The Jingler has been around for a couple of hundred years. A right old River Tweed pattern. So why has it taken me so long to come to recognise and appreciate it’s potential as an all round river pattern?
I was introduced to what I know as ‘Jake’s Jingler’ recently by Jake Harvey. Jake is one of Scotlands foremost Sculptors as well being a National River Fishing Champion. He grew up on the Tweed and this fly is in his DNA.
I’ve never been one for tying tidy, convoluted patterns. More interested in simple tying processes and patterns that can be put together without too much fuss, and resulting in a fly that is robust. The fly should be able to withstand being taken by a number of fish without needing to be replaced and capable of being dried off with a couple of fast, false casts. On a driech early spring day when you’ve been waiting on that momentary hatch of small Dark Olives or March Browns, the last thing you want to be doing is nursing a CDC back to life.
What I really love about this pattern is both it’s forgiveness and its flexibility. By forgiving I mean you can get away with it being as scruffy as hell. Sometimes the scruffier the better. But its flexibility is what has made it my go to fly for early season browns. You can tie and fish it as an emerger, a dun or a spinner. In varying sizes it can be dressed in different colours suggestive of Olive Emergers, March Browns, Iron Blue and even a Yellow May.
If you are interested in tying Jake’s Jingler, you couldn’t do better than checking out this video by Dave Downie.
