• Craig Mathews and Blue Ribbon Flies

    I’m really looking forward to this weekend, February 21 and 22, 2015. Craig Mathews from Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone, Montana will be in Bend to provide a 2-day fly fishing seminar entitled Exploring Yellowstone Country’s Overlooked Waters. Craig is a wealth of information, so you better not miss an incredible opportunity to learn…

  • Copper John

    John Barr’s Copper John is this week’s TBT fly. He completed the fly design in 1996 after three years of development. The Copper John is such an effective fly design, John Barr ties it in many colors and variations. The original fly is tied in sizes 10 – 18. But in his book, Barr Flies, he…

  • Midges

    Midges. Do you know what a midge is? And how important midges are in the trout’s diet? Very! You’ll find midges in rivers and lakes. Most of the time, midge pupae are the fly patterns experienced fly fishers concentrate on fishing. More on what that means shortly.  I just finished these flies as I complete my…

  • RS2

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday fly is the RS2, developed by Rim Chung. This is a recent tie, following the original pattern sheet. I’ve used natural beaver dubbing and webbing from a dun colored hackle for the wing. The first time I tied this fly was in the 1990’s and for some reason thought it…

  • Crooked River Flies

    A few weeks ago, I highlighted a new page on Crooked River Flies. Well, I’ve had time to add a few fly pattern sheets and thought I’d share them with you. The best way to show my progress is with a picture of my “work in progress” fly box. Here’s what’s in it so far…60…

  • Birds Stone Fly

    The Birds Stone Fly was created by Cal Bird and is this week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly. Cal Bird had a small fly shop in San Francisco in the 1940s and 50s. At least that’s what my quick Internet search found. An interesting side note is he lived across the street from Frank Matarelli. Does…

  • Black Gnat

    Today’s Throw Back Thursday is another fly from one of the vintage fly wallets in my collection. And I don’t know the name of it. This wet fly is one I’d fish as a hatching caddis, swimming towards the surface. Perhaps a size 12? If you know what it is, please let me know…a Black Gnat?

  • Blue Wing Olives

    It’s the middle of winter and the major hatch on the river these days are Blue Wing Olives.  I get confused what to call these bugs…Blue Wing Olives…Blue Wings… BWOs…Baetis … I’m no expert, but I think they are all the same insect. Or close enough for a fly fisher.