I like simple flies. There’s something elegant about making a beautiful fly with only a few materials…that catches fish! Some people call them “guide flies.”
While I’m not a guide, I enjoy sharing my flies with friends and strangers. And it feels good when someone says “hey, I caught a fish on your fly!” The added benefit is I can tie LOTS of them.
I give a lot of flies away. I’ve been providing a box of flies to our fly club for it’s monthly raffle for about 2 years. They seem to be popular.
When I was at the NW Fly Tyer’s & Fly Fishing Expo in Albany, Oregon last week, someone came up to me and said “hey, I caught a fish on that Sparkle Dun you gave me…thanks!”
I am fortunate enough to go on a “guys trip” once or twice a year where I’ve been known to dump 5 or 6 dozen Stoneflies and Golden Stones on the table…and they’re gone in 10 seconds! I sit on the back deck of my friend’s cabin and tie flies. They don’t seem to make it into my box for some reason. I’ve heard on more than one occasion “I caught my largest fish on the Deschutes with your fly!” I get joy out of that.
Here is a simple but effective pattern that worked last week. It’s a pattern from Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone, Montana called the $3 Dip.
`Oh ya, here’s the Bull Trout that thought it looked real:
Tight lines…
