Flies 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 the Bitterroot during the highly acclaimed Skwala hatch, until my co-worker’s husband, a guy called ‘Al’ handed me a basic green foam fly that he had dubbed “Army Man”. It was a fitting name, and the next time I floated, I tied it on and finally realized what all the fuss was about. I fished the fly all day and the trout ate it, all day. This is a black foam version of Army Man, but you get the gist. It’s all foam and legs with a bright indicator. That’s it, and oftentimes, that’s all you need.