As a keen fly-fisherman & columnist for Fly Fishing & Fly Tying Magazine Radio 2 DJ & comedian Mike Harding lays out his considerable expertise on one of the most well-loved & beguiling traditions of fly: the Northern Spider. These designs of fly conceived in the north of England around Bolton Abbey in the Yorkshire Dales are renowned for being both simple to tie & excellent for catching fish. They are characterised by using brightly coloured silk threads & the feathers of birds like snipe woodcock & pheasant -techniques employed by fly-fishermen around the world: from northern England & the lochs of Connemara to the freestone rivers of the Appalachians in the US. Mike Harding covers some 140 variants of fly from traditional designs to his own unique variations like the Ribble Rouser. The guide is rounded off with the techniques of tying & an introduction to the history of the North Country tradition. The book features his own superb close-focus photography & is laid out in a convenient wiro-bound style.