Supertough Fry

I met an old longshoreman near Lulworth who told me he'd last seem someone flyfishing in the sea "when we was young", then the fly was called a Shallow Shiner. The fly was blue-green, shiny, but not silver. I've never been able to trace the pattern - do you know it? Here is a good daylight lure, fish a small pattern fairly slowly on an early summer neap tide.

Tying:

Hook

Size to match the fry in the water, 6 to 8 long shanked are most useful.

Thread

Strong synthetic.

Tail

Small tuft as underbody.

Underbody

Green or blue floss - I really must get around to experimenting with red.

Body

6lb (2.5Kg) breaking stress clear nylon monofilament, pause before tying in wing and beard, then continue body up to head. I've drawn it as greenish and far too thick in the pictures - 'cos it wouldn't show up!

Beard

Mobile white hair.

Wing

Mobile blue or green hair, a couple of strands of pearl mylar may be tied in as well.

Head

At least three coats of varnish, optional bead eye.

The Shaldon Shiner

I am now convinced that the fly referred to above was the Shaldon Shiner, already a well known saltwater lure when Bickerdyke wrote about it over a century ago.

Here is the dressing as given in: Angling in salt water, John Bickerdyke, London 1887.

The body, broad silver tinsel put on as thin as possible; the tail, a small brush of scarlet feathers; green, blue and red pigswool at the shoulders; and wings, bright blue feathers, to which are added half a dozen fibres of goose feather.