The Shipmans Claret Barbless Size 12 is a versatile, classic stillwater midge emerger designed to sit in the surface film. Its clipped, low-floating profile suggests a chironomid pupa at the point of hatching, while the claret body provides a darker alternative to olive and black Shipman's patterns.
Fish it on a floating line, either singly to rising trout or on a light team when midges are emerging. A static presentation is often best, with ripple supplying the movement; in flat calm, try an extremely slow figure-of-eight. Treat only the supporting fibres with floatant so the body remains trapped in the film. A convincing pattern that makes every cast feel capable of producing a fish.