It’s that time of year when I spend more time fly fishing and fewer flies from the vise are tied. The official start of summer is tomorrow. I’ve been on the water more days than not, looking for hatching insects and rising fish. In fact, I finished my last customer order last night, several Beetle…
This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is Vince Marinaro’s Jassid Fly. I met some friends for coffee last Friday. One of them, Jim Ferguson, was sharing a fly he tied recently I recognized…a Jassid. I asked him if I could take a quick picture at the table and this is the result. These images aren’t…
This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Grouse Hackle, a fly from the mid-1800’s. I’m always searching for the next Throw Back Thursday Fly, using a variety of sources for inspiration. I’ve used Mike Valla’s The Founding Flies (2013). The first chapter is about Thaddeus Norris (1811-1878) and the Grouse Hackle fly is mentioned….
I’ve been tying lots of flies lately, trying to catch up on my customer orders. Several fly patterns are new to me and I thought I’d highlight them along with the other flies coming off my vise. The image above is a Biot Backed Stonefly. Devin Olsen created the fly a few years ago and…
This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is George Anderson’s Peeking Caddis. This cased caddis fly pattern was developed in the 1970’s by George Anderson, owner of Yellowstone Angler in Livingston, MT. The fly imitates the Mother’s Day caddis (Brachycentrus) on the Yellowstone River (and other rivers as well). The bright green banding imitates the body…
This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is Dr. William Baigent’s Brown. I found Baigent’s Brown recently and pulled out the materials to tie one. Robert Smith, author of The North Country Fly: Yorkshire’s Soft Hackle Tradition (2015), writes his own blog entitled The Sliding Stream. I encourage you to check it out. Here is a…
This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Little Olive Wonder Wing Stone. I tied this size 18 fly using olive CDC for the body and barred dun for the wing and hackle. In researching a different fly, I found that Chauncy Lively tied a Little Black Stonefly using Wonder Wings to imitate the natural…
I’m in Maui where I found warmer weather than home…between 30 – 40 degrees warmer! I brought a vise, tools, and a few materials with me and am tying the wings and tail for a Green Drake Sparkle Dun. That’s right, I almost always take my fly tying materials and tools if I plan to…
This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Fire Coachman Trude Dry Fly. I was searching for a fly to feature and pulled out John Shewey’s Favorite Flies for Oregon (2021) book. I turned to the Fire Coachman Trude dry fly and decided to tie one. (Note: My own RiverKeeper Soft Hackle Cripple can be found in…
This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is Chauncy Lively’s March Brown Dun. I’m continuing this month’s theme to feature March Brown Mayfly imitations. I found this fly in The Founding Flies by Mike Valla in chapter 30. It’s a favorite book in my library and I’d encourage you to purchase your own copy if you…
