Now if only I'd kept my word and lugged my big Olympus along when Henry and I were on reconnaissance this morning...
Regular Rod
Sandbagged!
Photograph by Steve Barnett
Wednesday, 2 May 2012
Saint Mark's Fly...
...we are past the Feast of Saint Mark, which was on the 25th April, but now, on the Derbyshire rivers, the Feast gets underway in earnest. Charles Cotton knew what he was doing when he made his Black Fly and recommended it for this time of the year, the time of the Hawthorn Fly, Bibio Marcii.
I can't believe how lucky I was with this snap to capture one of the little beauties in flight this morning with my little pocket Olympus. The trailing legs have inspired many modern flytiers to dress their creations with knotted black herls to represent this distinguishing feature and very effective they can be. My version of the fly? I don't have one. An old stick-in-the-mud like me is perfectly happy with the legless creation of Charles Cotton...
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There's something to the old masters.
ReplyDeleteI like the fly.
Amazing photo of the Hawthorne. The best I have ever seen. Congrats on it.
ReplyDeleteJust seen the first Hawthorn on the River Wylye yesterday as well, none the day before. If the weather holds off, and the colour drops a little, I might sally forth on Saturday and Sunday, how about you.
ReplyDeleteSaturday, I hope. Sunshine is best for Hawthorn activity, the weather forecast isn't great for round here but it's still worth a try.
DeleteA useful thing about Hawthorn flies is that once the fish have had a few of them, they continue to attack black flies for several days after the Hawthorn naturals have finished their season and are no longer in the air.
Regular Rod