-
Five flies for April
The guys at Trouts Fly Shop in Denver hit the Colorado River recently, and they did some serious damage to the river's lively browns and rainbows using baetis imitations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWumZ51uwOo Five Flies for April Baetis, often imitated in the dun form by the venerable Blue-winged Olive, are great springtime flies, and among the first mayflies…
-
The Western Coachman
I love old-school flies. I think it comes from my involvement, many years ago, with the Trout Unlimited chapter in Salida, Colo., when I was the news editor of the local paper there. After penetrating the initial crustiness of the "old timers" at the chapter meetings, I made some great friends there, and these guys…
-
High-sticking with an indicator
Indicator nymphing has long been an accepted method for reaching trout that are feeding throughout the water column. But not everybody employs the high-stick method when using an indicator, and they should. It really improves your chances. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQYqExJ--cc Orvis' Pete Kutzer on high-sticking with an indicator. Above, Orvis' Pete Kutzer demonstrates how to incorporate a…
-
Choosing CDC material
CDC, or cul-de-canard, is the soft, fluffy material that comes from around the preening gland of a duck or goose. Despite its fluffy nature, CDC really does float pretty well, and a lot of folks use it when tying emergers and the like. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53edv9ccCpM Above, Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions talks about the differences between…
-
Fly tying: Half-pint Midge
Here in the West, early spring is pretty tough to differentiate from late winter—many of our fabled trout streams will still be lined with snow for weeks to come. And that means, despite some warmer temperatures that will keep the ice out of our fly-rod guides, winter fishing is still the name the of the…
-
Fly tying: Choosing the right bead for the right hook
/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/blog/Screen-Shot-2019-03-28-at-11.13.06-AM.png Many—if not most—mondern nymph patterns use beads in their tying recipes, either for added weight to get a fly down or for aesthetics. Some flies use beads to imitate little air bubbles used by emerging bugs, and some flies use colored beads to imitate various subsurface food sources, like fish eggs, for instance. Matching…
-
Fly tying: Last Chance Cripple Hendrickson
As I watched Tim Flagler tie the Last Chance Cripple Hendrickson, I inadvertantly cringed at the language used in the video below. Fly tying may the last refuge for the antiquated term, "cripple." Meant to imitate a mayfly that, for some reason or another, is struggling to break loose of the water's surface film while…
Category