• Winter is Fly Tying Season

    As I write this week’s post, I look out the window at a few inches of snow covering the ground. It’s winter. And I’ve always said winter is fly tying season. I’ve been working on a couple of orders for Custom Flies. In fact, I finished this order last night. He doesn’t plan to use them until at…

  • Hemingway Caddis

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Hemingway Caddis. And the top view: The Hemingway Caddis is a variation of the Henryville Special developed in the 1930’s by Hiram Brobst. Mike Lawson created the variation for Jack Hemingway, son of the famous author Ernest Hemingway, for fishing the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River in…

  • Arthur Hoyt

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Arthur Hoyt. Here is another wet fly from Ray Bergman’s book entitled Trout. It’s one of several flies to make the list of Throw Back Thursday Flies in recent weeks. Perhaps it’s because there are SO many flies to choose from. The Arthur Hoyt can be found on…

  • Recent Changes

    Christmas is in a couple of days and I wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! Occasionally, I highlight a few changes to RiverKeeper Flies. In case you haven’t seen them, here are a few more Fly Patterns I’ve added in the last couple of months: I was surprised last week because Orvis News highlighted…

  • Darling

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Darling…another fly pattern from Ray Bergman’s book Trout. I looked out the window this morning while tying the Darling and saw this flock of turkeys! Coincidence? The wing is TURKEY! Darling Body: Black dubbing Tip: Orange floss Tail: Golden pheasant crest Hackle: Furnace brown Wing: Brown Turkey Tied…

  • Last Minute Christmas Gifts

    It’s hard to believe Christmas is only a little over 2 weeks away! Since I received good feedback on the original post – Christmas Ideas for Fly Fishers and Fly Tyers, I thought I’d provide some last minute Christmas gifts for the panicked shopper! Remember, I’ll be drawing one name from my Subscriber list next week for their…

  • Testing new hooks

    This week’s post is about my experience testing new hooks from Daiichi as well as highlighting a few fly pattern sheets I’ve recently added to RiverKeeper Flies. Even if you aren’t a fly tyer, be sure to check out the fly pictures to see if it’s something to be added to your fly box. Oh, and…

  • Janssens Damsel Nymph

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is Janssens Damsel Nymph. I selected the fly because it incorporated a small piece of turkey in the wingcase…very appropriate for a Thanksgiving Day post! This is the creation of Hal Janssen, another talented California fly fisher. He is a noted writer, artist, lecturer, and video personality. I’ve read that…

  • Tying Flies with Purpose

    In the last week, I’ve been tying flies with purpose. Remember a recent post – Back to Tying Flies? Well that’s what I’ve been doing…tying flies. It’s the time of year when the weather has changed and so has the fishing. In fact, as I write this week’s post, it’s snowing!!! And the forecast calls…

  • Green Ant

    This week’s Throw Back Thursday Fly is the Green Ant. I was doing a little research to determine which flies to tie for a fly plate the Central Oregon Fly Tyer’s Guild is making for the 2016 NW Fly Tyer & Fly Fishing Expo. The plate’s theme is flies for the major steelhead rivers in Oregon….