Fly Patterns

Somebody will probably get mad about this, but I’m going to classify pretty much everything tied with zonker strips under the broad heading of Zonkers. Before we start, you need to know that a Zonker strip is just a strip of rabbit fur with the hide still attached.  Imagine taking a skinned rabbit and cutting … Read more

Dave’s Hopper is probably the most popular grasshopper pattern in existence. It’s certainly the most famous, and with good reason.  I think you’d be hard pressed to find a fly shop in North America that doesn’t offer Dave’s Hopper in some form or other. Personally, while I like the high floatability and visibility of some … Read more

The Hare’s Ear is the very definition of an iconic fly pattern. The Hare’s Ear is one of the most popular patterns in the world.  It’s been around seemingly forever and has a seemingly endless number of variations.  It’s very “buggy” looking and imitates a huge variety of food sources found in tons of different … Read more

The Muddler Minnow is one of the most iconic – and definitely among the best known – streamer patterns ever tied.  I would wager that some form of this fly is found in every angler’s fly box. Like so many of the great flies, the Muddler’s popularity lies with its versatility.  It can be a … Read more

Flyfishing can be broken down into two major categories: fishing with dry flies and fishing with wet flies Food sources for fish can come from underwater: aquatic insects early in their life-cycle or other fish. They can also come from on or above the water’s surface: adult flying insects or terrestrial insects or animals that … Read more

The Stimulator is one of my go-to attractor dry flies, particularly when stone flies or salmon flies are out and about. It’s also just inherently “buggy” looking, which lends it well to use as a prospecting pattern when there isn’t a noticeable hatch on.  I’ve definitely caught fish on stimulators when there were no stoneflies … Read more

The Woolly Bugger is probably the most famous and popular streamer pattern of all time. It’s used in an astonishing number of ways in just as many different places and it never fails to produce fish in any of them. When people play the “what if you could only fish with one fly for the … Read more

The Elk Hair Caddis is important, both as a pioneering pattern in the use of Elk Hair as a tying material and for its effectiveness and versatility. Whether you like history and philosophizing or you’re just an avid angler (or a bit of both, like me) you’re going to get your money’s worth out of … Read more

We’re going really old school on this one. The Black Gnat dates back, in one form or another, to Dame Juliana Berners fishing guide, first published in 1496.  Of course, it’s changed a fair bit over half a millennium, but it’s fair to call this one a traditional pattern. This is one of my go-to … Read more

The Adams doesn’t need much introduction if you’ve been around fly fishing circles for more than a few minutes.  It may well be the most famous pattern ever created. To quote fly fishing writer Thomas McGuane, the Adams is: Gray and funky and a great salesman I think that salesman line really sums up the … Read more