Have you ever heard the term “throw back Thursday”? Seems to be fairly common on Facebook these days. So, several weeks ago I decided to start my own version. It will be my new Throw Back Thursday Fly posts.
What does that mean, you ask? Good question. I post pictures of old flies along with some history of the fly. Old is the key word here. But it’s relative.
Many of these flies can be found in the books which influenced my early fly tying. These include:
- Pacific Northwest Fly Patterns (1970) from Patrick’s Fly Shop in Seattle, Washington.
- Western Trout Fly Tying Manual (1980) by Jack Dennis.
Perhaps the most influence came from a series of books by Randall Kaufmann from Kaufmann’s Streamborn fly shop in Tigard, Oregon:
- American Nymph Fly Tying Manual (1970)
- Tying Dry Flies (1991)
- Tying Nymphs (1994)
The last two books were very different from the early ones. They were all color. The early 90’s was when I started to get back and tie flies.

If you still have those books, I’m sure you’ll recognize a few of the patterns showing up on Throw Back Thursday Flies.
I started Throw Back Thursday Flies on my RiverKeeper Flies Facebook page to celebrate the history and hopefully bring back some great fly fishing memories. But if you didn’t follow me on Facebook, you were missing out on something.
So this post is to catch everyone up. Hopefully, you enjoy this blast from the past.
There are some great old fly patterns that still work. Let’s see…here are a couple of them:


Some are favorite flies I still fish. Many are patterns you’re probably familiar with. Others may be new to you.
I created a post for each fly to coincide with the date it showed up on my RiverKeeper Flies Facebook page. An easy way to see all of them is to click on the CATEGORY Throw Back Thursday Flies at the bottom of this post or on the sidebar located to the right. You should get the whole listing and be able to “catch up”.
Here is the full list:
- Tied Down Caddis
- Zug Bug
- Adams
- Matt’s Fur
- Stovepipe
- Royal Coachman Trude
- Skunk
- Elk Hair Caddis
- Prince Nymph
- Griffith’s Gnat
- Hares Ear Nymph
- Light Cahill
- Parachute Adams
- Golden Butterfly
- Cate’s Turkey
- Lady Caroline
- Carrie Stevens Green Drake Streamer
- Stimulator
- Renegade
- San Juan Worm
- Grey Hackle Peacock
- Golden Demon Spey
- Black Gnat
So check back on Thursdays to see the next Throw Back Thursday fly.
And if one resonates with you, fill out the COMMENT below and tell me why.