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Trout Tips: Floating fly boxes
Foam fly boxes float. If you want to see your flies again, make sure fly box floats, too. Several years ago, I was steelhead fishing on Idaho's Salmon River. I'd spent the week leading up to the trip tying flies and gearing up. Steelhead on the Salmon were—and still are—a fish that came calling on…
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Fly tying: The Basic Deceiver
Loon's Matt Callies ties some great flies, and he's really good at making it look easy. I've got a saltwater trip coming up, so I've been watching the Loon fly-tying series for some baitfish pattern ideas, and I haven't been disappointed. Video of Basic DeceiverAbove, Matt ties the Basic Deceiver, a super-simple pattern that predatory…
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Trout Tips: Turn over rocks
When I was a kid fishing with my grandfather on bigger water, the first thing he always did was flip over rocks as we walked along the river. He'd give each rock a good look, and he'd point out squiggly little bugs to me and my brothers and cousins. "See that?" he'd ask, pointing to…
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Fly Tying: Major Woody
Don't get any untoward ideas. This fly gets its name from all the wood duck materials used in the tying process, and not from, well, anything else. And, it's a great wet attractor pattern for all kinds of mayflies, ranging from green drakes to sulphers. Video of Major WoodyAs Tim Flagler shows above, it's also…
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Fly tying: Neat heads
For new fly tiers and even for some of us seasoned at the vise, tying the perfect head on any fly can be a real challenge. Oversized heads look weird, mess with the balance of a fly and and make it tough to change flies quickly on the water. Video of Neat HeadsIn the video…
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Trout Tips: The stream not taken
Often, the best fish live in the waters others won't walk far enough to reach. The following is exerpted from TU's book, "Trout Tips," available online now for overnight delivery. Fish places others don't. There's a difference between improving as a fly fisherman and improving your fishing. Spending time on technical, heavily pressured tailwaters can…
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Fly tying: Improved BWO Sparkle Dun
Blue-winged Olives might be the fly fisher's best friend in the mayfly world. No, they're not big. They're not terribly enticing to tie a the vise. But, damn, on any blustery day, they could show up and quickly move up the menu for feeding trout. I love to fish the South Fork of the Snake…
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