Welcome to Just Old Flies

Welcome to 'just old flies,' a section of methods and flies that used-to-be. These flies were tied with the only materials available. Long before the advent of 'modern' tying materials, they were created and improved upon at a far slower pace than todays modern counterparts; limited by materials available and the tiers imagination.

Once long gone, there existed a 'fraternity' of anglers who felt an obligation to use only the 'standard' patterns of the day. We hope to bring a bit of nostalgia to these pages and to you. And sometimes what you find here will not always be about fishing. Perhaps you will enjoy them. Perhaps you will fish the flies. Perhaps?

G.E.M. Skues Nymphs

By Donald Nicolson
These are original illustrations from 1910, G.E.M. Skues book Minor Tactics of the Chalk Stream with his reference to nymphs. The book doesn't really give any patterns. You will note this is the same nymph tied two different ways.

I bought this copy, it is a fourth edition and is a 1955 reprint. It is interesting how differently he ties them, but the end result is a very modern appearance.

It looks like all modern nymphs are not any real advance on what he did. Hope you find this interesting. ~ Donald Nicolson, Scotland

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