The original Usual dry fly was created by Fran Betters of Wilmington, New York, who specialized in fishing the fast water of the West Branch of the Au Sable. To do so, he needed flies that floated well, and his first. . .
Read MoreMost of us are in prime dry-fly season now, so enjoy it while you can (or after runoff ends, depending on where you are). You can learn a lot about how to present your fly by watching rises for a few minutes before jumping right in with. . .
Read More
Bill Dorato was a well-known fly tier from the Albany, New York area, and he was a fishing buddy of my old friend Dick Talleur. According to Dick, the Dorato Hare’s Ear was designed to imitate a newly emerged buzzing. . .
Read More
The Hendrickson hatch is prime time on the Battenkill for catching large brown trout on dry flies, and everyone around here gets excited when the first reddish bugs are spotted on the water. The Red Quill is a classic imitation of. . .
Read More
March browns (Stenonema vicarium) are among the more important hatches in the East and the Midwest. The big bugs don’t usually create blanket hatches, but instead emerge sporadically throughout the day, which means you can. . .
Read More
When there are bugs on the water, it’s pretty easy to figure out what’s hatching. All you have to do is collect a few insects, note their size, color, and silhouette, and then tie on your best-matching pattern. But, as we all know, you can’t count on duns floating by at all times. In these situations, you have to. . .
Read More
Dave Jensen of Fly Fish Alberta just posted this very cool and heart-wrenching video on his Facebook page. (And this is the first time I’ve tried Facebook’s embedding feature.)
Click “Read More” to see the video.
Read MoreWritten by Evan Williams
At the beginning of July, I spent two weeks or so chasing the salmonfly hatch on the South Fork of the Boise and got my ass kicked. I hadn’t been able to float that much, but with the flows a little lighter this year, I decided to try some wading—usually is a losing proposition. Fishing a deep flat slick, I put out. . .
Read More
It’s terrestrial time in much of the country, and having the right land-based bug can be the key to success. Last week, the folks at Tightline Productions showed us how to tie a Foam Beetle, and now they are back with a. . .
Read More
There are few more maddening situations in fly fishing than watching fish gorge themselves right in front you but being unable to catch them because you can’t see your fly. (And for you whippersnappers who can now spy a Trico spinner at 60 feet: rest assured that such acuity won’t. . .
Read More