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Fly tying: The Top Secret Midge
These blustery spring days when Mother Nature can't seem to make up her mind can frustrate even the most seasoned angler when it comes time to figure out the right fly pattern. Bright sunshine one minute can be followed up by a quick dose of rain, a snow squall or a sleety mix of both.…
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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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