Templedog v Samurai. What's the difference?

A question I get asked from time to time, I thought it was worth explaining.

It's not always obvious from photos how different these two styles are unfortunately

Samurai on the left, Templedog on the right

The main difference between the two is the profile and the way they’re constructed. Both are designed for different jobs!

The Samurai has a thinner profile that’s tied with big balls of flashy dubbing per the picture below. This dubbing is aggressively brushed out and creates a “halo” in the water

Samurai Body, the wing is constructed over this, then another dubbing ball is added before the head hackle

gold dubbing ball between the hackles and the wing. The dubbing ball under the wing helps keep it elevated and moving in the water.

Templedog body is made with a “palmered” hackle over flash dubbing which is then brushed out. This hackle is very important as it supports the wings above and keeps them swimming in the current. It also traps some of the dubbing fibres which catch the light beautifully.

The Templedog wing is constructed over the palmered body hackle and flicks , wriggles and swims away on it’s own! This style is much more bulky than the samurai, but with a beautiful teardrop shape. I always think they look like fish in the water.

So in summary-

Samurai - thinner profile with offset wing and turbo cone

- designed for fishing fast along the upper layers

Templedog- A fuller profile with big shoulders

- tied on weighted tubes for deeper fishing

Both are tremendously effective on their day and excellent in Scottish spring.

If you have any questions please feel free to ask

cheers and tight lines