It’s March, but right now it’s 18 degrees with a 22 mph wind out of the northwest; perfect fly tying weather. I’ve had an enjoyable tying season so far, filling boxes with old reliables and some new stuff. Whether I’m in production mode with a list of patterns to tie, or tinkering with experimentals, it’s
Category: Flies and fly tying
Salute to the Patriot Dry Fly
Thank you to In the Riffle for this YouTube video on tying the Patriot Dry Fly. The Patriot is my stuck-on-a-desert-island dry fly. If I had to pick a single dry fly as the only one I could use for a given day, it would be this one. Originally tied by Charles Meck in the
At the Vise: Kelly Galloup’s Hare’s Ear
If you want to simplify your fly selection in the spring, a good tandem to fish is a Pheasant Tail and a Hare’s Ear. The former mimics a swimming nymph (e.g., a BWO) and the latter can represent a clinger nymph (e.g., a March Brown), both of which are very common in the drift in
Get the Most Out of Your Mop
There’s no denying the effectiveness of the infamous Mop Fly. What other fly has been featured in the Wall Street Journal? “Fake news!” say the purists, and they’re right – literally. We love to theorize what the Mop might represent; crane fly larva, caddis larva, beetle grubs, cigarette butts, Cheetos, the list goes on. If