Why do you tie flies? That is a question that has been asked of all of us that sit down in front of a vise. Plus, I'm sure others like me have asked themselves that question. Inspiration from Local Fly Tying Clubs For me tying flies started many years ago. At the age of 12, I joined an after school club for tying flies. I saw the list of clubs and spotted the Fly Tying Club right off. I had been interested in getting started in fly tying after reading the articles in one of the outdoor magazines that I would scrape money up to buy. Most of my material at that time came from friends and family that hunted. Feathers and fur were never hard to come by... plus, I raised chickens so when a rooster out lived his need to be part of the flock, I would have a supply of hackles. At that time, I tied some of the standard patterns but I was alwa...

The woolhead sculpin was one of the first flies I learned to tie. It was in my heavy rotation while guiding for big rainbows in Alaska during my early years. I tied those basic sculpins on 4X long streamer hooks. While they caught plenty of fish, I found that the point of the hook was constantly getting banged up on rocks. There is no point in a dull hook. Over the years, I’ve updated my sculpins with newer tying styles and platforms. To do so, I tied my sculpins on a shank and utilized a braided loop. The braided loops worked great, allowing hooks to be swapped out when needed. On the downside, I often felt like the loop was limiting the movement of the fly, and slashing strikes were harder to turn into hookups. My next platform utilized shanks with a fixed wire loop. I like dropping the hook off the fixed loop for two reasons. The bu...

Missouri River Winter has set in and there have been a number of subzero days. Days when open water fishing made no sense. It never stays cold forever though, and early in the New Year, temps are warming into the fishable range again. Not much will change over the next few months, in terms of the fishing conditions, other than the comfort of anglers. Fish will be stationed near drop offs and shelves or cruising the deeper slower flows. Most days, the action will pick up around 11 a.m., and fall off by 3 p.m., or so. We will be watching for chinook winds to create winter warmth and open up fishable windows. Trout Spey Always a great activity during the winter months. Scandi or integrated floating lines and long leaders work great in the slower flows. Skagit heads with tips work best for dropping flies off shelves. The Montana Mini Intrude...

Clearwater River The river is running at 8,670 cfs, having shot up early Sunday. The graph shows the river dropping and then climbing to its current flow. Rain is predicted so it could rise again. It’s cold out there with the water temperature running at 37.5 F. Foot warmers and hand warmers will keep you on the water and in the game. You’ll want to get down to the fish with Rio Mow tips or an Airflow Polyleader. You can try dry-lining, too. No matter what you throw, look for slow water with great structure. The fish don’t want to work too hard when the water is this cold. Grande Ronde River The Grande Ronde has ice throughout the river. The predicted rain my break the ice up a little and make the river fishable by the weekend. Intruder style flies on a long leader can be effective. The lighter Mow tips can be effective as well, but...

Rocky Ford If I can say one thing about fishing Rocky Ford this time of the year is this, "Dress warm.” Rocky Ford is a spring creek and does not really freeze, but you will if you skimp on the warm cloths. Fishing has been really good. Some may have read a recent news article about a 30-inch rainbow caught there not to long ago. You may not be so lucky to hook into a bruiser like that but 20-24-inch bows are a high possibility. Bring your favorite 5 weight or 6-weight loaded with floating line. Throw in a couple of 5-inch tips, such as a Type 2 or an intermediate and you should have your bases covered. If you feel you don’t need a sinking tip, long leaders over 10 feet would be a good idea. Size 16-20 olive or olive/grey scuds should be in your box along with a few #10 leeches in black or olive. Medium-size streamers are a must to ha...

Now that old man winter has officially arrived, there won’t be much change in the fishing until spring arrives. For that reason, this will be my final fishing report until the weather warms and the bugs start hatching in February or March. Clark Fork River ID Currently flows are bouncing between 6,000 and 28,000 cubic feet per second, once or twice a day. I would expect this to be an everyday occurrence. This year (2017), we had a push of runoff in mid-to late March. This could happen again in 2018, but it is too early to tell. Once the mountains start puking chocolate milk, flows will hold steady at anywhere from 30,000 to 60,000 cfs. The fishing will remain slow/fair until we see warmer weather. When I fish this river in winter, I hope to catch one or two trout over the period of a few hours. The only hatch we’ll see is the occasio...

Fly-fishers often demand odd/innovative tools in order to pursue their passion. And sometimes people wonder if all those gadgets hanging off anglers and their gear are needed. I hear it in the shop all the time. “Do you really need forceps with a curved head? What is wrong with the bulk forceps that sell for $1.99? And do I really need a pair of nippers. I mean, some of these cost 50 bucks! Can’t I just bite off my tippet?” Outsiders often believe these tools are some kind of gimmick, just another way for fly shops to make a sale. The truth is, oddball tools make life a whole lot easier when waist deep in a swift moving river, attempting to roll-cast to a nose on the opposite bank. Those “useless” fishing utensils suddenly come in handy, and might just save you a trip to shore. A simple 20-foot trek to dry land can be an excruc...

It’s that time when sniffles and sneezes are the chorus of the season. When I feel under the weather, the first thing I reach for is a fresh clove of garlic and the jar of honey. Because of their antimicrobial properties, the combination of minced garlic and its sweet counterpart help my body fight the latest bug. Plus, I figure if I eat enough of it, no one will want to stand next to me, which is probably one of the best ways to prevent the cold in the first place. All kidding aside, our parents and grandparents often had an arsenal of remedies in their gardens and kitchen cupboards, ready to make us feel better with these old-fashioned concoctions. While eating garlic to treat a cold (or any illness) is far from being recognized or approved by the FDA, there’s a reason these remedies have been around for centuries, or even thousands...

The Yuk bug is one of my go-to flies and I can fish it throughout the year. During early spring I'll dead-drift it under an indicator, with a beadhead dropper behind it. Or I may fish it alone, as a streamer, and rip it off the banks. By mid-summer I’ll fish it as a true crayfish imitation. That’s because crayfish molt and move to shallow water a few times a year. The fish follow them into the shallows—often into water so shallow you would not expect a large fish to hold there. These fish are willing to expose themselves in the shallows because crayfish are a huge protein source. Sometimes I’ll find these fish in just inches of water, places where I am surprised to see them. When imitating crayfish, I strip this fly very fast, just as a natural fleeing crayfish would move. When fishing the Yuk Bug I favor large sizes, meaning size...