What is Fly Tying
This question, posed by the Editor may provoke many emotions among the fly tying fraternity. At...
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Welcome to the website of The Fly Dressers’ Guild - it has information on joining, how to find an FDG branch near you, the Guild's fly-tying awards and competition and much more. You will also find a list of events where the Guild or its branches will be in attendance.
For Guild members, the 'Members Only' area holds a fly patterns database, a large number of illustrated patterns and step by step instructions, fly-tying hints and tips, articles of fly-tying and fishing-related matters, and details of discounts available to members, amongst other things.
We hope you enjoy the site and if you have any ideas for future content please contact the General Secretary, secretary@flydressersguild.org.
We will also keep you updated on the FDG Facebook page - www.facebook.com/FlyDressersGuild.
Chris Reeves, General Secretary - 26 December 2022
When you sit down to tie a fly, you take a seat at a very large, very old table. As you go through the magazines, books, and videos—taking and ignoring advice, learning tricks and shortcuts, discerning and taking sides in old debates, then picking and choosing a pattern, a style, eventually even an aesthetic stance—you participate in a long, complicated, and apparently endless conversation over those and many other matters. You join not merely a club, but a guild.
—Paul Schullery, Cowboy Trout
This question, posed by the Editor may provoke many emotions among the fly tying fraternity. At...
Read MoreThe John Watts is the FDG’s annual boat fly-fishing competition. Past participants will attest to it being a friendly and enjoyable day, attracting members from a variety of Branches and wide-ranging parts of the UK. Although...
It is not difficult to dress a fly. It’s simply a matter of learning a few basic techniques. Having the right tools and materials makes the job so much easier. As a beginner, you will face the combined weight of many different...
Happy New Year to all fly-tyers, especially to our members! We’ve just completed a bit of an overhaul of the FDG website and included new materials in the Members’ Area – we hope you’ll enjoy this! There...
The John Watts is the FDG’s annual boat fly-fishing competition. Past participants will attest to it being a friendly and enjoyable day, attracting members from a variety of Branches and wide-ranging parts of the UK. Although...
21mayAll DayFeatured10th Spring Bank Fishing Competition at Elinor, Sunday 21 May 2023
Our 2023 Elinor Bank competition will be held on the Sunday 21st May at Elinor Trout Fishery, Kettering. This is a very friendly day out enjoyed
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Our 2023 Elinor Bank competition will be held on the Sunday 21st May at Elinor Trout Fishery, Kettering. This is a very friendly day out enjoyed by all the regular entrants. A great way to meet up with fellow Guild members.
The competition will be contested by teams of three but members entering as individuals will be placed into teams as feasible. The plan is to fish from 9.30 a.m. until 5.00 p.m. This year we are going to award the winning trophies and have hot food catered for at the fishery. For added comfort please bring a folding chair!
Full details are available here.
To secure your place, please send a completed entry form (available here) to the Fishing Competitions Secretary, Lee Hooper, with the corresponding fee. Cheques should be made out to ‘The Fly Dressers’ Guild’.
Any questions, please contact Lee on fishing@flydressersguild.org.
All Day (Sunday)
Elinor Trout Fishery
Lowick Road, Aldwincle, Kettering, Northamptonshire, NN14 3EE
48th John Watts Competition at Draycote, Saturday 26 August 2023
The John Watts is the FDG’s annual boat fly-fishing competition. Past participants will attest to it being a friendly and enjoyable day, attracting members from a variety of
more
The John Watts is the FDG’s annual boat fly-fishing competition. Past participants will attest to it being a friendly and enjoyable day, attracting members from a variety of Branches and wide-ranging parts of the UK. Although traditionally an inter-Branch event, it is also open to individual members of the FDG.
The competition is contested by teams of four. Each Branch may enter up to two teams and individual entrants will be placed into pairs or teams of four if feasible. All competitors must be paid up members of the Guild. The competition is fished from boats to fishery rules with certain exceptions. It is fished entirely on a catch and release basis. The tally will be followed by a light buffet and prize giving at the fishing lodge.
To take part, entrants will need to complete an entry form and return it with the corresponding payment as soon as possible as per the instructions on the form. Entries are restricted to twenty teams of four and will be accepted on a first come, first
served basis. More details on the event, including the entry form and competition rules, are available on the Guild website, from your Branch Secretary or from the Fishing Competitions Secretary.
Note: Details on the cost of entry for 2023 and the updated entry form and rules will be posted on the website in late Spring 2023.
Year Around Event (2023)
Draycote Water
The Fishing Lodge, Draycote Water, Rugby, Warwickshire CV23 8AB