 | Calamari Anyone?
All five salmon species love ‘calamari’ in their diets as well as bottom fish including the myriad of rockfish species. Both commercial and recreational trollers have used Hootchies, a plastic squid imposter, for years with staggering success. Although proven patterns such as Deceivers and Clouser Minnows are passable squid imitations if you are serious about saltwater you should include your own feather and synthetic Hootchies.
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 | No Hackle Dries
Breaking away from traditional hackled flies offers picky trout an alternative look that they often take without hesitation. When prospecting for trout in calm, slow moving or still water no hackle dries are tough to beat. <br>
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 | Antistatic Bag Pupa
Antistatic bag pupa patterns do an excellent job initiating staging and elevating chironomid pupa. Chironomid pupa used trapped air and gases to aid their pupal ascent and final transformation into winged adult. It takes a while, typically 3-4 days, for the pupa to gather enough air and gases for their perilous emergence trek.
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 | How Do You Like Your Eggs?
Experienced drift fishers who ply B.C.’s rivers and streams in search of winter steelhead understand the value of eggs. Either natural roe or coloured yarn fashioned to represent roe. Fly fishers also know the value of eggs, as a result an omelette of egg patterns and materials are readily available.
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 | Tube Fly Basics
A tube fly is nothing more than a fly tied onto a tube as opposed to a traditional hook shank. Modern tube flies trace their history back to the late 1940’s, just after World War Two. Actual tube fly history traces its roots even further. Northwest first nation’s anglers used tube flies tied onto feather quills for Pacific salmon. Tube flies are popular with Atlantic salmon fly fishers and have become popular pattern selections for West Coast steelhead fly fishers as well.
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 | Furled Flies
Ken Hanley, author of the book, Tying Furled Flies for Trout, Bass and Steelhead created his Furled Alevin using Antron yarn. It is an excellent alevin imitation. Slender tapered and compact, furled bodies offer many tying applications besides alevin patterns.
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 | Ahead By a Hare
There are a number of fly tying materials offering a wide degree of diversity and value to all fly tyers. Peacock, pheasant tail and rabbit fur are three such examples. All are readily available and easy to work with.
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 | Clouser Deep Minnow-Chartreuse/White
Bob Clouser’s Deep Minnow is probably the best saltwater baitfish pattern in use today; with over 80 species to its credit. Lefty Kreh rates the Clouser Minnow as the best saltwater fly available today, higher even than his famed Deceiver.
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 | Dry Fly Basics
No fly selection would be complete without a handful of Adams. Although most often thought of a consummate mayfly imitation the original Adams was intended to suggest caddis.
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 | Buoyant Flies
Since its initial conception the Booby has evolved into a variety of styles and practically any pattern can be 'Boobied' by the simple addition of foam eyes. Upon discovering this pattern over 10 years ago, it has been a constant fly box staple.
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 | Wired For Trout
Colorado fly fisherman and tyer John Barr created his wire bodied Copper John to plunge and drift amongst the bottom rubble and debris. His brilliant merger of the Brassie, Prince Nymph, and Pheasant Tail Nymph has become arguably the most popular river and stream nymph today.
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 | Hair Wing Streamers
Hair wing streamers are simple and uncomplicated, consisting of nothing more than a flashy body and sparse hair wing. Original bodies were constructed from silver or gold tinsel depending upon the pattern recipe.
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 | Mastering Matukas
Matukas are a tying style consisting of 2 or more feathers or a fur strip bound vertically along the body of a fly using wire, tinsel, Crystal Flash or other ribbing material.
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 | Moals-Steelhead Vermin
Designed and pioneered by American guide and industry sales rep, Derek Fergus, the MOAL features an ingenious combination of a short shank hook for a forward foundation, coupled with a loop of braided line for a core wrapped with cross cut rabbit strips.
