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Fly tying: My Friend the Sticky Pad
Over the last couple of years, I've learned a lot from Tim Flagler, fly-tying extraordinaire. Not only has he, through his video tying series that we feature each Friday here on the TU blog, helped become a better fly tier, but I really enjoy some of the simple little tips he shares to make my…
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Fly tying: The Shakey Bealy
Fall weather is on us here in the West—snowfall is slated to put an end to a brutal fire season, and the aspen leaves are turning in earnest. It's one of the best times of the year to be a fly fisherman, and it's when I start to think about visiting my favorite Western river:…
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Fly tying: Ian’s Brass Ass
Small nymphs in the size 18-22 range are my least-favorite flies to tie—I've got fat fingers, and my vision isn't what it once was, either. But these little flies can be absolutely deadly on spring creeks and tailwaters, and hitting these rivers and streams without small, unassuming midge nymphs and attractors is a mistake. Video…
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Fly tying: The Peacock Caddis
Some flies just work, and there's no real explanation as to why that is. The Peacock Caddis is one of those flies, as Tim Flagler perfectly describes in the video below. Video of Peacock CaddisI like this fly for two reasons. First, I think any fly with that "insect green" color put forth by peacock…
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Fly tying: Tying in a deer- or elk-hair wing
Tying deer- and elk-hair wings to my flies might be the weakest skill I have at the vise. I'm not a master tier, but I know my way around the fly shop when it comes to materials, hooks, threads, and the like. But this one skill has eluded me. Thankfully, Tim Flagler is out there…
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Fly tying: Perdigon-style Zebra Midge
The first time I ever used a Zebra Midge, I was bundled up in Neoprene waders and walking my float tube down the S-curves of Idaho's Silver Creek. Full disclosure: I'm not an enthusiastic nympher, and floating a sunken midge nymph under an indicator is probably my least-favorite brand of fly angling. But when I…
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Fly tying: Down to the wire
I started using wire in my fly tying about a decade ago, and today, I'm not sure what I'd do without it. It's a versatile tying material that do anything from add weight to simple sparkle, or to toughen up a fly to make it last longer. I've even started using really thin wire on…
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