The small spurwing started to interest me some decades ago in the mid nineties when I was shown a lake my brother had been fishing in called Bergsbosjön.
First I used my favorite fly, The Mink, my own creation. It had shown it's success beefore and I had taken a lot of trout on it. Once fishing in a favorite stream in the mountains of Sweden i caught like 40 trout on an afternoon with the same patterna in the same size #12 Captain Hamilton Featherweight from Partridge
THE MINK (30-40 years old and has
probably caught more than 10 trout)
I am pretty sure that I stumbled upon the Small Spurwing late 1995. We had rented a boat and was going slow seeing small drifts full of Small Spurwing resently hatched drying their wings. we could see the trout raising and taking the flies but since it was calm we had to be careful. Then I saw a string of mayflies behind the boat and a big trout taking them as he progressed. When he was close enough I gave it a try and put an imitation of the Small Spurwing with wings of burned saddle hackel from a hen. There is a very nice description of it in a Swedish stream side book "Dagsländor i Öringvatten" (Mayflies in Trout Waters in English). He took the fly! Unfortunately I tried to set the hook to early and snatched the fly out of his mouth. But he wasn't spooked. He obviusly came closed to the boat and he saw a movement and we heard a splash and then he was gone. I have done this too many times. The big trout usually take the fly slowly and then close the mouth. When I think of it I wait until the leader moves until I raise the rod and set the hook.
During the eighties a friend and I tied the mayfly patterns like that with a burned wing (actually two feathers) so it was a custom. Now I am renewing my flies for the Small Spurwing in it's different stages. I will show some photos at the end. Unfortunately the fishing closes from the 1:st of October in Bergsbosjön. We'll see what happens next year.
Three flies I have tied to use when the Small Spurwing is active. A nymph, spent spinner and Soft Hackle version.
Only three materials needed to tie this fly. It was actually made a trial to see how things worked out but I like it.
1. Orange Pearsalls Gossamer Silk as body.
2. Tiemco Aero Wing light dun color as wings.
3. White micro fibbets as tail.
I used Ahrex FW510 Size #16 as hook.
Small Spurwing Nymph like an unweighted PT Nymph.
The Small Spurwing Nymph tied with only two materials.
1. Lemon Yellow Gossamer Silk thread.
2. Fibres from a Pheasant Tail feather carefully dyed yellow.
Tie it like a small Pheasant Tail nymph but with other materials and the hook Ahrex FW510 size #16.
Soft hackled dead drift hatching pattern.
Materials for this pattern (Snipe and Olive?).
1. Wellwaxed light olive Gossamer Silk Thread for body.
2. UNDERCOVERTS of a snipe. Light grey.
I guess that you have noticed that all the flies are tied on the same type of hook Ahrex FW510 size #16. I have just tied theese flies so I must wait until next year to try them out but I think they will be more successful than the dry fly I used many years ago.
Kind Greetings,
Mats Olsson
