A little, effective variant of the classic that you can fish in both still and running water all year round. A couple of nice techniques here to take further on other patterns. Fly tying materials for pheasant tail black : … Continue reading How to tie the pheasant tail black
Probably Jack Gartside’s best known pattern from the early seventies. Originally designed by Jack as a soft hackle muddler minnow but over the years has proved to be an excellent all round sub surface pattern. Hook: Mustad R73 Streamer # … Continue reading How to tie Gartside’s Sparrow
One of my favourite patterns for when the fish won’t have anything bright and prefer something more buggy and natural looking. Hook: Sprite barbless streamer S2200 # 8 Tying thread: Dyneema 55 or GSP 50Rib: Fine oval gold tinsel Tail: … Continue reading How to tie a Hares ear muddler
A wonderful little pattern that, as the name suggests, is a composition of several better known patterns. This is a simple tie that will cover most dry fly situations when grayling fishing. Hook: Partridge_Sprite S2401 # 14 Tying thread: Sheer … Continue reading How to tie the Heinz – 57 grayling dry fly
The holidays are quickly approaching us, and maybe some last minute gifts are still needed!There is still time to order ‘The Feather Benders Fly Tying Techniques’ The ideal gift for the fly tyer. Here are a couple of video reviews of the … Continue reading Ideal gift for a fly tying Christmas
For me this is one of the very best emerger patterns that can be used for both midges and mayflies. Named after the famous 3 dollar bridge on the Maddison river this little pattern is quick to tie and a … Continue reading How to tie the three dollar dip fly
Black deer hair flies have been used for decades here in Scandinavia for night fishing in salt water for sea run browns, heres one of my favorites, the marabou muddler. Hook: Mustad S74 Salt water streamer # 4 Tying thread: … Continue reading How to tie a black marabou muddler
This variant of the semi realistic Solomon caddis pupa is a relative easy tie and has a few nice techniques to take further on other patterns. Hook: Ahrex FW560 # 12 Tying thread: Sheer 14/0 Brown Rib: Tying thread Body: … Continue reading How to tie the Solomon caddis pupa variant
One of the lesser known but still effective old grayling and trout patterns, with a couple of nice body techniques with peacock herl. Hook: Mustad R50U # 12 Tying thread: Sheer 14/0 Black Tail: Goose or duck quill slips dyed … Continue reading How to tie Bristow’s Bug dry fly
This is my take on one of the all time classic soft hackle patterns that in recent years has experienced a comeback. Hook: Partridge_Spider # 14 Tying thread: Cobweb 6/0 Orange Hackle: Brown speckled partridge Buy MUSTAD signature hooks on … Continue reading How to tie a Partridge & Orange spider
A little jig with a couple of nice techniques for breathing gills and a shell back. Hook: Barbless jig # 12 Bead: 4mm silver slotted Tungsten Tying thread: Sheer 14/0 Olive Tag: Red Floss Rib: Fine silver wire Shell back: … Continue reading How to tie the bottom crawler jig nymph
An extremely quick and effective winter pattern for searching pocket water. Try it in smaller sizes with a green or yellow body. Hook: Mustad C49S # 10 Bead: Slotted Tungsten silver 2.8 mm Tying thread: Dyneema or white 8/0 Body: … Continue reading How to tie the Red hot chilli pupa
Being the most prolific terrestrial on just about every river and still water, this extremely simple but effective parachute ant will not only float high and dry, but tick all the boxes for ant feeding trout no matter where you … Continue reading How to tie a parachute ant
A very beautiful little pattern that is my take on the strawman cased caddis larva pattern. All you need is natural deer hair, a single grey partridge hackle and a little patience, to create this spun deer hair bodied caddis … Continue reading How to tie the strawman
One of John Goddard’s lesser known but extremely effective patterns. The original JG emerger used a brown and grizzle hackle mixed for the parachute here I use only a brown dyed grizzle along with a special technique for splitting the … Continue reading How to tie the JG emerger variant
A little pheasant tail water boatman/Corixa that is super quick to tie and can be fished effectively both wet or dry. Tied only with pheasant tail and moose mane hair. Hook: Mustad R 30 # 14 Tying thread: Sheer 14/0 … Continue reading How to tie the water bug / Corixa
