Welcome to the home of
the Fly Dressers’ Guild
– Wessex Branch
About Us
Enjoy serious fly tying with regular folk
The Fly Dressers’ Guild – Wessex welcomes everyone interested in learning or improving their skills in the craft of fly tying.
We hold regular meetings every Tuesday, 19:00 for a 19:30 start, at the Atherley Bowls & Social Club in Southampton. We tie two or three fly patterns, and specific patterns can also be requested in advance.
At least once a month, we also hold days out at local trout fisheries, where we put the flies we’ve tied to the test. Find out more about our activities.
40
Meetings
4
Competitions
0
Days off
We do more than tie flies
Our featured Reel is streaming out loud
Our very own YouTube channel is now online!!
In addition to the Branch’s Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest accounts, our YouTube channel is the latest addition to our expanding social media presence.
Our videos will showcase Branch events, feature selected flies that our members have tied and show clips of interest to all who tie their own flies.
To achieve this, our members have been our most valuable resource. They have supplied footage from their personal videos and photos. Through one-on-one interviews, they have shared stories and tips about the craft that will be posted here and in other parts of the website.
In this section, you can watch a selected recent video. To view more, just click on this link to the YouTube channel.
TESTING THE FLIES WE TIE
This year’s Sunday fishing days
Once a month we meet at a local fishery to wet a line and test the flies that we’ve tied against the trout. During the day we have a very light-hearted competition for the biggest fish and the heaviest brace. Each month, a trophy is awarded for that month’s competition. We generally meet to start fishing at 09:00, with lunch at about 12:30. People usually fish until they have bagged out. Tea and coffee are sometimes available at the fishery. Our members will gladly share patterns that they’re catching with and how they’re fishing them, so come along and test your fly patterns with us.
On the Fly
Paul’s fly box
If you tie your own flies, then your kit most likely includes a good fly box selected with care. Like almost everyone else who ties flies, most of us in the Wessex branch use fly boxes to keep our creations. And we tend to have more than one. If you’re thinking about getting your own fly boxes, keep in mind they are good for more than just storage. You can go a step further by having separate boxest
to keep your flies organised: by size, by type, by colour. Pictured here, looking more like a work of art, is one of Paul’s fly boxes. Paul has chosen one that’s compact, robust, and designed to hold different sizes of flies. Its magnetic closure provides a secure seal. As you grow your collection, you will probably need a fly box. Most likely, more than just one.
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