Tyer Profile
Born, raised and still living near the banks of the river Clyde in Scotland I started my fishing life on one of its tributaries 30 years ago and started tying flies at the same time; with no local fly shops there wasn’t really much choice and as the only anglers I knew all tied their own flies I just assumed if you wanted to fly fish you learned how to tie your own flies.
Early on I developed an interest in the riverside insect life; their life cycles and behaviours. How and when the different species became available to Trout as food. This interest led me away from traditional Clyde flies and on to experimenting with new materials and new fly designs and to this day flies for Trout and Grayling are my primary focus. Flies that are open to tyer’s of all levels, flies that catch fish.
With the rivers Clyde, Annan and Tweed on my doorstep I have access to some great Trout fishing during some heavy hatches but my first love, and where I spend a lot of my fishing time, is on the many small overgrown tributaries where the casting is tight and the fish are often fussy due to the rich insect life. When I have the choice I’ll always fish dry flies and, while I do enjoy tying and fishing nymphs, when the conditions suit Streamer fishing comes a close second to the dry fly. Streamer fishing offers a different way of approaching a river, a completely different mindset, and for the last 10 years I’ve enjoyed trying to provoke the Trout’s predator response. My tying reflects those fishing choices.
Over the years I’ve been lucky enough to fish on some fantastic rivers around Britain and Europe and to have been invited to demonstrate fly tying at fly fairs in Sweden, The Netherlands, Ireland and around the UK. I’m also honored to be a member of the Partridge and Semperfli pro teams. Check out more of Jims work at www.palewatery.com
Early on I developed an interest in the riverside insect life; their life cycles and behaviours. How and when the different species became available to Trout as food. This interest led me away from traditional Clyde flies and on to experimenting with new materials and new fly designs and to this day flies for Trout and Grayling are my primary focus. Flies that are open to tyer’s of all levels, flies that catch fish.
With the rivers Clyde, Annan and Tweed on my doorstep I have access to some great Trout fishing during some heavy hatches but my first love, and where I spend a lot of my fishing time, is on the many small overgrown tributaries where the casting is tight and the fish are often fussy due to the rich insect life. When I have the choice I’ll always fish dry flies and, while I do enjoy tying and fishing nymphs, when the conditions suit Streamer fishing comes a close second to the dry fly. Streamer fishing offers a different way of approaching a river, a completely different mindset, and for the last 10 years I’ve enjoyed trying to provoke the Trout’s predator response. My tying reflects those fishing choices.
Over the years I’ve been lucky enough to fish on some fantastic rivers around Britain and Europe and to have been invited to demonstrate fly tying at fly fairs in Sweden, The Netherlands, Ireland and around the UK. I’m also honored to be a member of the Partridge and Semperfli pro teams. Check out more of Jims work at www.palewatery.com
