Month: December 2017

1st Time Out With My Tenkara
Education, Stories

1st Time Out With My Tenkara

In one of my earlier posts, I mentioned that I had bought my son an awesome new fly rod for his birthday, a Tenkara rod. While it is his rod and he loves it, here’s the truth. Part of the reason that I bought it for him is because I thought it looked awesome. For me, one of the places that I thought it would be great was out on a belly boat in the middle of a lake. For quite a while now, I’ve tired to take two rods with me when I go out to a lake. I’ve got a reel that has some sinking fly line on it, and with the right streamer on there, it’s sometimes hard to make a cast without catching a fish! Continue reading “1st Time Out With My Tenkara”

How to tie a Parachute Adams Fly: Video
Fly Tying

How to tie a Parachute Adams Fly: Video

Are the fish rising? Is the hatch made up of small mayflies or midges? Put on a Parachute Adams!

The Parachute Adams is a go-to fly; most directly imitating mayflies, this classic pattern is a great midge fly as well. Not only is it easy for the fisher to see with a white or bright parachute post, but the fish love it too!

Fish this fly solo to gentle risers on still water or any river, or as a sighter with a larger dry fly in a two-fly rig.

Now let’s see what you can do. #avidmaxflytyers

Continue reading “How to tie a Parachute Adams Fly: Video”

How to Tie a Zebra Midge Christmas Colors
Uncategorized

How to Tie a Zebra Midge Christmas Colors

If you are just getting into fly tying and trying to figure out what fly to tie first, the Zebra Midge is a perfect pattern. It’s very simple and straightforward– The Zebra Midge is also  only comprised of a few materials: bead, thread, and wire.

This is a great fly in the winter months when trout are fickle and only taking small bugs. Tying sizes 22-24? That will be no problem! You can make a bundle of these in many colors with ease.

On the other side of things, try tying this in larger elongated versions for your Stillwater Chironomid needs. Add a little white thorax or head for some gills, then throw it on a midge tip line and you are ready to slay.

Now let’s see what you can do. #avidmaxflytyers Continue reading “How to Tie a Zebra Midge Christmas Colors”

Tenkara Fly Fishing With My Son
Stories

Tenkara Fly Fishing With My Son

Sometime last summer, my son and I were standing on the edge of a river – something we do often. It was a pretty warm day, and instead of his waders, he wanted to stand in the river with just his shorts on. We stood there for a quite a while as I was trying to teach him a little bit more about how to cast with a fly rod. At the time, he was only 6, and despite my best efforts, he wasn’t that interested. He loved being out on the river, and anytime I hooked into a fish, he would rush over, reel it in, and then give it a kiss (I know it’s weird, but he loves to do that) before we put it back in the water. But, he just didn’t want to stand there and figure out how to cast. Continue reading “Tenkara Fly Fishing With My Son”

How to Tie the Copper John Fly: Video
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How to Tie the Copper John Fly: Video

The Copper John. Do I need to say more? Created by the infamous John Barr, just about anyone who has fly fished has heard of or thrown this fly. It is a go-to attractor pattern year round. It will imitate a wide range of bugs from mayflies, stoneflies, and even caddis or midges. Fish it smaller in the colder months and larger in the summer. Most commonly the copper john is tied using copper or red wire but there are many color variations out there. If you want to get the skunk off get the copper john tied on! Continue reading “How to Tie the Copper John Fly: Video”

How to Tie the Autumn Splendor Fly: Video
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How to Tie the Autumn Splendor Fly: Video

If it’s streamer season you better think about throwing this fly! It was created by Tim Heng who was a long time Colorado fly fishing guide and tyer. The Autumn Splendor is a beefed up wooly bugger with action that can’t be beat. The Marabou tail along with some flash and movement provided by the rubber legs is a great fly to pull large fish out of deep holes or any other location. You can fish it as a stand-alone streamer or on both ends of a tandem streamer rig. Whether you like it chasing a smaller wooly bugger or in front of a larger articulated fly it will bring great success! Continue reading “How to Tie the Autumn Splendor Fly: Video”