The smallest of the up-winged may flies. Although ideally matched on a # 20-26 hook it is possible to get away with a # 18. A couple of interesting techniques here for the tails and wing. Just change the colour … Continue reading How to tie a Ceanis / Trico spinner dry fly
A quick and easy Hares ear soft hackle / wet fly that will work just about anywhere. Fish it up-stream as an emerger / semi dry, let it drift down stream and as it passes you give it a pull … Continue reading How to tie a hares ear soft hackle wet fly
Over the past, 35 + years, that I have been tying flies, there are a few books that have become top reference books for me, some, that I return to on probably a weekly basis. These are a few of … Continue reading 10 Fly Tying Books my recommendation
One of the great Canadian surface flies for salmon and steelhead. As you are probably aware I’m a sucker for deer hair patterns and this is one of my favorites for salmon and sea run browns. Hook: Mustad SL53UBL # … Continue reading How to tie the Green Machine
A little cased caddis fly larva that is extremely simple to tie. You can mix and match the hook size and colour of hackles used to match the debris that the larva use in your your local waters. Hook: Mustad … Continue reading How to tie a stick fly larva
Take a well known pattern and fish catcher and turn it into a Jig that has a couple of nice techniques and is super fast to tie. What more could you ask for ? Hook: Veniard Osprey Barbless Jig # … Continue reading How to tie the Brassie Jig nymph
One of the beautiful bucktail’s. On May 5th 2014 Vermont’s Governor Peter Shumlin signed a law bill that designated Governor Aiken bucktail streamer as the official fishing fly of the state of Vermont, as a tribute to former Governor, George … Continue reading How to tie the Governor Aiken bucktail streamer
A quick but effective pattern for one of the last large bugs of the year. An easy tie with a couple of good techniques that can be used in other patterns. Hook: Mustad R43 # 8 Tying thread: Dyneema Hackle: … Continue reading How to tie the October Caddis
Over the past few days I have been tying up an order of several dozen traditional dry’s with mallard slip wings. I have found this extremely therapeutic , almost Zen like! But tying slip wings can prove to be challenging … Continue reading How to tie Mallard slip wings dry fly
Heres a quick tie of a Cahill variant with mallard slip wings, Coq de Leon tail & moose mane body. Slip wings are easy to tie if you know how! The video will follow shortly. Have a great evening. How … Continue reading Mallard slip wings
Heres one of my moose mane nymphs, that can be fished wet or dry. Although it may look a little challenging, it’s a relatively straight forward tie that includes a few good techniques that can be put to use in … Continue reading How to tie the moose mane nymph
A quick and super easy wire body midge pupa that is almost indestructible. Tie it in whatever colour and size you like. Hook: Mustad C49S # 14 or smaller Tying thread: Sheer 14/0 Black Body: UTC Ultra wire, colour of … Continue reading How to tie the Ultra midge
One of my ‘go to’ patterns for searching big fish. This great nymph/streamer pattern is a relative easy tie, again using only basic materials. The zonker strip used here is mink but all manner of fur strips can be put … Continue reading How to tie a strip nymph
A great pattern when the trout are selective. Only basic materials are needed for this ‘ must have’ pattern for the caddis specialist, that can be fished static or as a skater. An easy tie with a couple of interesting … Continue reading How to tie the Poly wing caddis
A nice pattern for most of the larger mayfly nymphs. Not only an easy but semi realistic tie but an extremely effective pattern with some good techniques that can be used for other nymphs. Hook: Mustad R74 # 10 Tying … Continue reading How to tie a large mayfly nymph
This extremely popular attractor started life as a parachute Adams with a purple body. There are many interpretations of the purple haze, this is just one of them. Why it works, we don’t know but the fish just love it! … Continue reading How to tie the Purple Haze parachute
A superb little CDC generic mayfly emerger that ticks all the boxes when the hatch is on. Tied in most sizes and colour combinations this is one of my top trout flies. Hook: Mustad C49S # 10 Tying thread: Sheer … Continue reading How to tie a CDC mayfly emerger
This is my super quick hot glue ant, that with a little practice and preparation, takes less that 3 minutes to tie. With this technique you can tie flying ants in all black, red or as my personal favorite here … Continue reading How to tie the hot glue ant
