• Pale Morning Duns – PMDs

    Pale Morning Duns, otherwise known as PMDs, are an important hatch for fly fishers. These flies are a size 16 -18. The hatch begins in late May and will continue through September. Generally, they will hatch in the afternoon. Mayflies in general spend much of their life as a nymph, rummaging around the rocky stream…

  • Sparkle Dun Mayfly

    This is a size 16 Pale Morning Dun Sparkle Dun Mayfly or PMD for short. One of my favorite flies. It’s in the top 5 of many fishermen in the know. The Sparkle Dun is a Craig Matthews pattern from Blue Ribbon Flies. I tie this simple, yet effective fly in size 22 Blue Wing Olive…

  • Fly tying – on the road

    Sometimes, I’m a “just-in-time” fly tyer. This video was shot on a Montana road trip. We’re headed east from Spokane towards the Big Hole river and I was trying to tie up some Spruce Moth patterns. Well, we seemed to find a section of bad road on the interstate with lots of bridges. As you…

  • Simple Flies

    I like simple flies. There’s something elegant about making a beautiful fly with only a few materials…that catches fish! Some people call them “guide flies.” While I’m not a guide, I enjoy sharing my flies with friends and strangers. And it feels good when someone says “hey, I caught a fish on your fly!” The…