• Thompson Model A Vise

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday post is about my Thompson Model A Vise. This was my very first vise. I purchased it from Wayne Doughton of Doughton’s Hardware in Salem, OR. I’m pretty sure it was 1970. This vise served me well for about 20 years before I replaced it with a McKenzie vise and…

  • PMD Hatch

    I was on the river recently and was pleased to see a terrific PMD hatch. Yes, it’s that time of year when Pale Morning Duns hatch in droves and the fish are eager to eat them off the surface. I looked back at previous posts and sure enough, I’ve written about these flies in late…

  • Snipe and Purple

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Dark Snipe or Snipe and Purple. The Snipe and Purple is another old soft hackle fly pattern listed in The North Country Fly – Yorkshire’s Soft Hackle Tradition (2015) by Robert L. Smith. Many of these older soft hackle fly patterns come from the Yorkshire Dales in northern England….

  • Salmonfly Season

    I’ve heard it’s time. The first few big bugs are just beginning to hatch. Salmonfly season is here! These are the biggest bugs of the season (I tie flies as large as size 4 to imitate them) and this hatch is much anticipated by many fly fishers. The image above is of an adult breaking…

  • Light Spanish Needle

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Light Spanish Needle. The Light Spanish Needle is another old fly pattern listed in The North Country Fly – Yorkshire’s Soft Hackle Tradition (2015) by Robert L. Smith. Many of these older soft hackle fly patterns come from the Yorkshire Dales in northern England. Wharfedale is a small area…

  • Where Will I Fish?

    It’s May already. Can you believe it? And I have a problem…where will I fish? As I review my own May RiverKeeper Flies posts from previous years, I see it’s a common occurrence. There are so many options now…the Metolius (my home river), Crooked, Middle Deschutes, and Lower Deschutes. Then I could list a few…

  • First Fenwick Fly Rod

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday post is my first Fenwick fly rod. Yes, this is a departure from my normal TBT post where I highlight a fly pattern. But these posts are designed to trigger good memories and this is one of mine. This was my first REAL fly rod, the classic Fenwick 8 1/2′…

  • Ray Bergman Dark Spinner

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Ray Bergman Dark Spinner. The Ray Bergman Dark Spinner is a wet fly listed in his book entitled Trout (1940 – fourth printing) on page 38, Plate No. 2. I usually tie just one fly for my TBT posts. I’m not trying to make them perfect, just…