• Stewart’s Black Spider

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is Stewart’s Black Spider. Stewart’s Black Spider is from his book entitled The Practical Angler (1857). Copyright laws no longer apply and you can download the book by clicking HERE. Be sure to check out my Links to Free Old Fly Fishing and Fly Tying Books. One of my readers…

  • Fishing and Tying Flies

    I’ve been fishing and tying flies in the last couple weeks. You’re probably not surprised I’m fishing, because October is the last month of great fly fishing and I usually spend a lot of time on the river. But I’ve received several new fly tying orders I’m trying to complete, plus I’ve lost a few…

  • Shakey Beeley Soft Hackle

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Shakey Beeley soft hackle. The Shakey Beeley is another wonderful fly pattern from Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone, MT. And this specific fly  was purchased there a few years ago for a pattern for me to use. It’s one of THE flies used when fishing for…

  • Max Canyon Steelhead Fly

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Max Canyon steelhead fly. Fall is in the air and I’ve heard a few fly fishers have been talking about steelhead fishing. I thought this was a perfect time to bring back a few steelhead flies for TBT! The Max Canyon is a fly found in John…

  • Ready for October Caddis?

    It’s late September and October will be here before we know it. Can you believe Summer is almost over? I just finished a fly order for some October Caddis and that got me thinking about checking my fly boxes to see if I have enough flies for myself! Are you ready for October Caddis? I was…

  • Mayfly Cripple

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Mayfly Cripple. The Mayfly Cripple is another fly pattern from Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone, MT. I found this fly pattern in Fly Patterns of Yellowstone – Volume 2 (2008) by Craig Mathews and John Juracek several years ago. Rowen Nyman created the Mayfly Cripple in the spring…

  • My Favorite Ant Fly Patterns

    If you’ve been reading the posts from this year’s fly fishing road trip, you might have noticed how many of the fish we caught took ant patterns. In this week’s post, I thought I would highlight my favorite ant fly patterns. I’m always amazed how well ant fly patterns work. I’ve experienced how almost any…

  • Ray Bergman Black Angel

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Ray Bergman Black Angel. The Black Angel is a Ray Bergman dry fly listed in his book entitled Trout (1940 – fourth printing) on page 332, Plate No. 13. Bergman was well known for his wet flies, but his book also lists dry flies, streamers, nymphs, steel head and…

  • Improved Chaos Hopper TBT

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Improved Chaos Hopper TBT. It’s no coincidence I chose the Improved Chaos Hopper for this week’s post. I saw a picture earlier this week of a beautiful Brown Trout posted by Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone. The fish ate a hopper fly pattern! I originally found…