Martyn White | Thursday, 8 January 2026
This week's fly is the shuttlecock, another dry/emerger that's as at home on rivers as it is on still waters. It's by no means new, but it's less of an angler catcher than a lot of newer patterns.
This week's fly is the shuttlecock, another dry/emerger that's as at home on rivers as it is There may be some who'll want me to call this a mole fly because of Charlie Craven, but the shuttlecock is older than Charlie is so I see no need to rename it.on still waters. It's by no means new, but it's less of an angler catcher than a lot of newer patterns.
A prototypical design, you can adjust it in size and colour to match just about anything, something I really like in a fly. It floats well and is easy to see, but crucially, it breaks the surface film and hangs there vulnerably. They can be as quick to tie as you like, or you can complicate them if you feel the need... I never feel the need but you might. The fly in the POD is probably one of the more common styles seen on still waters, just a wing, some dubbing and a rib. But truth be told, my favourites are mostly just thread bodied with a little bit of peacock herl or dubbing to cover the tie in of the wing. You can really use anything you like, you can add a shuck or leave the butts of the CDC exposed to change the way it floats. Anything, they'll all work, in fact it's hard to tie one that won't!
Here's a pattern outline
Hook: B170/all purpose medium weight
Thread: Match the body
Wing: CDC plumes
Rib: pearl /wire/thread
Body: sparse dubbing/thread/peasant tail
- When choosing your hook, don't go too light because you want enough weight to pull the body into/through the film. You can use a curved hook if you want, but if you prefer landing fish stick with the straight hook.
- Keep your body slim, especially if you use dubbing. The odd strand catching the light can be good but you're not trying to float the fly with the dubbing. Skinny skinny skinny is best, which is why I like thread-down once and back up.
- Don't skimp on the CDC. Make sure you use plenty, it's your only source of floatation and it doesn't matter to the fish if it's thick. Never fewer than three feathers but maybe 6 depending on the size of the fly and quality of the feathers. If you do feel it's too much and you're getting refusals, you can always pinch one out.
Here's a pheasant tail version .