IllustrationSilver Daddy
DryWhen to use
The classic west-of-Ireland Silver Daddy is usually fished wet or damp, sunk just under the film to imitate a drowned crane fly, though it can be greased to fish dry in a wave. Most effective on windy days when naturals are blown onto the water, for salmon, sea trout and brown trout.
Imitates
Adult crane fly (daddy long-legs) — the classic silver-bodied daddy, traditionally fished damp/drowned rather than fully dry.
Team position
Single fly or top dropper; often paired with a Silver Invicta or other daddy patterns on windy days.
Best methods
Dressing
- Hook
- standard wet/dry hook, #10–12
- Thread
- red game or black
- Tail
- knotted pheasant tail fibres (some ties add pearl krinkle flash)
- Body
- flat silver tinsel
- Rib
- oval silver tinsel
- Hackle
- red game cock hackle, long-fibred, wound heavily through the body; a softer hen hackle at the head for the wet/drowned version; knotted pheasant-tail-fibre legs tied all around
- Wing
- red game hackle tips, sloped back over the body for the wet version
- Head
- thread head
Peter O'Reilly's documented dressing. On hooks #12 and smaller the tail is often omitted and legs tied on top only. Many personal variants exist (black, blue, red-bodied daddies) — this is the standard silver-bodied recipe.
Pairs with
Retrieve & line
- Fished dry and static — floating line
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