William, I developed the drake flymph for a very unusual and somewhat obtuse reason. When the green drakes (and some other species) appear on the Henry's Fork we are invaded by huge squadrons of gulls diving to take the emerging bugs. We all know how trout behave when there is a threat from above. T...

Eric, Howdy; Just keep on idling, :D , very interesting thoughts drifting there. I still remember you mentioning that you manage to incorporate a touch of Olive in your flies as well ... hank I forget where I read that, Hank -- that all bugs have a touch of olive in them -- but I believe it, and it...

Wow, thanks again for such kind words. Eric, your pattern is just the ticket. I like the hackle on this very much. The Eastern sulphur nymphs have striking mottling (not anything you don't know) and I thought the golden pheasant tail fibers, with the lemon duck tails, offered the contrast that made...

muddy dun hen hackle Now that is something I would like to see. Eric, are you able to post a photo of your "muddy dun hen"? I'd be very interested in seeing what it looks like, so that I can keep an eye open for one in the future. If you need help posting the photo, send me a PM and I'd b...

The taxonomists have made a strong move toward unifying east and west and reducing the fly dresser's ambivalence. The east/midwest sulphur and the larger, early western PMD have now been classed as the same species Ephemerella dorothea (Could be that damned Drunella , I suppose.) with the added sub-...

That is a great looking pattern William, I am sure if you do your bit and get the presentation near enough the trout will not hesitate. Pretty sure I have seen similar style/colour pattern flies from Eric, perhaps he might chime in with his experience? Very similar to the fly in my avatar. I've bee...

Ruffed grouse shoulder coverts are wonderful feathers, and the color/marking can vary substantially from bird to bird. Actually, I've yet to find a game bird of any species that doesn't provide some good softhackle materials. Blue Ribbon Flies is one source of gamebird pelts that I use regularly. I ...

Good softhackle capes are one of those things I kinda haunt fly shops for because so often they seem to wind up in "bargain bins" and the like. I've acquired a couple of Metz hen necks this way, and they are among my favorites; one lovely dun and one grizzly. I'm still using ruffed grouse ...

I went through that 2-pc to 4-pc metamorphosis with my graphite rods several years ago when I moved away from trout country and had to rely on air transport to go fishing. Eventually many of the 2-pc rods made their way to my son's closets. I can still find rods from 3-weight to 9-weight in the 4-pc...

I see bamboo rods on Ebay from China that sell for around $120 or so, has anyone had any experience with them? Are they worth the trouble and expense to get one? Thank you. The jury seems to be out on those. I've seen some positive reviews and comments and quite a few that were negative. Seems qual...