Wet spider flies are absolutely classic and incredibly effective patterns - they're some of the most traditional and deadly wet flies in trout fishing!
What Are Wet Spider Flies?
Wet spider flies are soft-hackled wet fly patterns that imitate emerging insects, drowned adults, or general subsurface prey. They get their name from the sparse, mobile hackle that creates a "leggy" appearance underwater, resembling spiders or emerging insects.
Key Characteristics:
- Soft Hackle: Usually hen hackle or partridge hackle that moves naturally in the current
- Sparse Dressing: Minimalist approach with just body, hackle, and sometimes a wing
- Mobile Materials: Everything designed to pulse and move with the water flow
- Traditional Hooks: Often tied on traditional wet fly hooks
- Simple Construction: Beauty lies in their simplicity
Popular Spider Patterns:
- Partridge and Orange: Classic Yorkshire pattern with orange silk body
- Partridge and Yellow: Traditional pattern with yellow body
- Snipe and Purple: Darker pattern for varied conditions
- March Brown Spider: Imitates the famous March Brown mayfly
- Waterhen Bloa: Traditional northern English pattern
What They Imitate:
- Emerging insects: Caddis, mayflies, midges breaking through surface film
- Drowned adults: Insects that have been caught and drowned
- General prey: Small aquatic life forms and invertebrates
- Struggling insects: Anything moving helplessly in the current
Traditional Fishing Methods:
- Across and Down: Cast across stream and let swing downstream
- Team of Flies: Often fished with 2-3 spiders on droppers
- Induced Take: Lift rod tip at end of swing to trigger strikes
- Natural Swing: Let the current work the flies naturally
When to Use Them:
- Between Hatches: When there's no obvious surface activity
- Overcast Days: Particularly effective in low light conditions
- Traditional Waters: Perfect for classic trout streams
- Selective Periods: When trout are feeding subsurface but ignoring nymphs
Why They're So Effective:
The soft hackle creates incredible lifelike movement that triggers predatory instincts in trout. The sparse dressing looks natural and non-threatening, while the mobile materials pulse with every current variation.
Fishing Tips:
- Feel the Take: Often felt rather than seen - stay in touch with your flies
- Vary the Swing: Try different speeds and depths
- Traditional Approach: Fish them as they were designed - across and down
- Light Tippet: Use fine tippets for natural presentation
Regional Variations:
Different regions have their own spider patterns, often tied with local materials and colors that match regional insect life.
Have you tried fishing traditional wet spiders before? They're absolutely deadly when fished properly - there's something magical about that traditional across-and-down swing that modern techniques sometimes miss!
Northern Countries Spider Patterns, 24 Per Pack, Mixed size 12/14/16
3 x Orange Tag
3 x Pearly Butt
3 x Wire & Woodcock
3 x Black and Gold Spider
3 x Brown & Red Spider
3 x Pearl Lurex
3 x Black Magic Variant
Our Ebay shop has hundreds of trout flies and fly fishing accessories, select from the categories you can see on the left hand side
All our items are new unless stated otherwise. Our trout flies are tied on quality hooks and will not let you down.
We dispatch our trout flies First Class, the same day as cleared payment, or the day after if it is after 3.00pm. All Items have a unique tracking number which will load onto your sale page once we have sent it, you can access this information to see where your item is and will give us the received time and date so we can ensure the item is in your hands
We sell many different types of flies and accessories, please check our shop for the full range.
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PLEASE READ. IMPORTANT INFORMATION.
Royal Mail can take 1 to 5 working days to deliver, 99% of the time you will have them the next working day, but please be aware sometimes they can take a little longer. Please advise us immediately if you have not received your flies within this time frame. Royal Mail are now leaving items with neighbours or leaving them at the sorting office and a card is not always left so please check these areas before contacting us. Undelivered items always bounce back to us which takes about 10 days we can then re-issue the item back to you.
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Please Note, WE DO NOT IMPORT OUR FLIES FROM CHINA!
We have our own team of tyers who make the fishing flies exclusively for us, working along side us with traditional and modern patterns using vet certificated products where necessary and synthetic materials as required.
Wet trout flies are absolutely fundamental to traditional fly fishing - they're some of the most effective and versatile patterns you can have in your arsenal!
What Are Wet Flies?
Wet flies are designed to be fished below the water surface, imitating drowned insects, emerging nymphs, small fish, or other subsurface prey. Unlike dry flies that float, wet flies are meant to sink and be fished through the water column.
Key Characteristics:
- Absorbent Materials: Designed to soak up water and sink readily
- Soft Hackle: Usually hen hackle or partridge that moves naturally underwater
What They Imitate:
- Emerging insects: Mayflies, caddis, midges coming to the surface
- Drowned adults: Insects caught and drowned in the current
- Nymphs: Aquatic insect larvae moving through water
- Small fish: Fry and minnows (larger wet fly patterns)
Traditional Fishing Methods:
- Across and Down: Cast across stream and let swing downstream
- Team of Flies: Often fish 2-3 wet flies on droppers
- Induced Take: Lift rod tip at end of swing to trigger strikes
- Natural Swing: Let current work the flies naturally
When to Use Wet Flies:
- Between Hatches: When there's no surface activity
- Subsurface Feeding: When trout are feeding below but not rising
- Traditional Waters: Perfect for classic trout streams
- Overcast Conditions: Particularly effective in low light
Why They're So Effective:
Wet flies offer incredible versatility - they can imitate so many different food sources and can be fished at various depths and speeds. The movement created by soft hackles and mobile materials triggers predatory instincts in trout.
Pro Tips:
- Feel for Takes: Often felt rather than seen - stay in contact
- Vary Retrieve: Try different speeds and techniques
- Traditional Approach: The classic across-and-down swing is still deadly
- Team Fishing: Multiple flies increase your chances