Essential Skills

Essential Flies

For orders over £10, free post and packing in the UK

These are commercially tied flies, produced to a very high standard from master patterns tied by Oliver Edwards.

These patterns are typical of Oliver's style, close copies of the naturals, with those all important Trigger Features that fish recognise and key onto.

Those of you who have the Essential Skills DVDs will be familiar with the fishing styles and techniques. Now, even if you don't tie your own flies, with these patterns available to buy on-line, you can really expect to improve your catch rate.

These flies are only available on barbless hooks, for easy catch and release. These speciality hooks have long shaped points, which give superior hooking to either barbed or de-barbed hooks.

This range is scheduled to increase, so keep an eye on the site.

Subsurface	Pattern	Price	Buy
	Oliver Edwards Baetis Nymph Barbless Hook / Weighted For years this pattern has occupied several rows in my fly box. It is one of my all time high scorers when Large Dark Olives and Medium Olives are emerging. Fished singly, or with a Heptagenid nymph on a dropper, dead drifted, classic style, they can be a lethal combination! It also copies some of the Callibaetis group of mayfly nymphs in the US.	£1.85	Size 14__QTY: Size 16__QTY:
	Oliver Edwards Heptagenid Nymph Barbless Hook / Weighted This is the only commercially available pattern to feature the important disc-like head, the 'trigger silhouette' of the natural. This is a very effective pattern wherever there are good populations of flat stone-clinging nymphs. Another of my top scoring flies. Turn over a few stones in your river to find the natural, this will give you a good size match, then fish it upstream dead drift style, singly or as part of a team.	£1.85	Size 12__QTY: Size 14__QTY: Size 16__QTY:
	Oliver Edwards Rhyacophila Larva Barbless Hook / Weighted This copies the free-living green caddis larva (Green Rock Worm, USA). Very common and widespread, found in the swifter parts of most rivers. This is one of my must have patterns for trout and grayling. Ideal for short line nymphing, in particular Czech Nymphing.	£1.85	Size 12__QTY: Size 14__QTY:
	Oliver Edwards Hydropsyche Larvae Barbless Hook / Weighted Another very common and widespread free-living caddis larva which can often be found in huge numbers where there is a good flow. Overcrowding causes them to move position by drifting in the current - this is when they become easy prey for both trout and grayling. Like the Rhyacophila Larva, another important team member for Czech Nymphing.	£1.85	Size 12__QTY: Size 14__QTY:
	Oliver Edwards Freshwater Shrimp Barbless Hook / Weighted For more than forty years this pattern has been in my fly box and has accounted for countless trout and grayling. Lethal on weedy alkaline streams (Chalk Streams / Limestone Spring Creeks) where gammarus shrimps are often the most common invertebrate in the water. Perfectly weighted and shaped to match the natural.	£1.85	Size 14__QTY: Size 16__QTY: Size 18__QTY:
	Oliver Edwards Yellow Sally Stonefly Nymph Barbless Hook / Weighted These slim stonefly nymphs are summer emergers, preferring more alkaline waters, here they can be seen in good numbers. Although stonefly nymphs crawl out onto the bank to emerge, fish know all about them and will readily grab a well presented, convincing artificial. This is a proven fish catcher wherever these yellow stones are found.	£1.85	Size 12__QTY: Size 14__QTY:
	Oliver Edwards Small Black Stonefly Nymph Barbless Hook / Weighted This nymph copies many of the dark early season stonefly nymphs, such as the February Red. It is very effective dead drifted, with maybe a heavier sacrificial nymph on a dropper to fish it very near the bottom. Again, a natural which crawls out onto the river bank to transpose into the adult. Nevertheless trout and grayling will often take a good looking pattern dead-drifted just off the stream bed.	£1.85	Size 12__QTY: Size 14__QTY: