I hope testing starts in the high desert next week for some of last winters and spring tying... https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54398574042_82130c7c66_z.jpg RIMG7390 by William Lovelace , on Flickr On Saturday there was over 6 feet of new snow on the Santiam Pass with packed snow that today is j...

When I was tying at the NW Fly Tyers, several people asked me " where is your favorite place to fish?". I responded as usual, "any place there is water". Then I clarified it with "Fishing the Firehole River swinging a Patridge and Orange". I said it is kind of magical w...

Partsman,

About half my tying time at the expo was introducing or advancing those kinds of tyers! The rest was devoted to experienced tyers and discussing the nuances of Flymphs and Soft Hackles.

Ron, It was a good show, with some good vendors. I think the number of tiers was a little over 130. That is down from the pre-Covid highs of over 200. The thought is that a number of the old fly tyers don't want to chance getting covid. That applies to the public as well. The smaller number of tyers...

Here are some simple Flymphs that I tied for my auction donation at the 2025 NW Fly Tyer Expo at Albany, OR. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54388562519_16e7b459c8_z.jpg RIMG7384 by William Lovelace , on Flickr I made a dozen with 4 different colors to show the versatility of flymphs in mimickin...

Just add to water and hang on!

They all look like fish magnets.

My thanks to ronr for giving me a couple of proven flies from his time in Patagonia! This is my version of an Olive pattern limited by my available materials. I Hope it is close enough to tempt a few fish. ;) https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54258584119_1f407ca309_z.jpg RIMG6329 by William Lovela...

I tailor my thread used for dubbing to the insect I am trying to match. Like Ron, for small flies I may touch dub a single thread or split thread and use the dubbing as contrast to the thread color if appropriate. My usual approach is to dub on a single thread of various deniers or make a dubbing lo...

Not as hard if you use a little glue!

My grandmother was born in Bordeaux while her father was working there for the Austrian Government. While recently visiting the Cite du Vin, I decided to create a fly in her honor with some of the wide range of colors in Bordeaux wines. ;) https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54148016032_85d3182dd9_z...