

Had a glance at the small fly funk website, small seems to be a fetish!
Fishing wise if you didn't have a hackle and had some cdc instead, would it matter or is it a challenge to do the hackle on such a small hook? Pretty amazing tying by the way.

[AndyBaird]

Fishing wise if you didn't have a hackle and had some cdc instead, would it matter or is it a challenge to do the hackle on such a small hook?

Very good question rossa. Truth is, I'm not a big fan of CDC :o I appreciate it has good floatation properties, imparts very life-like movement and footprint, and lands extremely lightly but it just seems so very, very impractical on stream. The brooks, burns and streams I fish hold a good population of small trout, and a few 14-16" monsters :D And because these streams are very lightly fished, multiple strikes to a well presented fly should be expected. When fishing a hackled fly, treated with Dilly Wax, a quick rinse and a blow and I'm back fishing - not sure this is possible with CDC, and I'd rather not carry loads of treatments streamside. I'll typically have a single fly box (C&F midge), 7X, 8X and maybe 9X tippet, Dilly Wax and mud, micro forceps and clippers and my licence and permit. All fit in a couple of pockets. It's fly fishing decoded to the very bare essentials.

Hackle is also incredibly robust - more so when tying as a RPE. This pattern is indestructible - 20+ fish per fly is entirely realistic. Roy invited a spectator at last years Lough's Agency Fly Fair to take a #20 RPE to the car park and grind it in to the car park gravel underfoot for 5mins then return to his bench. The fly was still fishable. That kind of design really appeals to me :ugeek:

That all said, I'd love to hear the case for CDC, cos I constantly wonder if I'm missing something... but beyond the tying bench, I'm not sure it offers more than hackle or snowshoe hare's foot on these streams...

Thanks,
Andy

[rossa]

Fishing wise if you didn't have a hackle and had some cdc instead, would it matter or is it a challenge to do the hackle on such a small hook?

Very good question rossa. Truth is, I'm not a big fan of CDC :o I appreciate it has good floatation properties, imparts very life-like movement and footprint, and lands extremely lightly but it just seems so very, very impractical on stream. The brooks, burns and streams I fish hold a good population of small trout, and a few 14-16" monsters :D And because these streams are very lightly fished, multiple strikes to a well presented fly should be expected. When fishing a hackled fly, treated with Dilly Wax, a quick rinse and a blow and I'm back fishing - not sure this is possible with CDC, and I'd rather not carry loads of treatments streamside. I'll typically have a single fly box (C&F midge), 7X, 8X and maybe 9X tippet, Dilly Wax and mud, micro forceps and clippers and my licence and permit. All fit in a couple of pockets. It's fly fishing decoded to the very bare essentials.

Hackle is also incredibly robust - more so when tying as a RPE. This pattern is indestructible - 20+ fish per fly is entirely realistic. Roy invited a spectator at last years Lough's Agency Fly Fair to take a #20 RPE to the car park and grind it in to the car park gravel underfoot for 5mins then return to his bench. The fly was still fishable. That kind of design really appeals to me :ugeek:

That all said, I'd love to hear the case for CDC, cos I constantly wonder if I'm missing something... but beyond the tying bench, I'm not sure it offers more than hackle or snowshoe hare's foot on these streams...

Thanks,
Andy

Thanks, I only used cdc as one example (snow shoe rabbit floats like Pamela Andersons puppies and antron would give god flotation on small flies), do you find you need to go for flies as small as 32 or again is it the challenge aspect of going that small?
Can't wait until March 1st to see some of your handywork. After discovering this site I'm kicking myself I never fished the small streams in Donegal before I moved to the US.