Hook – Gamakatsu Octopus, Size 2 or 4. Thread – Black, 6/0 Uni Thread. Underbody – Nine wraps of fine lead wire. Body – Silver tinsel. Body Hackle – Grizzly rooster neck hackle, trimmed-off along top. Shell-back – Natural deer body hair, twisted and laid over back of...

I knew that one day this information would prove useful. So, let’s back up a bit. As an itinerant beach fisher, many a washed-up tree trunk has supplied a handy resting spot while scoping out the water for fish activity. Like others, my mind wandered to, where did...

The correct/acceptable answer for challenge #12 is: the Purple Prince Nymph. This fly is yet another version of the original Prince Nymph. This fly was first known as the Brown Fork Tail. Then, sometime in the 1930s, Mr. Doug Prince popularized its use and it became...

Hook – Mustad 9672. Size 10 or 12. Debarbed and sharpened. Thread – Black, 6/0 Uni Thread. Head – 5/32” diameter metal bead, coloured purple. Underbody – Six turns of fine lead wire tight behind bead. Tail – Two dyed brown goose biots, curved away from each other....

The correct/acceptable answer for challenge #11 is: the Coronation Bucktail. This specific combination of colours has been around for a very long time, at least since the 1950s. “A pattern dating back to the 1950’s. I presume it was named after Coronation Island,...

Hook – Mustad 34007. Size 2 through 2/0. Debarbed and sharpened. Thread – Black, 6/0 Uni Thread. Body – Silver tinsel. Rib – Silver wire. Wing – Three layers of Polar bear hair; bottom white, mid red, top purple. Flash – Six strands of silver Crystal Flash™. Head –...

The correct/acceptable answer for challenge #10 is: the CDC&Elk. Dutch fly tier extraordinaire, Hans Weilenmann, originated this super-simple, yet deadly effective fly pattern. It consists of only two materials; duck’s arse feather and deer body hair. The wing...