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One of the cool things about fly tying is that there are so many options when you sit down at the vise. You can tie a classic pattern, a newfangled one you just saw in a magazine, or you can invent your own. A fourth option is to take an. . .
Read MoreFlatwings are traditional Maine streamers with the wing feather tied in perpendicular to the hook, but I believe it was Rhode Island striper guru Ken Abrames who first moved the horizontal hackle to the rear of the hook shank sometime in the late 1970s. So I guess these patterns might be more accurately called “Flattails,” but . . .
Read MoreLast week, we posted an article by Tom Rosenbauer. about fishing big streamers during the high, cold water of early spring. In his discussion on choosing patterns, Tom argued that “flies that have some movement of their own, like ones with marabou and rabbit fur, work best under these conditions. Flies with brass (or even better tungsten) beads get the fly. . .
Read MoreThe Chimarra caddisfly, also known as the little black sedge, is prevalent throughout the eastern and Midwestern United States, hatching in the spring. In the months leading up to the hatch, fishing a bright yellow or orange imitation of the larva can be very effective. This pattern works great as a dropper off a heavier nymph, especially in late February and. . .
Read MoreIsonychia mayflies, often known as slate-wing or mahogany duns, are prevalent throughout the Eastern United States, plus, the nymphs are active for most of the fishing season. That means an Iso nymph is a good searching pattern if you can’t tell what the fish are feeding on. These are predatory “swimmer” nymphs, which means. . .
Read MoreA couple weeks ago, we posted an article by Tom Rosenbauer on his most successful fly pattern, the Rabbit’s Foot Emerger. The immediate response from readers was, “Show us how to tie it!” Luckily, our friends from Tightline Productions were on the case, and Tim Flagler quickly produced this excellent video (which is the . . .
Read MoreThe standard story of how the Leadwing Coachman came to be—which sounds apocryphal to me—is that sometime in the 1800s an English coach driver presented the fly to his lord, who named the fly in honor of the driver. Regardless of its provenance, it’s a great, buggy attractor pattern that represents all kinds of aquatic trout forage. Although many anglers ignore. . .
Read MoreThe RS2 pattern was developed more than 30 years ago by Colorado angler and tier Rim Chung. The name of the fly is short for “Rim’s Semblance 2,” and it fishes well as both a midge or a mayfly emerger. The original version featured natural beaver fur dubbing and saddle hackle for the wing. Many more modern versions, such as the one shown here, feature different. . .
Read MoreIn the 1930s, Lee Wulff was trying to create a dry fly that would stay afloat even in rough water, and the result was the original “Wulff” pattern, the White Wulff. According to fly-fishing historian Andrew Herd, Wulff had so much success with his new creation that he applied the same tying techniques to come up with the Grey Wulff and the Royal Wulff. However, some historians think Wulff is unfairly credited with inventing the. . .
Read MoreContinuing our string of midge patterns designed for clear, cold water, here’s another simple fly that has proven itself on the finicky trout of Pennsylvania’s spring creeks. Created by tier Al Miller, a lifelong angler who passed away in 2008, Al’s Rat is extremely simple and suggestive, as it has to be to fit on such tiny hooks. Miller was a fixture on his local waters and was known as a gentle and generous. . .
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