Fly Tying Features

There was a pool, sheltered from the wind. About twelve feet long and six feet deep. The spring’s snowmelt was clear and every rock was visible on the bottom. There was a trout in there, I guessed, probably more than one. I waited behind a boulder, watching. Soon a shadow separated from the bottom and,…

Courtesy Fin & Fire The midge, or chironomid, is easily the most important trout food on most lakes. Midges can hatch any time of the year, but most are eaten below the surface and that is why you want Morrison’s RBS Chironomid in your box. This version employs white cul de canard (which is French…

Courtesy Confluence Fly Shop Vulnerability. That’s what makes this pattern a winner. Grease up this double damsel imitation with floatant and set it down in front of a greedy trout and he’s going to think he’s looking at a two-for-one dinner plate special. Stillwater trout begin seeing hatches of damsels in June. Carry nymph, adult…

Tied by Dave Miller If you like beating up on September trout and panfish with a hopper, change it up a bit next time you head to the stream. Here’s a great cricket pattern taken from Probasco’s Favorite Northwest Flies by Frank Amato Publications. You can catch fish on grasshopper and cricket imitations all summer…

Courtesy Joe Warren Late May through mid-June is the time to fish the Deschutes River’s golden stonefly and salmonfly hatches. The monster flies crawl up out of the water to dry their wings and perch in trees and the tall grass. If no bugs are on the surface, tie on a large stonefly nymph and…

The water level is good, maybe a little off-color from the recent rain. The sun is going down, dropping behind the canyon wall. The river is in shadow now. In the middle of the river a steelhead jumps, a little arcing leap that shows just the hint of color against his chrome-bright flank. You open…

Courtesy Camp Sherman Fly Shop Looking for a point fly to get your primary pattern to the bottom? Here’s a buggy look, brass bead shine and lots of movement. The Double Bead Stone Peacock is a great pick for June, when stoneflies are on the move, but it can pay off throughout the year. A…

I could see the fish, a big rainbow, in eight inches of water against the sandy bottom at the head of the pool. Because he was two feet long he commanded the best place to eat. There was a grasshopper pattern in my box and I cast it to him, setting the fly down just…

Courtesy Camp Sherman Fly Shop The Elk Hair Caddis probably accounts for more trout than any other adult caddisfly imitation. It is a great choice in moving water where the elk hair wing throws a good profile against the sky. You may encounter a caddis hatch on the river from March through October, but the…

Courtesy The Patient Angler When a big bass, a brown or a pike goes for a mouserat, they don’t just sip it off the surface, they smash it. A mouse is a big meal and a fish big enough to eat it is not going to let the rodent get away. Bring your big net.…