{{start}}

As long as there is a flow in a river to work a fly then English Spiders are an option. Particularly if you want to target educated fish in clear slower water. Traditional (i.e. North country spiders) land softly and are suggestive little flies. Many English flies have a spider version and Greenwells Glory is no exception. An interesting aspect of this fly is that the wing has been tied in beard style so as to camouflage the pint of the hook. I am not sure if that wing / bear is necessary and often leave it out. The combination of the buggy shape, the movement of the soft hackle in the water often produce a hit. There is also the added benefit that they are so easy to tie. All river fly fishers should have a selection of English Spiders in their fly boxes.

Materials

Process

A	Understanding hooks Catch the thread in at the 95% position and wind it back to just the 85% position. At that point catch the wire ribbing in and continue winding the thread back to about 5% up from the bend of the hook. Hold the wire up and take a few turns of the thread behind the wire. Wind the thread in touching turns back to the 85% position. Wind the wire forward in touching turns to the 85% position. Take two tight turns of the wire directly in front of the 85% position and worry off the excess wire.

B	Depending on the type of hackle selected tie in a hackle by the tip or the butt at the 85% position. Wet fly hackle

C	Take 2 full turns of the hackle at the 85% position.

D	Lock the hackle in place with just one or two wraps of thread and using a sharp blade remove the excess hackle tip. Turn the fly upside in the vice and tie a bear of brown hackle fibres in so that they partially cover the point of the hook. Trim away the butt end of the beard hackles.

E	Stroke the hackle tips back along the fly and then finish securing the hackle and the beard in that position with additional wraps of thread. Build up a neat head in the remaining space in front of the hackle taking care not to force the hackle backwards. Varnish the head taking care not to get any varnish in the eye of the hook or on the hackle. Neat heads on flies

{{end}}