Fly Tying - Fishing Flies

I enjoy tying flies, it can be relaxing, when needed, as well as challenging, depending on what's being created, and the satisfaction of catching wild trout with little handmade bugs is certainly a thrill.

I use two vises, the oldest is a Dyna King X-1, which I use for extended body flies, because the jaws can be angled straight up, allowing for free movement on both sides of the fly. I also love my rotary action Renzetti and use it frequently. Most of the fly tying tools I use are made by Dr Slick, they're some of the best, and my favorite bobbins are long necked Matarelli's, which allows precision thread wraps in tight corners...

Soon I will show step by step how to tye the fly below, which I've used to catch about 90% of my brown and rainbow trout, from California to New York... I also plan to photograph flies up close and grow this web page.

My favorite brownie fly, works well in California and the big browns back east in the fall

My favorite trout fly, I call it a Cracker

Mylar tinsel underbody, hollow chartreuse ribbing and white glo bug yarn, simple and effective

A feisty rainbow trout

Simple quick to tye flies are effective and my favorites for catching trout

nice brown trout with a Cracker fly in its mouth

Nice fly, nice trout, nice silk fly line, and my favorite rod and reel

My fly tying desk - click for larger image

Fly box full of generic nymphs

I have over 40 fly boxes, filled and ready for on stream action

fly box full of midge patterns

Midges

Generic stillwater and lake flies

Lakes and stillwater flies

Wheatley fly boxes full of dry flies

Nice boxes full of dry flies

beautiful wooden fly box with assorted fishing flies

Dragonfly, damselfly and mayfly nymphs

another fly box full of flies

Pretty Flies

Letter from Oregon Governor Kitzhaber

A nice letter from the Governor of Oregon

Governor Kitzhaber was presented with a box of my flies during a solar project dedication
(Chet Farris was the CEO of Siemens Solar Industries at the time)

Hardy Angel fly reel with a realistic red spider

I love my Hardy Angel fly reel, a gift from House of Hardy, for using my spider in their advertising

Photos below were taken a few years ago before I bought my first SLR camera...

Quill Wing dry fly tyed by Steven Fernandez

A beautiful Quill Wing dry fly tyed by my friend Steven Fernandez

I need to re-photograph the fly above, and a lot more of Steven's flies.

Damselfly nymph

Damselfly Nymph

May Fly Nymph

Mayfly Nymph

scuds

Trout Candy - Scuds - Freshwater shrimp

caddis pupa

Caddis Pupas - Oliver Edwards style

Cased Caddis tyed on weighted jig hooks

Peeking Cased Caddis Flies

midge pupes work well in the Sierra

Midge - works great in the sierra

golden stoneflies, worked great in Chile as well as the Eastern Sierra in fall
A favorite fly fall fall fly fishing on the East Walker River in the eastern sierra

Golden Stoneflies work well in the Sierra and Patagonia, especially in the fall

golden stonefly nymph

Stonefly Nymph

realistic fishing flies on display

I have a lot of fun with my fly tying

Tying Realistic and Artistic Flies

Fly Fishing Photography

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