Fly Patterns

Looking for an alternative to the venerable parachute mayfly pattern? Look no farther. The Laid Back Dun, created by Rusty Gates is just the ticket. Realistic enough to fool the most finicky of trout, the durable LBD deserves a spot in your fly box.
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The deeper you fish your wet flies, the number of fish you catch will go down but the size of the fish goes up. The Tungsten Bead Soft Hackle Dark lets you get the fly down in the water column where the bigger fish lurk.
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When the hatch is off and you want to fish a dry fly, tie on an Opal Trude. Conceived as an attractor for Cutthroats on the Snake river in Idaho, it has proved to be a great searching fly everywhere I fish. I carry this fly from #10 - #16
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When the fish are feeding in or just under the surface, a mayfly cripple pattern can turn the trick. This simple to tie and durable fly is perfect during an emergence fished as a hatching mayfly, or better yet when there are good numbers of cripples or stillborn flies that can not get off of the water.
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This is my favorite bugger pattern. There are countless variations. The marabou tail, short, noisy hackle and soft collar with the peacock body make this an irresistible mouthful for the fish. I have caught everything from panfish to pike with this fly. Carp just love it.
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The Crystal Stone had its initiation on the Big Manistee river in Northern Michigan several years ago. It was fall steelhead time and we just whacked the big chromers that day. This fly has the general shape of a stone fly nymph, with a beautiful segmented, biot body and the added flash of Cactus Chenille legs.
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This is my #1 “go to” fly in almost all hatch matching situations. It is as close as you can get to a no refusal pattern if it is used in the right color and size and properly presented.
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A few years ago Ray Schmidt and I were discussing old patterns, how effective so many were and thought it would be cool to have a hopper pattern based on Earl Madsen’s Skunk. It was like having the gauntlet thrown at my feet and I took it as a real challenge. Here is the result.
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I know, there are a million egg patterns out there, but give me a break. There is always room for one more, particularly one that really produces.
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I get more positive comments and rave reviews on this fly than any other. It has been fished extensively throughout the USA, West, Midwest, and East and has been well tested in New Zealand.
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Opal X Caddis is a tinsel body conversion of Craig Mathews' famous caddis emerger pattern. The addition of Opal tinsel has made ... ...
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The Opal and Elk Caddis is far and away the best searching dry fly I've ever used. I use it on the AuSable, throughout the Midwest and it is a staple while fishing in Montana.
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