Ross Macdonald Flies

Kylie (Variant)
Tied by Ross Macdonald

Kylie (Variant) was tied by Scottish Fly Tier, Ross Macdonald. You can see more of his flies at The Flies of Ross Macdonald.

ROSS'S NOTES: "This is a fly form the North Highlands of Scotland. The fly was devised by Alan Donaldson, who ghillies on the River Carron in Sutherland. The name refers to the Kyle of Sutherland on the east coast of the Highlands. The original pattern is featured in Chris Mann's book on Hairwings.

Kylie is a tremendous summer fly in its original form and the tube is always worth a try in the autumn."

Ross's Notes about the differences between Scottish and Irish style shrimp patterns: 

"The Irish Shrimp style is characterized by the use of three wound hackles: a front hackle, another about a third of the shank back from this, and a tail of golden pheasant breast feather. The effect is a lively, pulsating wee fly. My Irish friends like to use small trebles, partly because of the ability of grilse to throw a hook.

The bodies are often made of seal's fur dubbing or flat tinsel. I think the dubbed body is a big part of the success of this style of fly- it creates a stronger profile than a hairwing of similar size.

 Steve features Peter O'Riley's book, Trout and Salmon Flies of Ireland on Salmonfly.Net and I can recommend it as a guide. Chris Mann's book, Shrimp and Spey flies for Salmon and Steelhead, is also worth having. I dislike the computer graphics as they don't capture the essence of the flies. But the text covers the history of the Irish Shrimp Fly and is an excellent read.

The Scottish long-tailed shrimps like the Ally's and the Cascade are characterized by a long tail made from bucktail or squirrel; if mobile enough any hair will do (I like Fox and Arctic Runner). As a rule of thumb, the long-tailed flies are fished faster. This reflects the larger swifter rivers in Scotland. However, by altering the tail length these flies are the most versatile of salmon flies and are used in Scotland from the start of the season right to the end. I use them on 1? copper tubes, down to size 14s."