Fly-Tying

On my fly pattern checklist, John Kent’s Humped Back Spawner ticks all the necessary boxes for a deadly freshwater shrimp or scud pattern. The Humped Back Spawner boasts a convincing realistic appearance, instantly appealing to any fly fisher the moment they see it. More importantly, trout view it with equal...

Stanton Jack is a professional classical guitarist and head of the Guitar and Harp Department for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s...

As fly fishers and tyers, we spend much of our effort attempting to match the hatch, using flies and presentation...

Dragonfly nymphs live and hunt in typically non-fly-friendly territory. Tough-to-fish areas, such as dense weeds, rocks and sunken woody debris...

English stillwater dry flies differ from most of their North American counterparts. Many North American dry flies tend to rest on the water rather than in it. Simple and impressionistic, English stillwater dries are designed to sit low on the surface or in many instances damp, lying within the surface...

Conor O’Shaughnessy is an innovative, creative fly tyer. His mind is constantly engaged, trying to figure out new ways to...

The larger the food source we are trying to imitate, the more complex our fly patterns can become. For moving-water...

   When trout are fixated on chironomids, trying to replicate or match the emerging pupa through pattern choice and presentation technique is the standard course of action. But what happens when this “match the hatch” mantra isn’t working? Many fly fishers, myself included, try smaller imitative patterns, shuffle through colour...