THE
GREY SEDGE

ROBERT DEVELOPED this fly many years ago, feeling that we needed a good, light coloured, buzzy-looking dry fly to fish to trout taking sedge-flies in the evenings. We had just consigned a large Plymouth Rock cockerel to the pot, so the choice of hackle was obvious!

To get the desired buzzy effect he tried the usual Palmer style, decided that it was a bit fiddly and tried a simpler way. Taking a suitable hook (No.10) and starting at the bend he crammed on two or three good hackles, clipped a V-shaped piece from the under side of them, soaked the fly in floatant, went out that evening and caught trout on it. The pattern has stayed the same since then!

It is an economical fly to tie. Because two or three hackles are used the fibres tend to support one another. This means that you don't need to use first-class dry fly hackles, which are devilish scarce and expensive nowadays. In fact, we don't possess a first class cock neck in our fly-tying kits; all of them are somewhat 'henny'.

We are not the first to break tradition in this way. I seem to remember that J.W. Dunne in his book Sunshine and the Dry Fly written in 1924 mentions a preference for 'henny' hackles though perhaps for different reasons.

As the light fades on a calmish evening this pattern can be fished stationary, or, preferably, twitched to appear alive and buzzing.

After dark we have often fished the Grey Sedge this way. Unable to see the fly, we retrieve it gently with little twitches and wait for the pop and pull of a fish. Once it becomes really dark, though we prefer to use the small Cork Fly if the trout are sedging.

DRESSING
Hook: No. 10 or 12.
Body: Two or three grey-barred cock hackles.
Silk: Yellow Gossamer.

To tie this pattern first whip the hook to the bend with yellow Gossamer tying silk. Tie-in a grey-barred hackle and wind it forward m close turns. Get as much of the hackle on as possible, tie down and leave the hackle tip erect.

Tie-in another hackle and treat it in the same way. If necessary add another, leaving space enough to make a small, neat head. Clip out a V-shaped piece from the fibres on the underside, and soak the fly in floatant. Simple, isn't it?

You may like to try the same method using hackles of other colours, and fish-the resulting fuzzy fly during a dun hatch. It's worth a try.

SUMMARY
* Whip hook to bend with tying silk. Tie in a suitable hackle, wind it forward in close turns, tie down and leave short erect tip.
* Continue with other hackles in turn.
* Form small head and soak fly in floatant.

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