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Fly tying: Freestyle Fall Favorite
It's a little tough this year to get excited about steelhead season here in Idaho—if there's a season at all, thanks to what could be the smallest return of ocean-going rainbow trout to the Clearwater and Salmon rivers in 40 years. Nevertheless, steelhead flies are some of the most enjoyable to tie, and there are…
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Fly tying: Splayed Micro Fibbet Tails
Working with micro-fibbets can be a real pain, particularly for tiers who sport fat fingers (like I do!). But they can really add appeal to a fly, particularly mayflies that depend on that realistic look to attract trout. Video of Splayed Micro Fibbet TailsThe video above offers up an amazingly simple way to properly splay…
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Trout Tips: How the fly looks to fish
Remember, it's about how flies look to the fish. Photo by Chris Hunt. Some flies are meant to catch fish, and some flies are meant to catch anglers. I am always surprised by how some of the patterns I think are sure-fire winners because they look so snazzy turn out to be duds. And sometimes,…
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Fly tying: The Mop Hopper
Last week, I shared Tim Flagler's video on building round rubber legs for terrestrial patterns. It's a brilliant (and relatively simple) way of crafting rubber legs that always rest at that perfect 90-degree angle. Video of Mop HopperAbove, Tim puts the method to use in his Mop Hopper pattern, a great high-floating terrestrial that trout…
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Trout Tips: The value of midges
The venerable Griffith's Gnat. Editor's note: The following is exerpted from TU's book, "Trout Tips," available online for overnight delivery. More than 50 percent of a trout's food, in most places in North America, is comprised of midges—those tiny bugs that are seemingly everywhere. Some of us don't like fishing patterns that small, but remember…
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Fly tying: Round rubber hopper legs
I wish I had seen the video below a month ago, as 'hopper season was upon us here in eastern Idaho—cooler nights and high-elevation freezes are bringing my favorite time of the year to a close, unfortunately, but there are still a few hearty terrestrials out there. Video of Round Rubber Hopper LegsTying round rubber…
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Fly tying: Super glue maintenance
I've never been a big fan of super glue in my fly tying, and not because it doesn't work—it most definitely does. I don't like it because, after a few uses, the bottle seizes up and I invariably end up wasting much of the product inside because it simply becomes too much of a pain…
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