I had a great conversation with Mark Hopley on the Fly Fishing 97 podcast. We talked about a ton of stuff including thread, hooks, my least favorite phrase in fly tying, mentors, fly tying influences, and so much more. It was a blast talking with Mark and we even talked […]
I’ve been going around Oregon speaking at fly fishing clubs. Where I have been covering topics like searun cutthroat, euro nymphing, fly fishing off the jetty, and much more. Recently while speaking at the Santiam Flycasters in Salem, Oregon they recorded my talk about stillwater flies. I don’t have much […]
I love to tie flies. Clearly. I’ve been tying flies for 14+ years and almost every day of those 14+ years. I might be able to count on one hand how many flies I have bought to fish with and if I use my other hand I can add the […]
Pulling flies is verbiage from across the pond. They use that term whenever they are fishing stillwaters and presenting the flies in a cast and retrieve style. I like the term pulling better than cast and retrieve or stripping for the reasons that it describes the action and presentation accurately. […]
Bead Chart I wanted to develop my own bead chart for those tiers who wanted to get into the weeds on density and which beads to choose. Most bead charts are vague and don’t give all the information that I would want and I would have to search in multiple […]
The blog doesn’t have a lot of trip reports but I thought the fly fishing community should have a modern report on Diamond Lake. I was recently out at Diamond Lake to do some fishing with a buddy of mine. It was a great trip that you’re here to […]
Last month was the NW Expo in Albany, Oregon. It’s one of the largest fly tying shows in the United States and I was fortunate enough to be able to tie at the show for both days. My main focus was on flies used mostly in competitions here in the […]
This year I’m going full bore into the fly fishing competitions scene. Last year (2022) I dipped my toes into it and participated in a couple of comps in Central Oregon on two stillwater venues, Crane Prairie Reservoir and Paulina Lake. This year’s season will have competitions in Oregon, California, […]
Safety on the jetties, that dot the West Coast, is paramount. Every year you see news reports of accidents on the jetties and the beaches here in the PNW. Most anglers that decide to venture out on the coast know the risk the water, rocks, and sand provide and go […]
Most anglers interested in competitive fly fishing only think of rivers when they think of a venue for a competition. This isn’t the case at all. Rivers play a massive role in the competitive scene and are integral to the success of an individual or the team, but there is […]
The other other factor that goes into hook choice is the shape. This can be inconsequential or it can matter a lot. To me when the stakes are the lowest is when you are tying nymphs and you are tying to get the shape correct for just aesthetic purposes. It […]
I was fortunate enough to be able to go after salmon this year on the fly. I had a friend that has talked to me about and wanted me to come with him after chum salmon. This year was the year that it worked out for the both of us […]
As a fly tyer who geeks out hard about tying, materials, and flies it would be totally justified to think hooks would be top of mind for me when deciding how to tie a fly. Hooks are the foundation to every fly tyed, but criminally overlooked, especially when it comes […]
This past weekend was my first fly fishing competition. I’m going to go over the prep work I did for this comp, gear I brought, gear I wish I had brought, how fishing went, my mind set, and the results of the comp. I’m hoping this is the first of […]
As a competent euro nympher you need to adapt to different waters. This means when you encounter deep runs, fast water, and steep rivers, like the West Coast and Rocky Mountain states offer, you need to have the right flies for the situation. For me it is having a diverse […]
I was on the Fly Fishing Insider Podcast. On the show I talked with Christian, the host, about the the backstage experience I’ve had over the years in the fly tying industry. I also get into tying with deer hair and how that applies to so mush more in fly tying […]
The Clouser Minnow was a gateway fly for me. When I was just starting my fly fishing and tying journey way back in the day of 2009, this was one of the first flies that I tied to terrorize the local smallmouth. The fly was simple and quick to tie […]
Sea run cutthroat are one of my favorite fish to go after. Everything about them feels so romantic and quintessential Oregon/ PNW. The time of year, the weather, the waters in which they swim; all make me feel like I am going back in time to an era that all […]
One of my favorite things about the Pacific Northwest is the diversity of fish you can go after. Every day of the year you can go after some kind of fish on the fly rod no matter the condition, and you can have success going after them. This brings me […]
I was recently on the Wet Fly Swing Podcast hosted by Dave Stewart. On the show we talked fly tying for euro nymphs and some of my recent fishing. This show was recorded back in May before the heat wave this year and before I switched over to lakes, salt, […]
As the industry changes it looks like the trend for bigger and more audacious flies is sticking around. I’m definitely part of the movement to go big with the flies. Tying and fishing deer hair flies and poppers on 4/0+ hooks isn’t your typical fly. Fish eat them and especially […]
Materials Necessary: Deer Belly Hair (High Quality) Tailing material Saltwater Neck Hackle Variant Hackle Marabou Rabbit Strip Round Rubber Legs Eyes Deer Creek Eyes Fish Skull Eyes Dome Eyes Large Hook Ahrex TP650 Sizes: 4/0-2 Ahrex PR330 Sizes: 4/0-1/0 Gamakatsu B10s Sizes 2/0-2 GSP Thread (200 Denier) White Black 210 […]
Pre-spawn time is the one of the best times of the year to catch massive smallmouths. Anglers that go after record fish, fish the pre-spawn. This is when the fish are moving out of cooler deep water to stage for the spawn and are ready to feed to have enough […]
I need a wading jacket The Middle Fork of the Willamette is one of the most under fished trout fisheries in the Willamette Valley if you asked me. There are others, but this is up there. I never make any sense to me. It’s not far from population centers like […]
I love seeing other peoples fly tying work. It offers inspiration and motivation. Instagram an excellent source of fly tying inspiration. Be sure to follow Garrett and Garren on Instagram and here are some other accounts that are recommended to follow. avkrokar – Mathias Aberg Mathias has some amazing trout […]
Editor’s Note: The 2020 Expo did not happen due to COVID-19 Every year I write about the NW Expo held in Albany Oregon and why you and the reader of these articles should attend the show. The show is an awesome showcase of local and national tyers. There are […]
I recently did some experimenting with clear coating on foam popper heads. I’ve wanted to find a better way to coat and protect my popper heads than what I was doing before. Like those who tie flies for big predatory fish like bass, pike, muskie, dorado, peacocks, etc. you want […]
Recently I went out to go after pacific rockfish on the fly off a jetty here in Oregon. It was a blast. From the process I learned some good information about fly construction and design. By no means am I an expert on catching these fish, but I have tied […]
I’ve written these posts almost every year for the last five or six years. I love the Northwest Fly Tying Expo and if you haven’t gone or haven’t gone in a while then you need to go and here’s why. Tyers The list of tyers is very impressive and as […]