• Old Aluminum Fly Box

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is an old aluminum fly box! OK, it may be a little strange to have an old fly box rather than a named fly, but it’s just to interesting to pass up. A friend of mine sent two old aluminum fly boxes to me in the mail to check…

  • Poxyback Baetis

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Poxyback Baetis. This is an older fly pattern I found in Randall Kaufmann’s book Tying Nymphs (1994). Kaufmann’s book, along with his Tying Dry Flies, was one of the first color fly tying books I purchased. Tying Nymphs taught me new techniques, materials, and flies to tie. The Poxyback…

  • Die Hard Winter Fly Fisher

    I’ve been out on the river only a couple of times since the first of the year. It’s that time of year when you decide if you’re a die hard winter fly fisher because many days the temperatures hover around 32 degrees or colder. March is the month of transition. Spring weather is right around…

  • Die Hard Winter Fly Fisher

    I’ve been out on the river only a couple of times since the first of the year. It’s that time of year when you decide if you’re a die hard winter fly fisher because many days the temperatures hover around 32 degrees or colder. March is the month of transition. Spring weather is right around…

  • Goose and Turkey Biot Flies

    There is something about goose and turkey biot flies that look so realistic. I was reminded of this as I completed a recent fly order with a few BWO – CDC & Biot flies. As you can see in the picture, goose and turkey biots come in a variety of dyed colors. Here is a…

  • Stalcup CDC Loop Wing Emerger

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Stalcup CDC Loop Wing Emerger. This fly was the creation of Shane Stalcup, a talented and innovative fly tyer. The fly pattern sheet can be found HERE. I first learned of Stalcup’s flies in his book Mayflies “Top to Bottom” (2002). I thought it was interesting looking at the…

  • Comparadun Mayfly

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Comparadun mayfly. I first tied a Comparadun mayfly in the early 1990’s. The fly was a pattern I found in Randall Kaufmann’s book Tying Dry Flies. Kaufmann presented the Comparadun along with a Sparkle Dun. Al Caucci developed the Comparadun mayfly in the early 1960’s as a…

  • Old Fly Fishing and Fly Tying Books

    Have you ever wondered about the history of fly fishing? It’s an interesting topic to me, which explains why I’ve been reading old fly fishing and fly tying books lately. Why? First, they are a source for my Throw Back Thursday Flies. Secondly, I wonder how previous generations fished and what some of their streamside conversations…