• Fly Fishing with Beetles

    Are you fly fishing with beetle patterns? You should. Why do fish eat beetles? Who cares. All I know is my wife and I have caught some of our biggest trout recently with Beetle Bailey. We were sitting along the river bank waiting for the Green Drake hatch a couple of weeks ago and started reminiscing about…

  • Recent Changes

    If you haven’t checked lately, I’ve added a few fly patterns. Not a tyer? That’s OK. Check out a pattern sheet or two. Not only will you find pictures of the fly pattern, I’m trying to include pictures of the real bugs the flies imitate. Use the fly pattern pictures when shopping at your local…

  • 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…