Flies from the “February Room” podcast-Episode 9-Jay Dixon and Traditional Hair-wing Patterns
Back in Jay’s February Room of the 1990s, there wasn’t any foam to be found, and he relied on traditional dry flies, like the age-old Stimulator. In the latest installment of The February Room, Missoula guide Jay Dixon reflects on the good old days of trout fishing in Western Montana. Before the advent of the…
Read MoreFlies from “The February Room”-Episode 8, Al Pils’ “Army Man”
“Army Man” was one of the first dry fly patterns bestowed upon me when I relocated to Western Montana. A product of Al Pil’s February Room, that one fly produced one of my most memorable days on the Bitterroot River. When I first moved to Missoula I was having a helluva’ time catching fish on…
Read MoreHow to Fish Freestone Salmonfly Hatches: A Guide to Big Bugs on Turbulent Tributaries.
With the salmonfly hatch looming, here’s the dirt on patterns, presentations, and safety for fishing salmonflies on fast-flowing freestone rivers. Fishing salmonfly hatches on freestone rivers, like those around Western Montana, is one of dry fly fishing’s most exciting opportunities but requires a specialized approach. I arrived in western Montana with a rather singular understanding…
Read MoreFlies from “The February Room”-Episode 7, Michelle Woo Bowman-“Ack Attack” sea bass fly
Full disclosure here, while we’ve never caught a Pacific White Sea Bass on this fly, we have turned enough stripers and other anchovy-eating predators on this pattern to believe that its worth having a selection of these in every saltwater fly box. The “Ack Attack” is a simple, durable creation based on the baitfish designs…
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