Currently browsing… fly tying
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Starting over before an Alaska fishing trip
Rather than an orderly collection of streamers, Gurglers and Egg-sucking Leaches, it looked, as I explained to my friends on a group chat as we planned out the week ahead, like the dog had coughed up a flamingo
A rebuilt fly box for a trip to Alaska. When the old fly box just won't cut it anymore When I booked a place to stay in Southeast Alaska for this coming week, I still had eastern Idaho carp on the brain. Like a lot of anglers, I have a running "fishing calendar" — a…
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The Gurgler: The under-utilized foam fly
I'm headed to East Texas this week for some bass and panfish fishing in some of the region's swampier areas, and I've done some tying over the last few days to make sure I'm armed with "all the right stuff." But I didn't feel like I was ideally equipped until I tied up a handful…
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Tying the After Hours Stonefly
It's later in the season, but not too late for stoneflies. Below, TU's Nick Halle ties his After Hours Stonefly, a solid "tweener" of a bug that could be seen by trout as either a smaller Yellow Sally or even a larger, nocturnal stone. Even more likely? This pattern, at least this time of year,…
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Tying Jake’s Blackout Stone
One of the earliest stonefly hatches is likely about to start on some fabled trout streams in the West. The skwala stoneflies — a dark, greenish-gray bug — should be about ready to pop in rivers like the Bitterroot, the Blackfoot and others in western Montana, and other rivers throughout the region can claim hatches…
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Tying the Flow Stone for high-water nymphing
Sleek, slender and heavy Euro-style nymphs are gaining popularity in the U.S., largely thanks to international fly-fishing tournaments where European anglers tend to take top honors more often than not. Make no mistake about it, these Perdigon-style nymphs catch fish. Below, Loon Outdoors' Matt Callies ties a larger variant of this Euro-style nymph — his…
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Tying the Repeat Offender
Trout spey fishing is all the rage these days, particularly in rivers that boast runs of anadromous fish that are swimming home and reacquainting themselves with fresh water and the food they used to eat before they took the salt to dine on the ocean's bounty. Below, Matt Callies with Loon Outdoors ties a great…
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Tying the Douglas Salmon Camp Swinger
Articulated streamers are quickly becoming some of my favorite patterns to tie at the vise. They are deadly for big trout, bass, pike and even salmon and steelhead, and, contrary to my original impression, they're actually pretty easy to craft. Below, Tim Flagler ties an articulated streamer designed for the lake-run salmon, steelhead and brown…