Trout tips
Tying the Franke Shiner baitfish imitation for migrating browns
Baitfish imitations work great in the fall, particularly where migrating brown trout are found. As these fish move out of lakes or upstream from big water to spawning habitat, they just get more and more aggressive
Tying small dry flies using UV resins
I’ve been using UV resins on my flies for several years now, all with the intent of making flies last longer on the water
The Moonlit Lunar S-Glass is a creek freak’s fly rod
I love to fish glass. Love it. I love the slower cast, the softer feel. I love how glass gives smaller fish some heft. I love the bend in the rod that stretches into the cork. Glass fly rods, in my opinion, provide a more intimate, visceral connection with the fish we’re all after
Tying the Travis Para-Ant for later-summer trout
The first couple weeks of September are usually pretty great dry-fly weeks as things cool off a bit and trout look up for big bites of protein
The new Scott Centric is a rod for the ages
When the tube arrived from Scott, I expected it to be something special. So, I wanted the first analysis to more than a cursory shakedown. I headed to the grass field behind my house for some quality one-on-one time, poured myself a small mason jar of red wine, put on some Bose noise-cancelling headphones, strung up the rod, and got ready to “dance.” I put my playlist on shuffle, the first song that came on was AC/DC’s “Hell’s Bells”
Use dubbing to make a solid base
Certain materials, when tied to a hook shank, just don’t take well to being secured with thread. The lack of friction between the material and the metal of the shank makes it very easy for some tying materials to spin, even after multiple wraps and efforts to tightly bound them to the shank
Terrestrial bugs offer great dry-fly fishing on small creeks
Late summer and early fall offer some of the season’s best dry-fly fishing on small creeks in the east. This isn’t hatch-matching fishing. It’s terrestrial season
Fly fishing doesn’t have to be hard
I love to cast a long line, but it doesn’t happen often. If I do, it is ideally with no false casts. The longer my fly is in the air, the more likely it will be caught by a bush. Fewer false casts also means my fly is in or on the water in front of fish longer
How to use shanks for articulated flies
There are a few choices when it comes to choosing which shank to use for the flies you’re tying, but, generally speaking, the idea is the same: shanks let you make longer fly bodies and then hang a “stinger” hook off the rear of the fly
How to tie the Yellow Humpy fly pattern
As attractor dry flies go, the Humpy is near the top of my list. Tied to imitate nothing in particular, but still incredibly “buggy,” the Humpy is a great high-floating searching pattern for trout in backcountry settings
Deet and your fly line
Chad quickly reached into a pocket in his sling pack and pulled out a little bottle of bug spray. He quickly doused in his exposed arms in the oily concoction and then passed it around. Johnny did the same — a few pumps and then he handed the bottle to me.
The ethics of the dropper
The ethics of fly fishing can get pretty sticky, or at least I’m gleaning that from social media, where some folks aren’t afraid to scold fellow anglers for teetering on the edge of angling impropriety, whether that impropriety is real or perceived
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Prospecting blue lines
A trail generally follows the stream on its gentle course to Shoshone Lake. If you walk the trail, you might occasionally see a tiny brook trout finning in a deep, dark corner of the creek. More likely, if you’re not an angler and staring keenly through polarized lenses through clear water isn’t really your thing, you might notice a fish dart for cover as your shadow crosses the stream
Last Chance Purple Haze
I spent a couple of days last week on the Henry’s Fork’s upper reaches, trying to fool uber-educated trout in the Box Canyon and Railroad Ranch stretches of the river. This time of year, those tailwater sections of the river are likely the most hospitable...
Fishing a two-fly rig downstream
Fishing two-fly rigs downstream is a great way to pull trout from under rocks and structure
Building a better ‘Bugger
Tim Flagler ties up his version of a ‘better ‘bugger’ using weighted wire and a tougher construction
Hopper season
Fly fishing with grasshopper patterns can bring big trout to the top, even on small, backcountry streams
Add movement to mimic subsurface insects
Learn about the bugs we mimic when we fish, and work to match not only how they look, but how they move
Finesse Dubbing Part II
Applying dubbing can be tricky, but Tim Flagler share some great tips for making it easier, and for making a great-looking fly.
The Chubby Chernobyl
There are some flies that, upon first blush, make you wonder aloud as you pick through the offerings at the fly shop
Finesse dubbing
Using dubbing to craft fly bodies and collars shouldn’t be that difficult, regardless of the material you use in the process. But, for those new to the craft, dubbing can often give them fits at the vise
The Green Drake
Here in the West, the Green Drake is the harbinger of summer. Dependably, our largest mayfly shows up within a few days of the summer solstice, give or take a few days, and, if we happen to get some rain, this hatch can last for weeks
The Sulphur Klinkhammer
The legendary sulphur mayfly hatches on East Coast rivers have likely started for some attentive anglers, and the evening duns will continue to emerge for some time, with the famed bugs coming off wistful cream-colored clouds. But as any angler who has fished the sulphur hatch knows, getting the size and silhouette exactly right is vital — with so many natural bugs on the water, fooling trout with an imitation can be tough
Brown and grizzly hackle mix
Avoid the temptation to use one or the other — use both a brown and grizzly hackle stem for patterns that call for them
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