The nature of our business typically has us arriving a week too late and a dollar short. If it’s not the fishing, then its the enormous fabled garage full of old bamboo rods, or a couple wandering crates of Jungle Cock necks, or something rarer that we’d gladly divorce the spouse over. I see it [...]

It’s the only part of the fly that works entirely against you, whose real value is the spot of color it leaves when closing the gap between tail and wing. It absorbs water, resists drying, and if ever there was a case for “less is more” this is it. Dry fly dubbing is comparatively humdrum [...]

I’m reminded how much of the skill is in the hands of the tier, and how much of the finished look is in the materials he selects, and for many flies the mechanical attention to proportions simply cannot fix a bad choice of materials and their effect on the final look. Which is why we [...]

The Thrill: Noticing that Bass flies look nearly identical to flies for rockfish and perch. The Thrill that Comes Once in a Lifetime: Confirming that theory by prying the brightly colored SOB out of the wrong fishes mouth … and noting that the hint of rust didn’t appear to spoil the reception nor the lust [...]

I remember what you said, “ … shan’t, mustn’t, can’t. Leave the dead and dying on the roadbed, as the warden is likely to grab you by the ass and slap a hefty fine on you.” As it was technically possible that I’d grabbed the Opossum by his little rat tail and hurled him under [...]

As part of my latest disaster adventure in the piney woods, it’s been my custom to stop at a couple of the largest fly shops in California to restock materials and eyeball the flies offered. Those deep and cavernous bins now someone else’s responsible to keep full, so I can approach them without fear. They’re [...]

At some point we all flirt with the individual fibers, knotted legs, and artificial or synthetic everything – mostly because the flies look much too delicious to ignore… … about our third fly we begin to wonder about synthetic reality and whether something that takes forty-five minutes to tie can outfish something made from a [...]

There’s the fellow tasked with bringing all the cooking implements, the canisters of propane, the lanterns and mechanical vestiges of civilization, if he forgets something it’s a round of good natured ribbing and a bit of improvisation, like beans warmed in the can. Then its the guy tasked with the victuals; the ice chests bulging [...]

I’ve got additional defective scissors to dispense should your fly casting club wish to assist prospective students in defraying their new vice … … yes, vice. You didn’t think it was possible to promote immoral behavior with such innocent intentions, but by urging them to tie flies, and given their well known propensities for spiraling [...]

It’s a simple question really. Given that Grizzly hackle is critical to most western dry flies, bass bugs, saltwater streamers, and most minnow imitations, just how long can you last on your current stockpile? … or are you waiting for the saddles to breach the $500 per barrier on eBay, before unloading while the market’s [...]