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Making your own hackle-folding tool
Tying in hackle that faces rearward can be a bit tricky at times, particularly if you're using small hackle and small hooks. But, for some patterns—many small soft-hackle recipes come to mind immediately—this is a necessary step in tying the fly. https://youtu.be/XNvXP0bIgL0 Above, Tim Flagler shares a great tip for crafting a tool that will…
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How to get a stuck fly rod apart
Sometimes, it's the simple things that cause us the most grief. Hooks stuck in our fingers, past the barb. A poorly tied knot that breaks on a nice fish. Or a fly rod that, try as you might, simply won't come apart at the end of the day. Above, my friend Chris Walker, who designs…
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Hank Patterson’s Fish-cation from Hell
"Whoa, whoa, whoa ... Joel? Let's not waste any blood on a nymph." Yeah, it's a bit late for us to post the trailer for a Halloween fright-fest film—even if it's a trailer to a film that doesn't really exist. But Hank Patterson's newest fly-fishing spoof (with the egregious support from Orvis) that draws on…
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Adventure among Patagonia’s estancias
It was quite the juxtaposition, honestly. Not exactly what I had in mind for my first fishing trip to Argentina, but then, the whole experience had been somewhat surprising. There I was, casually sitting in the back seat of a Toyota Hilux next to a waifish equestrian from Pennsylvania, a tumbler of iced Irish whiskey…
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Shenk’s Minnow
As baitfish imitations go, Shenk's Minnow might be the most fun to tie. While other patterns, like Norm Zeigler's Schminnow, might actually be a little easier to craft, no other simple baitfish patterns calls for baby-blanket yarn in order to put it together. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BGQ7VHFsFM Above, Tim Flagler ties the Shenk's Minnow with his own variations…
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Colorado small streams
As a son of Colorado, I can attest to the wonder and beauty found high in the small waters of the Centennial State's mountains. Chasing trout in off-the-grid creeks is, to this day, my favorite fly-fishing pastime. https://youtu.be/uIjNNxFokqA Above, Todd Moen of Catch Magazine, teases us with a trailer on a yet-to-be-completed film that focuses…
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Tying in the dreaded bucktail
The bucktail wing is one of the elementary ingredients in a number of popular flies, from Clousers to Coachmen ... even some caddis patterns call for bucktail. But, man, can it be hard to work with or what? I've always struggled with bucktail—I either lash it too tightly to the hook shank, which makes it…
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