Atherton No. 5 | www.johnkreft.com

Atherton No. 5 Dry Fly

This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the John Atherton No. 5 Dry Fly. John Atherton (1900 – 1952) was an artist by trade and incorporated his impressionistic art into the flies he tied. Interestingly, he didn’t name the flies, choosing instead to number his dry flies from 1 to 7, representing lighter to darker…

Mercer's Profile Spinner - PMD | www.johnkreft.com

Mike Mercer’s Profile Spinner – PMD

This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is Mike Mercer’s Profile Spinner – PMD. I found this fly pattern in Mike Mercer’s Creative Fly Tying (2005) book. He relays a problem he had fishing spinner patterns on California’s Fall River where thousands and thousands of natural PMD Spinners were floating downstream with trout gorging themselves on these insects….

Harrop's CDC Rusty Paraspinner | www.johnkreft.com

Harrop’s CDC Rusty Paraspinner

This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is Harrop’s CDC Rusty Paraspinner. I hope you were able to read a recent post, Importance of Imitating Mayfly Spinners. Since I’ve been thinking about spinners for a few days, I thought I’d find one to feature in a TBT post. Harrop’s CDC Rusty Paraspinner was created by Bonnie…

Dozen Last Chance Cripple Baetis | www.johnkreft.com

Small BWO/Baetis Fly Imitations

I’m back at the vise this week working to fill orders that have been stacking up during our fly fishing road trip. I started on an order of 324 flies that included several small BWO/Baetis fly imitations in sizes 16, 18, and 20. The fly order includes several of my favorite BWO imitations. I have…

Stranahan's Olive Brindle Chute | www.johnkreft.com

Stranahan’s Olive Brindle Chute

This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is Chuck Stranahan’s Olive Brindle Chute. I returned to Chuck Stranahan’s Flies & Guides last week. The Brindle Chute style of fly is one of Chuck’s “hallmark” flies. The full name of the Brindle Chute is Brindle Hackle Multi Colored Body Parachute. This is his olive version, which is labeled as…

Jacklin's Gray Drake | www.johnkreft.com

Bob Jacklin Gray Drake

This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is a Bob Jacklin Gray Drake. I found this fly when I walked into his fly shop last week. I stood in front of the fly bins and selected several I thought would make likely candidates for my TBT posts. I think I’m on a drake kick, since last…