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 | The Gurgler
Jack Gartside first created his Gurgler in 1988. Although now incredibly popular for east coast striped bass and bluefish the Gurgler was actually an evolution of a beetle pattern. Jack Gartside has developed many successful patterns including the Sparrow Nymph, Floating Minnow and numerous soft hackle streamers.
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 | Talking Turkey
The white turkey offers an array of feathers including flats, biots and wing quills. In a world were natural oak or white tip turkey, partridge, grouse and other wild bird materials are not always available white turkey feathers and plumage do a more than capable job in relief.
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 | Horizontally Opposed-The Art of Balanced Flies
Hanging or suspending flies beneath a strike indicator is nothing new nowadays. The catatonic presentation technique is a staple in just about every stillwater fly fishers arsenal.
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 | Czech Nymph's
Participants of the 1989 World Fly Fishing Championships were witness first hand to the short line nymphing skills, techniques and flies of Polish fly fisher Vladi Tzebunia. Vladi obliterated the competition, taking the individual gold medal by storm. Vladi’s performance was nothing short of spectacular as he garnered more points than the next three national teams combined!
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 | Alaskabou's
The pedigree of northwest steelhead fly fishers realizing advantage of the animated properties of marabou is impressive. Trey Combs, Bob Aid, John Farrar, Mike Kinney, Joe Butorac and George Cook to name a few were all seduced by the magic of marabou. Each of these renowned tiers manipulated marabou in their own way.
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 | Building a Better Bugger
One has to wonder if Pennsylvania fly fisher Russell Blessing knew what his merger between the chenille bodied marabou tailed Blossom fly and a Woolly Worm would become.
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 | Wet Flies
With a long standing history over 100 years old, pre dating dry flies, wet flies are still popular choices in many areas of the world today such as the British Isles.
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 | Deceiver Details
The Deceiver was conceived over 40 years ago by fly fishing icon Lefty Kreh for chasing Chesapeake Bay Striped Bass. This proven pattern offers a generic baitfish profile that adapts matches any forage, in both fresh and saltwater, from long slender needlefish to broad shiners.
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 | Pacifying Parachutes
Parachute patterns offer a relaxed proportional approach and the soft upright landing habits of a parachute offer fly fishers unparalleled stealth.
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 | Managing Marabou
Marabou is one of the most versatile and widely used fly tying materials available today. Lacking the barbule hooks common to most outer contour feathers soft mobile marabou fibres spring to life beneath the surface creating animated patterns few predatory fish can resist.
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 | Muddling Through-A hair spinning primer
There are a number of ungulate hairs suited to spun and clipped patterns but the best spinning hairs are coarse, spongy and soft.
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 | Woven Wonders
Fly tiers and fly fishers seem drawn to patterns with a “get up and walk” look to them. The kind of look where you know if the fly were to fly away it would be a fantastic pattern on the water.
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 | Spey Substitutes
With their long flowing hackle moving at the slightest current pulse or flicker few flies offer the grace, elegance and style of a Spey pattern.
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 | Epoxy Moxy
With the interest in salt water fly fishing growing worldwide the number of epoxy based patterns has jumped exponentially. Nearly all saltwater fish feature razor sharp teeth as standard equipment and an even nastier disposition.
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 | Adding the Magic Touch
A few of years ago innovative Swiss fly tyer Marc Petitjean introduced the world to a fantastic set of tools appropriately named the Magic Tool. The Magic Tool allows fly tyers to control materials such as thick stemmed grizzly marabou and CDC.
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 | Handling Humpies
With its universal appeal and superior floatation the Humpy is one pattern B.C. fly fishers should never visit a river or stream without.
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 | Soft Hackle Solutions
Soft hackles offer a broad appeal with an inherent ability to suggest a wide range of prey. With animated flowing hackles and often scruffy looks, soft hackles appeal to the most basic of predatory instincts.
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 | Plight of the Intruder
Most northwest steelhead patterns are steeped in history dictating specific materials, proportions and construction techniques. Enter the Intruder, the new kid on the block spurning history and forging its own creative path and personality.
