• Still Working on Spey Flies

    I haven’t tied any trout flies in the last week because I’m still working on spey flies. Specifically, the Green Butt Skunk Spey. The two flies on the book Steelhead Flies by John Shewey are the first (left side) and third (right side) I’ve tied. You’ll find this fly on page 193 of John’s book….

  • White Wulff

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the White Wulff, a Lee Wulff fly pattern. A friend of mine let me borrow this fly to use as a TBT fly. You know who you are! The White Wulff imitates the Ephemera guttulata mayfly or Eastern Green Drake spinner. Walt Dette and Ted Townsend developed the Coffin Fly in…

  • Black Prince TBT

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Black Prince TBT…the Clarence Gordon version. This is another steelhead fly pattern from John Shewey’s Classic Steelhead Flies. If you haven’t had a chance to peruse this book, go to your local fly shop and see if they have it in stock. Otherwise, go to the link above and…

  • Back to Fly Tying

    Remember how I said fishing changes on November 1? Well, after a couple weeks reprieve we are definitely into November.  The river is still beautiful, but much of the streamside foliage is gone.  So back to fly tying. I’m beginning to stock the provider box by tying Sparkle Dun mayflies this week. In fact, it…

  • Mark Lain

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Mark Lain, another wet fly from Ray Bergman’s book Trout (1938). Since it’s Thanksgiving, I decided to find an old fly incorporating a turkey wing. It just seems fitting… You’ll find this fly on Plate No. 5, page 84 of Bergman’s book. I like the elegance and simplicity…

  • Small Flies

    Finally the weather has changed and it’s actually November, not October 42, 43, or 44th. October weather continued into early November and I decided it was still October; hence the reasoning for changing my October calendar to include dates of 42, 43, and 44. There was even a smattering of snow last Saturday when I…

  • Rosborough Dark Stone

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Rosborough Dark Stone Nymph. I found the fly on display at the International Federation of Fly Fishers Museum in Livingston, MT and took this picture of the Rosborough Dark Stone Nymph through the glass display in a dark room. I think it turned out quite well. It was…

  • Red Quill

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Red Quill, a classic Catskill fly pattern. Art Flick was instrumental in popularizing this fly. The Red Quill imitates the Ephemerella Subvaria and uses a large stripped hackle from the Rhode Island Red rooster. An earlier version from Rube Cross utilized slate wings instead of wood duck fibers….