The Literary Fly Fisher

A few years back, I visited Scotland with my close friend John Bechtel (http://www.freestonefly-fishing.com) and our wives.  There, we fished the River Clyde near Biggar, in Lanarkshire.  This beautiful stretch of river, maintained by Lamington and District Angling Improvement Association (www.lamingtonfishing.co.uk), holds some fantastic trout and grayling.  Among the things John and I discovered while fishing the River Clyde was the fact that the river has a long tradition of very distinctive fly tying associated with it.

Lamington Club members kindly met John and I while we fished and brought a selection of flies tied by club member Andy Gunderson.  One of his beautiful Clyde style wet flies is shown above. In the picture below left, John and I are pouring through the whole selection of his masterful creations.  Below right, we talk with Club President Tom Martin.  He and Maggie Martin, his wife and Club Treasurer, were tremendously helpful in introducing us to this river and her traditions.  

Finally, here are some pictures of the river itself.  The first shows a double rainbow over the river, with the “Cornhill House” chateau and hotel in the background.  The second shows John furiously fishing for browns, which only became active later in the evening.

To learn more about Clyde style flies, look for Clyde Style Flies and their Dressing, by John Reid.  The book was first published in 1971 by David and Charles.  There is now a reprinted version available. Sadly, the color plates in this latter volume are of poor quality.  Still, the text is a wonderful resource.   

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