A very simple yet functional caddis larva that can be tied in various colours and sizes. If you would like a lighter weight larva that can be fished closer to the surface just omit the tungsten bead and complete the … Continue reading How to tie a simple caddis larva
Hook: Mustad SL53UBL # 4 Tying thread 6/0 Red Tip: Fine oval silver tinsel Tag: Yellow silk Tail: Golden pheasant crest veiled with Asian Kingfisher feather Butt: Red wool Body: Flat silver tinsel Rib: Medium oval silver tinsel Throat: Black … Continue reading The Nighthawk feather wing
One of the legacy patterns from the late Andre Puyans. An ultra simple may fly emerger that only requires basic skill and materials. Tied correctly it will take fish just about all year round on both river and still waters. … Continue reading How to tie the AP Pontoon emerger
Although this nymph is approaching 70 years old, it’s originator, Artist & illustrator John Atherton used European kingfisher for the original wing case. Perhaps using its iridescent blue to imitate the gas filled wing case of an emerging nymph, or … Continue reading How to tie the Atherton Medium nymph
A simple yet extremely effective pattern that is easy to tie, but commands a little technique. A Deer hair drake with a parachute hackle that will float all day long and fool the most selective trout. Hook: Mustad R43 #8 … Continue reading How to tie a deer hair drake
Heres an older pattern for a wet mayfly that can still hold its own today. Although not fished so much any longer this elegant style of mayfly is a pure pleasure to tie with its simple materials on a small … Continue reading How to tie a mayfly wet
Cul de Canard, Croupion de canard or CDC as it is more commonly known has become one of the most used materials in fly tying, but its not that long ago, that there where only a handful of fly tyers … Continue reading Historic CDC flies, F-fly, Moustique du Jura
One of my favorite Autumn patterns to fish. A soft hackle emerger that incorporates some classic materials and a couple of useful techniques. If you pull it through still water or swing it down and across stream you won’t be … Continue reading How to tie a soft hackle emerger
Different deer used in fly tying Here I would like to familiarize you with the different deer used in fly tying, the location of the hair on the animal, sex, age, colour, length and applications. Antelope This deer like Antelope … Continue reading The ultimate guide to deer hair part 3
Different hairs from different locations on a deer hide In this second part of the guide to tying with deer hair I will describe the different hairs from different locations on a deer hide. Hair from each part of the … Continue reading The ultimate guide to deer hair part 2
The Lady Mc Connell midge is an interesting, but yet straightforward tie that applies only basic materials. An effective still water pattern that represents an newly hatched adult midge. Hook: Mustad R30 # 16 Tying thread: Sheer 14/0 Black Trailing … Continue reading How to tie the Lady Mc Connell dry fly
Deer hair fly tying material Having been a passionate fly tyer and deer hunter for the best part of my life, It became a natural progression for me to embrace the material these animals have provided me with over the … Continue reading The ultimate guide to deer hair part 1.
Jack Gartside’s soft hackle streamers must be one of the most simple but effective streamers ever devised! Jacks original recipe: The soft hackle streamer Hook: Mustad 34007 Salt Water, 3406 Fresh Water Tying thread: 6/0 Colour to vary Body: None … Continue reading Gartside’s Soft hackle Streamer
As the name suggests, the Matarelli special is a truly special fly. The under body is constructed of a double length of heavy gauge copper wire that is twisted together. The two ends of the wire where tied in along … Continue reading Matarelli Special Salmon fly
A cracking little nymph with lots of bling. Three great materials, copper wire, Pheasant tail and peacock herl make this a great pocket water pattern that gets down deep quick. Hook: Mustad R73 # 10 Tying thread: Black 6/0 Tail: … Continue reading How to tie the Copper Nymph
One of the original flies I have in my collection from the great Japanese fly tyer Ken Sawada. The great sedge is one of his original patterns from, I believe 1984. TAIL — Very small golden pheasant topping.BODY — Gold … Continue reading Great Sedge – Ken Sawada wet fly