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Fly tying: Off-the-hook Sucker Spawn
Several years ago, I was on an early-season prospecting trip into the headwaters of the Rio Grande in south-central Colorado, on the prowl for migrating cutthroats. I found a great little meadow-stretch of water and carefully crept to the edge of the river—really just a small stream at this elevation. Peering carefully over the edge…
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Fly tying: A Kinder, Gentler Mop fly
A crane fly larvae. Confession: I've never fished a "mop" fly, but I've seen Tim Flagler's gawdy versions before and honestly couldn't figure out a practical use for such horrific creations. Until now. As Tim demonstrates in this week's video, the Kinder, Gentler Mop is a ringer for a crane fly larvae, a common bug…
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Fly tying: Get it Down Pat’s
About 15 years ago or so, I weaseled my way into the fly fishing competition when the ESPN Great Outdoor Games came to the Henry's Fork. I managed to win the pre-competition casting accuracy event on the first day, but on a slow fishing day in April, I landed only a single trout—a 13-inch rainbow.…
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Fly tying: Ken’s Crystal Worm
I have the same discussion with a lot of different folks about this time every year. Are flies that imitate worms ... ethical? My take? Absolutely. They mimic a naturally occuring prey base in rivers, lakes and streams all over America, and, with high flows approaching in some of our snow-locked rivers, worm patterns are…
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Fly tying: The Puff Daddy Blue-winged Olive
The warmer weather this February here in the West has a lot of us thinking about rising trout. What started as a brutal winter with record snowfall is kind of going out with a wimper—I can see the grass on the front lawn here in Idaho Falls for the first time since mid-December, and we're…
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Fly tying: Koga’s Bonefish Shrimp
My first trip to chase bonefish several years back was a disaster. The Atlantic gales blew through the southern Bahamas, and bones were few and far between. I saw a few, got to cast to one or two and came home after a week without landing a single boneffish. It was horrible. But it steeled…
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Fly tying: The Navy Diver
I've always been a fan of tungsten in my fly tying. For some reason, I just tend to cast heavy nymphs and streamers better when the weight is at the fly, instead of pinched onto the line as split shot or paste. It's a personal preference, I suspect, and it works for me. I especially…
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