• Hit or Miss on the River

    It’s really been hit or miss on the river as of late. The warm weather has played havoc with the river levels, producing daily changes of 100 to 200 cubic feet per second (cfs). Much of the time, I expect the river to be between 1300 and 1400 cfs, but it’s been bouncing in the…

  • If Nets Could Talk

    We fish a lot. And we’ve fished for a lot of years. In that time, we have used several nets. Why a post about nets? One word…memories. If nets could talk, what would yours say? From left to right: Dancingtrout lake net, Steve Stevens, Lyle Hand bamboo handle, Brodin, Snake River Net Co, Fisknat The…

  • The Grouse Hackle

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Grouse Hackle, a fly from the mid-1800’s. I’m always searching for the next Throw Back Thursday Fly, using a variety of sources for inspiration. I’ve used Mike Valla’s The Founding Flies (2013). The first chapter is about Thaddeus Norris (1811-1878) and the Grouse Hackle fly is mentioned….

  • Recent Flies from the Vise

    I’ve been tying lots of flies lately, trying to catch up on my customer orders. Several fly patterns are new to me and I thought I’d highlight them along with the other flies coming off my vise. The image above is a Biot Backed Stonefly. Devin Olsen created the fly a few years ago and…

  • Peacock Despair

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Peacock Despair. I didn’t know about this fly until a potential customer brought it to my attention. Jack Sutton, a Canadian fly tyer, developed this fly in the 1930’s. The Peacock Despair was a popular fly for large brook trout in eastern Canada, Quebec and Labrador. It…

  • George Anderson’s Peeking Caddis

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is George Anderson’s Peeking Caddis. This cased caddis fly pattern was developed in the 1970’s by George Anderson, owner of Yellowstone Angler in Livingston, MT. The fly imitates the Mother’s Day caddis (Brachycentrus) on the Yellowstone River (and other rivers as well). The bright green banding imitates the body…

  • Baigent’s Brown

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is Dr. William Baigent’s Brown. I found Baigent’s Brown recently and pulled out the materials to tie one. Robert Smith, author of The North Country Fly: Yorkshire’s Soft Hackle Tradition (2015), writes his own blog entitled The Sliding Stream. I encourage you to check it out. Here is a…

  • When is Opening Day of Fishing?

    Opening day. It used to be a long-awaited day which meant I could go trout fishing again. I was lucky to live within driving distance to rivers emptying into the Pacific Ocean with runs of salmon and steelhead. I fished for them during the winter months, but opening day of trout season was a red-letter…