Welcome

Welcome to Feathers, Flies and Phantoms, a web site about both the history of the fishing tackle makers and retailers of Aberdeen, Scotland and the vintage salmon fllies used on the Aberdeenshire rivers of Dee, Don, Deveron and Ythan. The purpose of the web site is to share knowledge and increase awareness of the importance of Aberdeen and the surrounding area to the history of fishing. I started the web site in November 2008 and have been amazed at the interest shown, it gets viewed from all over the world, currently the most views come from (in order, highest first) UK, Finland, USA, Canada, Australia, Belgium, Norway, Germany, Poland and Ireland. The main sections of the web site can be accessed through the buttons on the right of this screen..

Vintage flies takes you to a listing of all the vintage salmon flies from the area, including the famous and unique Dee-style flies, if you click on a fly you will be taken to a page that will show a photograph of the fly (vintage if I have one, or if I don't then perhaps a more modern tying) and details of the dressing and history.

Tackle makers takes you to list of the tackle makers based in Aberdeen from 1820 to the end of the 1900s, click on an individual maker and you will reveal a short history of the maker and in some cases examples of the tackle they made or sold.

Cool stuff is a page that contains things that will interest anyone that likes any type of vintage salmon fly and fishing history. It includes photos of fly plates from old tackle catalogues (useful to get the style and proportions of vintage flies correct), the writings of William Murdoch in the Fishing Gazette, Pryce Tannatt in 1952, William Brown on how to Tie a salmon fly, PD Malloch on how to tie a salmon fly, Ernest Crosfield and anything else that I may think of that doesn't fit any of the other pages!

Not Dee Flies - in my research into the Aberdeenshire flies I uncovered some interesting details of other salmon flies - too good to keep to myself. So here you will find pattern details and photographs of flies from the Fishing Gazette, Hardy's Ballina and Scott series flies. Here again I have tried to include photos of vintage flies - but I have to thank others (esp Bob Fransden) for supplying me with photos of their interpretations of the patterns.

Links and More, all web sites seem to have a links page, here I only list links that I use on a regular basis and would be happy to recommend - no advertising! This page also contains some interesting design drawings from the early 1900s

About me - well that's about me and some old fishing huts! 

Guest Book- this is where you come into play - let me know your thoughts on the web site, suggest further areas for research etc. 

If you spot a fly with no illustration and want to contribute feel free! If you know of further flies from Aberdeenshire that I have missed let me know. Do you know other rare salmon patterns you think should be on Not Aberdeen Flies drop me an email. Do you know more about the tackle makers again let me know.

UPDATES

27th June, 2009 - Time for the annual trip to the Dee next week, Aboyne Castle, the fishers did well the week before last and OK this week, so hopes are high (although the forecast seems to be for a heat wave!). New photo of a traditionally tied Gled Wing and a plate of Malloch's "flies for Scotland" from Where to Fish, 1932,  - in amongst the catalogue plates in Cool Stuff - some great standard patterns, with a lovely Akroyd. The following advert from the same book, if ever there was a reason for time travel it would be to order a few dozen flies from Kilroy! Does anyone have access to a copy of The Field 23rd June 1932 mentioned? - I'd love to post it here.

24th June, 2009 - New photo of the Helmsdale (Gaudy) Eagle see Not Dee Flies

23rd June, 2009 - New photo of the Hold Fast see Not Dee Flies

22nd June, 2009 - So many people have told me how much they enjoyed seeing the pictures of AHE Woods "hut" at Cairnton, I have added some more of the hut, house and the Dee at Cairnton - they are located with the Blue Charm

15th June, 2009 - Two new pictures of the Silver Grey tied by Dave Carne - looking forward to the next one! Also added a new pattern to Not Dee Flies found in the book "A River of  Norway, being the notes and reflections of an angler", by Charles Thomas-Standford, 1903. 

10th June, 2009 - Crosfield and Malloch "how to" now back and in Cool Stuff

4th June, 2009 - Disaster struck and I lost all the contents of this page - luckily all the others are fine! So I'll be building back some of the lost content over the next few days, incl Malloch on the Salmon fly and Crosfield on the Black Silk (sadly all the update notes from the last few months are lost...)