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…
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…
I started writing today’s post on May 1. Can you believe it’s May already? Perhaps it’s one of your favorite months as Salmonflies and Golden Stones are right around the corner. Are you ready for one of the best hatches of the year? Before I get too far, I’d like to quickly bring up a…
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…
Last weekend, I was participated in the 2023 Casting for Recovery Oregon North retreat at Lake Creek Lodge, in Camp Sherman, OR. While I’ve been a River Helper in previous years, 15 happened to arrive, so I volunteered to be the photographer for the day. If you’d like to support another retreat similar to this,…
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…
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…
This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Little Olive Wonder Wing Stone. I tied this size 18 fly using olive CDC for the body and barred dun for the wing and hackle. In researching a different fly, I found that Chauncy Lively tied a Little Black Stonefly using Wonder Wings to imitate the natural…
I’m in Maui where I found warmer weather than home…between 30 – 40 degrees warmer! I brought a vise, tools, and a few materials with me and am tying the wings and tail for a Green Drake Sparkle Dun. That’s right, I almost always take my fly tying materials and tools if I plan to…
This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Fire Coachman Trude Dry Fly. I was searching for a fly to feature and pulled out John Shewey’s Favorite Flies for Oregon (2021) book. I turned to the Fire Coachman Trude dry fly and decided to tie one. (Note: My own RiverKeeper Soft Hackle Cripple can be found in…
