Throwing big streamers for brown trout is one of Rich’s favorite pastimes. Photos courtesy Rich Strolis
Rich Strolis is an independent guide on Connecticut’s Farmington and Housatonic rivers, but he’s perhaps better known for his fly-tying videos on vimeo–many of which have been featured on. . .
Merging natural with synthetic materials, the Busted Stone offers a great imitation of these rather complex insects.
Stoneflies will forever be one of my favorite insects to replicate and fish. Some species grow large, making them a joy to fish as you can see them easily on the surface of the water, and due to. . .
Here’s another great nymph pattern from the mind of Connecticut-based guide Rich Strolis , and this one makes use of Acetate Floss, which is a material we have not featured before. When. . .
Golden stoneflies (family: Perlidae) are often abundant in well-oxygenated waters—especially freestone streams where trout live, and especially in the West—although their range stretches. . .
Since Tim Flagler of Tightline productions has been tying a bunch of tiny flies in our Wednesday fly-tying videos, I thought I’d post this chunky, articulated streamer from Connecticut-based guide. . .
It’s been a while since we featured a pattern from Connecticut-based guide Rich Strolis, but as soon as I saw this one go up, I like it. Usually, when someone refers to a pattern as a. . .
As the story (perhaps apocryphal) goes, someone once asked the British scientist J.B.S. Haldane what we could infer about the Creator from studying nature, and Haldane replied, “I’m not sure, but he has an inordinate fondness for beetles.” Haldan’s point was that beetles make up some 40% of known insects. And since trout eat insects, it’s only logical that trout share this inordinate fondness for such readily available sources of. . .
[Editor’s Note: After watching Hank Patterson work the vise, it seemed appropriate to repost this excellent video on tying The Knucklehead.]
The spring season is almost here, and high water on the Battenkill will mean it’s streamer time. I’ve always liked articulated patterns, though I haven’t tied many because they seemed kind of complicated. But in this video, Connecticut-based guide Rich Strolis, demonstrates a straightforward method for tying wiggly, two-hook streamers using some innovative new products. You can tie the Knucklehead in lots of different colors to mimic your local forage fish. I plan on tying up some olive and copper ones for the ‘Kill.
We have featured many patterns from Connecticut-based guide Rich Strolissuch as his verion of a Blue-winged Olive Thorax patternand here’s a great emerger pattern to go with it. Blue-winged olives are among the most important insects in early spring out West, often hatching on overcast days or even during snow squalls. In the video, Rich says the fly is so effective he’s even a little hesitant to share his recipe, but I guess he can’t help himself…which helps us.
Here’s a good, simple winter-stonefly pattern from Connecticut-based guide Rich Strolis. Winter stoneflies are common across the country, so this pattern should work almost anywhere. Rich says he primarily fishes this fly deep under an indicator in the winter, usually as a dropper. . .