I long heard about the Walt’s and Sexy Walt’s flies, but didn’t take them seriously. I mean, they look so simple. How could they work? My interest was piqued when competitive fly angler Alec Baker (interview here) mentioned that he really likes those flies. So, I started to tie them. They work really well. I
Category: Flies and fly tying
A Black Friday Outing
I awoke at 4 a.m. on Black Friday in order to get to the Swift before dawn. The morning started with a bit of frustration, as I went one-for-seven with dry flies. Seven takes and one landed, with three fish popping off in the middle of the fight and three missed hook sets. When surface
Fiddling with Soft Hackles
Noted Swift regular Gary often fishes a soft hackle fly. So, that pattern intrigues me. Unfortunately, when I fished them, I was blanked. I’ve often scratched my head and have wondered why. Then, I recently started to tie some of my own. The good news is that those soft hackles are now among the most
Best Practices
I’m fishing the Swift a 1/2 day on Saturday, and so, am tying tonight some nymphs and dries in sizes 22 down to 26. I really enjoy these moments to focus fully on making some small flies. I’m making a bunch of flies that folks say work well at other tailwaters. I make the assumption