New video up, tying with Big fish fibre

Here at Silver scales we want you to get the best from the materials we sell. There is never just one way to tie with a material and we make sure we research and sample the materials we sell using various techniques to tie different patterns of fly. Our Big fish fibre is not only great value but very versatile too and can be tied in a multitude of ways to achieve different results.

Our latest video demonstrates a very simple way of using Big fish fibre to achieve a really nice result.

Christmas Gift packs now in stock!

http://www.silverscalesflytying.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/xmas-ad-1024x724.png


Visit the shop for more details.

Winter series 'How to' video's

http://img.youtube.com/vi/pYJLRgIvo4s/0.jpg
We all know how dark and dismal and depressing the long winter nights are, and passing the time until it warms up again while dreaming of our favourite angling spot can be agonising!

Don't despair! As far as I am concerned fly tying was made for winter evenings! I like nothing better than to sit down in front of the vice with a nice warm cup of my favourite brew and tie a few patterns up. Once upon a time I would also have the laptop open while watching a video of how to tie a particular pattern or use a certain technique, and I still gain inspiration from other people's ties and I know they do the same from mine.

So with that in mind, I have decide to make a winter series of how to video's to hopefully inspire and help others with their tying during these long dark nights! The video's will vary between short  films of tips and techniques lasting a couple of minutes to full blown tying vids!

To kick things off I have put together a quick video on how to blend flash into materials. This is no great mystery of course but I believe it is something few tiers do to customise their materials. Blending the right colour of flash into your chosen material can really pep up that special tie!

So check out the first in the series and I really hope you enjoy watching them all as much as I enjoy making them!

https://youtu.be/pYJLRgIvo4s

New Buckfibre from Silver Scales

http://www.silverscalesflytying.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/IMG_9036-1024x683.jpg


We have just added a new product to the range in the form of 'Buckfibre'.

Buckfibre is a great substitute for natural Bucktail as it possesses similar properties. The strands are fine and feature a slight crinkle with slight stiffness about them. Buckfibre isn't an artificial Bucktail but can be used to tie many patterns that utilise the natural deer hair.

In my opinion much of the Bucktail we get in this country varies tremendously in quality and it can be hard to find a really good quality one for tying patterns such as Hollow flies as you need the longest, finest, softest hair you can find. Most bucktails will have some hair of this nature, normally on the tips but there is never any guarantee, especially when ordering online and you don't know what you're going to get! Aside from standing in a tackle shop and searching through all the Bucktail to try and find a half decent one there isn't a lot you can do about it.

This is where Buckfibre comes in, possessing similar qualities to the very best Bucktails and being economical to use and reasonably priced, it makes a great alternative.

A great range of colours now in stock.

Check it out here : http://www.silverscalesflytying.co.uk/product/buckfibre/

 

Fair and reasonable shipping costs

I have a pet hate when it comes to shopping on the internet and that is companies who refuse to charge fair and reasonable shipping costs!

Living on an Island as I do, it blows my mind even more when shipping companies want to charge extra as well, despite the fact they all come over here anyway! The fact is that Royal mail do not charge extra so why do other companies??

For instance I went to a website yesterday to look at a product that had caught my eye and that I thought would be an extra edge in my own fishing this winter. However when I added the item to the basket and saw that the shipping was as much as the item I wanted to purchase I quickly emptied the basket again! This annoys me because I would really like to try the product but I am not prepared to pay through the nose for the privilege!

Now running my own online business as I do in the form of Silver Scales, I am fully aware of the costs of shipping items of a certain weight and value and believe me when I say there is no need to charge over the top shipping prices as many companies seem to do. If you only want a low cost item and the company wants to charge you an excessive price for posting it to you, I would think most of the time you will simply not buy it. You may try and find some other items of use to you to spread the cost which is fair enough if you are able to do this, but why should you be forced to spend more because you are being held to ransom over the postage??

That's why when we were building the new Website for Silver Scales we went to extra effort to install a variable system of evaluating the shipping costs to make them fair and reasonable rather than charging one extortionate flat rate. There are one or two items that unfortunately we have had to charge more than I would like, for instance Threads and UV Torches, which are slightly too bulky to come within Royal mails Large letter category and have to be shipped as small parcels, however we only charge what Royal mail charge for orders containing these items, which is still a maximum cost of £3.40. which compared to some companies who want to charge double this price for similar items is still very reasonable. Our system will only charge you for the largest item in your order, this means our postage rates vary between 75p and £3.40 maximum with most orders shipping for just £1.25 which is very good value. We don't make any money on postage, the charges simply cover the postage and packing and in some cases we absorb excess postage to keep it fair and viable for you the customer.

Pop along to the Website and have a look if you haven't already and be safe in the knowledge that when making a purchase you will be receiving a first class service without any excess charges!

Sybai Products

http://www.silverscalesflytying.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/IMG_0257-1024x683.jpg
If you haven't already tried any of the unique products from Sybai then I strongly suggest that you give them a try!

