Growing up in Michigan, I learned to love fishing at night with mice patterns. It wasn’t until I moved out west that I realized how versatile these flies can be. Now, I always carry a few just in case- or if I have too much to drink and need something to keep my attention during the wee hours.
After fishing a ton of different mouse patterns, I decided to combine different elements of some of my favorites to come up with something more productive. The butt sinking versatility of the Dirty …

Here is a simple yet realistic looking pattern that should be equally effective for trout as well as bluegills. With this pattern my attempt was to create a fly that would mimic in appearance the larval stage of any number of beetle species . Commonly called grubs , these beetles in their larval stage , often become easy meals for any number of animals . Grubs are most often found in loose composting soil or leaf litter and can be deposited in ponds and streams carried by runoff after …

As a fly tier and a devoted steelheader, I encounter many new trends and “must have” flies. I am not one of those guys who have two different patterns in a couple of colors and sizes in his fly boxes. I have at best, two of each pattern, a multitude of colors, shapes and sizes, a cornucopia if you will. One thing I know for sure is that the color blue attracts steelhead and angler alike. About 65% of my recent fly orders have all been …

The thermometer outside my window reads 13 degrees Fahrenheit as I write this. And winter has been harder than usual this year, wind, cold, ice and snow. It has all been heavier than the norm. More and more, I look upon weather like this and say to myself that it’s fly tying season in my neck of the woods. Time to tie those flies and restock those boxes that you will be using in warmer days. It also means that I day dream about fishing …

Through the years I’ve spent fly fishing and fly tying, I have seen a whole lot of flies. Having an art background I have found that I tend to look at all of them with a critical eye; noting each small hard fought victory at the vise as well as their imperfections. Over time I have found that, regardless of the style of fly, the care given to the head of the fly is indicative of the care used at each step along the way. I try …

This fly is a variation of a pike fly pattern tied by Simon Graham called a Widow Angel.  As you will see, the body of the fly is created by using a split-string dubbing technique.  It is for this reason that I like to go with Danville’s 210 denier Flat Waxed Nylon thread when tying this pattern.  It is strong enough to bear relatively high tension while using the split-thread dubbing method.  The polar chenille shines through between the hairs, so you can substantially vary the effect by using contrasting …

The Chubby Muffin is a sculpin imitation which uses a craft fur dubbing brush for the head. Craft fur is inexpensive, comes in a large variety of colors, and takes markers well. But more importantly, it has a neutral buoyancy after being soaked through.

A few summers ago, I noticed a small mouse swimming in my pool. He struggled and fought for dear life, nose barely breaking the surface, legs churning like it was on a hamster wheel. I was inspired by his heroic efforts and chose to create a fly that mimicked his final death dance. Most mouse patterns have the mouse floating on top of the water, while this is great at imitating a mouse which is dead and bloated, I wanted something that would fire up the bass and cause the …

What’s the saying? Necessity is the mother of invention? This little bug fits in there somewhere. I had been searching my creative place for a very simple to tie, light colored nymph that offered just a bit of that “ooohhhh yyyeah!” look when wet. The typical light colored dubbings, quills, biots, and threads just weren’t doing what I had in my mind. I wanted sexy, not cute.

Pressured fish see lots of cute!

The Ragin’ Craven was originally developed as a permit fly that could be fished both on the drop and the retrieve. See, most permit flies are to be dropped in front of the fish, and act like a crab as they drop, but lack the movement and profile to entice a grab after the fly hits the bottom. I have never had a permit eat a fly once it touched the bottom, although they generally will eyeball the hell out if it and it gets a bit frustrating. Therefore, I went to work to come up with a fly that would drop like a crab pattern, but then have the movement and profile to morph into a shrimp or other flats critter once on the bottom, allowing the angler a chance to move the fly without blowing his cover. The Ragin’ is my answer.