Over the closed season I will be posting a pattern per week for fishing on Irish Loughs. This will include flies for Brown Trout, Seatrout and Salmon. This week's tying is the Cock Robin Dabbler and a Cock Robin Dabbler Variant fly.

This week's fly is another famous Irish pattern called the Cock Robin Dabbler, this is one of those flies that when you open your fly box it just stands out from all the other flies. I have probably caught more Brown Trout, Seatrout and Salmon on this pattern from the Western Loughs to the Midland Loughs of Ireland, it just catches fish.

I remember a good few seasons back even catching rainbow trout on Rutland water on this fly. When you have a pattern that works from day one, even in an olive hatch and a Mayfly hatch, right to the end of season... that just says to me you definitely have to have the Cock Robin in your flybox.

Some people like to dress this pattern with half of the body in medium claret Seal's fur, I find that this dressing works very well when Sedges are around. The Cock Robin variant that I have shown has been working well for me over the years on Irish Loughs.