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 | Fun with Foam
For stillwater applications foam is an ideal material for fly tyers to experiment with. Most would consider foam perfect for dry flies but by taking advantage of its buoyant properties beneath the surface affords another dimension.
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 | Getting the Skinny on Chironomids
Whenever I feature a chironomid pupa pattern on lookers often ask how I manage to keep my patterns so slender. I firmly believe developing a skinny pattern discipline is one of the keys to successful chironomid fishing. A feat that can be harder than it seems. <br>
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 | The Popsicle Minnow
It was during a late night insomnia driven web search I stumbled across an interesting pattern created by American fly tyer Fox Statler.
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 | Discovering Dubbing Loops
A source of frustration to some, dubbing loops offer numerous benefits. Dubbing loops create durable patterns capable of withstanding a solid chewing from numerous fish.
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 | An Epoxy Substitute-The Tied Down Minnow
The reality of any fly pattern material or component is that it is not always roses. Regarding epoxy some find it one messy material to play with. To get things just right epoxy must be mixed properly to ensure proper drying and with a minimum of air bubbles.
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 | Adult Cranefly
Mention the word terrestrials and most fly fishers recall memories of grasshoppers, beetles and ants. Crane flies or Daddy Long Legs to some are another worthwhile terrestrial for the fly box.
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 | Dazzle Caddis Emerger
As summer strolls its way into mid June through July, anglers can expect to hit the exciting caddis (sedge) emergence. Imitating the pupa stage during a hatch can be very effective if you have an idea of the zone where the fish are feeding, but many fly anglers especially enjoy fishing patterns imitating the moth-like winged adults
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 | CDC Booby
Fly Craft Angling.com member Richard Duiker hails from Lemmer Holland and supplies us with his favorite Booby, the CDC Booby.
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 | The Pond Monkey
The Pond Monkey is an innovative pattern created by fellow stillwater addict Paul Fox. Paul hails from Oregon and considers the many lakes in the eastern region of the state as his stillwater playground.
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 | Flycraft Fullback
Fly fishers worldwide have favored searching or “go to” patterns. In England it might be the Diawl Bach for many in North America a Hare’s Ear Nymph could be the pattern of choice. When fishing is tough or there is little in the way of a hatch to focus feeding trout generic suggestive patterns work best.
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 | The Popsicle Leech
VIDEO STEP BY STEP...John knotted on a pattern first shown to him by Cariboo Fly and Tackle’s Jason Brautigam the Popsicle Leech. During previous trips to Quesnel Lake Jason had experienced fantastic fishing using this pattern.
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 | Foam Sprawler
VIDEO STEP BY STEP...Foam Sprawler. Commonly referred to as “sprawlers” these spider like nymphs are ambush feeders and prefer to lay in wait amongst the bottom vegetation and debris. Chara beds are favorite haunts.
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 | The Herl May
This fly includes video step by step tying instructions for Fly Craft Angling members.
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 | The Bead Worm
A simple but deadly pattern for imitating chironomid larva or bloodworm as they are referred to by many. Works well throughout the season, especially during the summer months in deeper water.
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 | The Alberta Stone
VIDEO STEP BY STEP...There are times when the "matching the hatch" philosophy is not working or perhaps even not recommended.
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 | Turkey Quill Callibaetis
Callibaetis nymphs are slender almost anorexic in appearance and patterns designed to imitate them need to be too.
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 | Frostbite Bloodworm
Larval or bloodworm patterns are an important stillwater staple and tend to be ignored by many fly fishers
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 | Collaborator (Clear Water Style)
The Collaborator traces its roots to a creative tying session between friends amongst the breakfast dishes on White Lake near the town of Salmon Arm, British Columbia.
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 | Chromie
Perhaps the most important feature of a chironomid pupa is the radiant glimmer caused by the trapped air and gases the pupa uses to aid their pupal ascent and emergence process.
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 | Water Floatman
After the first frosts off the fall fly fishers can expect the first boatman falls of the season.
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