Sybai's product range features some unique materials such as Saltwater Ghost hair and Saltwater flash hair. Ignore the Saltwater bit if you're a Pike angler, these materials are just as applicable to Pike flies as they are Saltwater flies.

I've just topped up with these two superb materials as well as the Angel hair so have a look at these and give them a go, i'm sure you will be impressed!

Ghost hair



 

Saltwater flash hair

New Website!

http://www.silverscalesflytying.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Header2.png
I am very pleased announce that we have a New Website!

Unfortunately the old site was proving to be rather slow and difficult to use so we have completely changed platform now and I am rather pleased with the results and I very much hope you like it too!

My eternal gratitude to Lee Harper-Smith who has been hard at work behind the scenes working on the site and getting it where we wanted it to be.

Have a browse and see what you think.

Please feel free to post your comments and feedback below.

Chris.

Sybai Saltwater Flash hair Candy

I recently put together a new step by step video on how to tie a Surf Candy style fly using Sybai's excellent Saltwater Flash hair and also featuring Solarez UV resin.

Pop over to the shop if you'd like to give this fly a go with these two brilliant products!

New Preyfish fibre in stock!

A new material has just landed here at Silver Scales, Preyfish fibre is soft, mobile, extremely hydrophobic and superbly versatile!
From Big Pike flies to smaller baitfish patterns this fibre will do it all!
Create bulk using very little material keeping your flies light and easy to cast!

Video's coming soon using this outstanding material, in the meantime check it out at
www.silverscalesflytying.co.uk along with many other specialist Saltwater and Predator fly tying materials!

Solarez UV resin

I am very pleased to announce that Silver Scales Fly Tying is now a Solarez stockist!

Solarez is probably the best UV resin on the market, and I can say that with authority because I have had the chance to use and test a great many of the other UV resins on the market!

Once cured it is absolutely bone dry, that is to say there is no sticky or tacky residue left behind on the surface of the resin that then has to be re coated with varnish to give a final dry finish. This would seem to me to be not only self defeating but also very uneconomical! Why not just use a product like Solarez that does the job properly in one hit?!

Solarez comes in several different versions and at the moment we are stocking the fly tie tubes in Thin and Thick versions. We will also be stocking the flex soon as well as other larger sizes for those who tie a lot of flies or tie professionally. Solarez is definitely the Pro's choice and if you've never tried it then I suggest very strongly that you do!

Head over to the shop and take a look ;)



https://www.silverscalesflytying.co.uk/fly-tying

Sybai Ghost hair

One of my suppliers here at Silver Scales is a great company called Sybai and they have a great range of mostly unique products.
One such product is called Ghost hair and they recently brought out a Saltwater version, in fact they have added a Saltwater version to several of their range including the awesome Flash hair! The Saltwater ranges are not only perfect for salty stuff but also Pike and other predator flies. Both the above mentioned products are available in the Silver Scales shop.

I have put together a new video featuring one way of using these two brilliant materials.

Hope you like it and if you have a minute please visit the Silver Scales shop to check out our great products range and subscribe to our news letter to be updated when new items are added to our stock and keep up with special offers and other news!

Glass Candies

Here's a little pattern that will catch a few fish when they're fry feeding. Made with Sybai Saltwater Flash hair, soft and mobile with loads of flash! Size 4 hook. Available in the shop.

Dubbing baitfish Video

A new Video is up on the channel, this time I'm tying a Dubbing Baitfish with our Silver Scales Baitfish Dubbing. Very soft and mobile and you can create some fantastic looking patterns with it.

Enjoy!

Craft fur Baitfish video

As promised in the previous post I have put together a new video featuring Craft fur in the shape of Silver scales Crafty Minnow Fur. Also featured is the new Saltwater flash hair from Sybai

Hope you enjoy it!

Craft Fur Baitfish

There is no doubt Craft fur is an excellent and very popular material for tying flies, but I think many beginner fly tiers struggle to master the techniques needed to achieve a satisfactory result. Indeed I admit it took me a while to master the material but once I did I was able to produce Patterns such as the one pictured above.

I am going to produce a video of how to tie the pattern above and include some techniques that should help many tiers come to grips with using craft fur. Hopefully it will be up soon.

New Video Flatwing fly

New Video up on my You tube channel. A nice easy version of a Flatwing fly.
Very effective for a wide range of species and great when drifted in current.

 

 Hope you like it !

Back to basics

Sometimes I have to take a break from tying, it can be for many reasons, family commitments, illness, tying block or just boredom... ( I have a short attention span ! ).

However I will always pick up the bobbin again at some point and begin whipping materials to the shank of a hook!

When I do I tend to go back to basics to ease myself back in to it. No point starting at the deep end, and who said a fly has to be complicated to look good and more importantly catch fish?

So here is a simple slender baitfish type pattern that came to me after a long break of tying. It comprises of just two materials and a pair of eyes. No doubt it will be as effective as any other more fancy fly I have ever tied.