After graduating in applied mathematics from Sheffield in 1980, little did I know how fishing and in particular fly-fishing would transform my life? Pike fishing in the English Lake District was and still is a great passion I have. Fly dressing began in those early years with the necessity to dress small Stoats tail tube flies fished in conjunction with an artificial lure to catch pike. A natural progression followed into fly-fishing and hence fly dressing for both trout and salmon. An article by Oliver Edwards titled “The quest for perfection” published in Trout and Salmon after he won the “Fly Tyer of the year” competition two years running was inspirational.

It was a chance meeting in 1996 at one of those enjoyable Partridge fly tying days with a fly dresser that turned my fly dressing and life on its head once again. The world of classic salmon flies beckoned. My early attempts at this fine art demonstrated that my knowledge of materials and how they behaved in hand was sadly lacking. Books were a great source of advice but they only went so far. I was once again to turn to that same fly dresser whom I met earlier that year. Early examples of my flies (which I still possess) were critiqued in the gentlest manner so as not to discourage me, techniques were revealed that were to make vast improvements to my flies. My passion is for dressing salmon flies, the classics. I most enjoy dressing the grubs, Spey flies and those flies that most people have forgotten.

I have dressed flies at many of the European shows and have seen some good practitioners of the art of salmon fly dressing. Sacha Putz from Germany is a young man with a great flair for dressing salmon flies and a mighty fine job he makes of them. When in the mood for fly dressing, Peter Dunne’s work is a sight to behold. An outstanding technical fly dresser who when all things come together dresses flies that are breathtaking.

My thanks must go to a few people, to Oliver who started it all off, to Peter Dunne whose honest critique of my work is always welcome. To my great friend Terry “Pop” Griffiths whose depth of knowledge about fly dressing is quite amazing and only surpassed by his photography!)

The fly dresser I met in 1996? Marvin Nolte. It is to Marvin that I owe a great debt of gratitude. The patience and time he has devoted to my cause is something I will never come close to repaying. His meticulous attention to detail in all he does has to be seen to believed. The thing I cherish more than anything is our great friendship. All I can hope to do is what he has done for me and pass on my knowledge for the benefit of other willing fly dressers.
Thank you so much.


Paul Little is also a man of many other artistic talents, which he puts to use in many flytying-friendly ways. Being an amateur wood-turner he has gone on to produce some very useful tools that come in quite handy for the fly-tyer.