• Odds and Ends

    It’s time again for another odds and ends post at RiverKeeper Flies. Occasionally, I write one of these to catch you up on additions to the website as well as provide a few recent pictures. If you don’t follow me on Facebook – @RiverKeeperFlies – or Instagram – @riverkeeperflies, you’re probably missing out on a few…

  • Clouser Minnow

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Clouser Minnow. This Clouser Minnow is one a friend gave me a couple of years ago. Bob Clouser invented the Clouser Minnow in 1987 to imitate smallmouth bass on the Susquehanna River. My quick research found the fly was named by Lefty Kreh as the Clouser Deep…

  • Comparable Fly Fishing Hooks

    Have you ever had a problem trying to find a comparable fly fishing hook? You’ve used a certain manufacturer for a while, but can’t get that hook now and want a similar model? Or you found a new fly pattern you’d like to tie, but it references a hook you don’t have. That’s one of…

  • McKenzie Caddis Dry Fly

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the McKenzie Caddis dry fly. This odd looking body color matches the real insect found on the McKenzie River in Oregon. I found this fly pattern in the 1980’s when I tied a few of these flies for the first time. These caddis flies begin hatching in mid-May and…

  • Griffith’s Gnat Emerger Fly

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Griffith’s Gnat Emerger fly. This is another great fly pattern from Craig Mathews at Blue Ribbon Flies in West Yellowstone, MT. He created a variant of the Griffith’s Gnat with his Zelon Midge and the result was the Griffith’s Gnat Emerger fly. If you are a frequent RiverKeeper Flies reader, you…

  • 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…

  • Medallion Biot Wet Fly

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Medallion Biot Wet Fly. I selected this fly to continue the theme of biot flies I presented in the Goose and Turkey Biot Flies post this week. The Medallion Biot Wet Fly is another fly by Shane Stalcup and can be tied in different sizes and colors to imitate a…

  • 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…