If you’re a fan of tube flies, you’re going to love this simple and quick sculpin pattern that Vedavoo Founder Scott Hunter tied. Step 01: Set 1.25 inches of small tubing in your vise and wrap the center with approximately 12 turns of .025 non-lead wire. Step 02: Start to wrap 140 denier olive thread over your wire, and then apply a bit of superglue over the wire to better hold it in place. Step…
Continue readingVedavoo Torchbearer JR Maggard created this as a mashup of the Tungsten Surveyor and the Higa’s SOS. This pattern was a big producer as a dropper off my big drys on the local tailwater. There are light and dark versions of the dubbing, so you can choose which variation you want. Thread – UTC 70 RedHook – Firehole 551 (14) Bead – Silver Tungsten Slotted (3 MM) Wire – UTC Silver (Brassie Size) Wapsi Rainbow…
Continue readingVedavoo Torchbearer JR Maggard fishes a bunch in Idaho, and if you take a look at his Instagram page (JRizzle50) you will see he does pretty well out there! Here’s a great step by step for a grasshopper pattern that not only looks awesome to our eyes, but gets the job done on the water. The trout love it! Step 1: Cut out the foam pieces of your hopper with the River Road Creations Tomsu’s…
Continue readingDo you tie with rabbit strips? Our friend Brian Wise of Fly Fishing The Ozarks on YouTube lays out some great tips for fly tying with rabbit strips. I (CARF) personally consider myself a decent fly tier, but I am always on the hunt for new tricks and tips. Brian shares some great ones in this video! Can you spot the Vedavoo Beast Sling hanging out in the back? 🙂 Check out Brian on YouTube…
Continue readingThe Driftless Area is a special place for trout fishing. Our friend Matt Ebbers who makes up half of the Brown Trout and Bridge Beers Podcast lays out the best flies to fish this Summer in the Driftless Area. (That are not the infamous Pink Squirrel pattern.) Mini-Jiga-Bugger in Size 4-6 – For all you trout streamer junkies, this is a great pattern that has a hint of pink color that the Driftless brown trout…
Continue readingOur friend Morgan Kane aka MoMo The Meat Man shares his best flies for fly fishing Northern California in 2020. His season at Pyramid Lake was cut short due to the pandemic. With all of the time away from Pyramid, Morgan has been spending more time exploring with his dog Lloyd, and guiding in the Eastern Sierras and Tahoe area. The hot combo this summer for Morgan and his clients have been the classic hopper…
Continue readingTorchbearer Brien Hansen is one fishy dude and if you scroll through his Instagram feed you would see. Recently, I saw him post a picture of a humungous carp on his Instagram feed, and I just had to reach out to him for the scoop on what flies he has success with while fly fishing for carp. Q: Favorite carp story?Brien Hansen: Back in the college days, our fly fishing club (Panther Fly Fishing) used…
Continue readingWhat’s your favorite snook story? One of my favorite snook stories was actually just a hard lesson learned from fishing with a guide in SW Florida. The guide pointed out 3 fish coming off of small flat into a canal and I made a cast to lead the fish and they started coming, I kept stripping and was getting to within 10 feet on the leader from the boat and I slowed the fly down to a…
Continue readingIt’s still just the start of Summer, and the largemouth and smallmouth bass fishing is just starting to heat up. CARF lists out his top 3 bass flies for summer fly fishing in 2020. The Clouser Minnow – A tried and true staple that should be in everyone’s fly box or fly wallet. The Clouser Minnow fly pattern was created by Bob Clouser and its intended target fish was smallmouth bass. It’s arguably the most…
Continue readingI have a classic 10wt from Scott. I landed my first Striper and my first Albie on it. Then kids happened… and the fighting butt got smashed. I figured out how to make it whole again… Drink Patrón, Keep Cork Trim up broken cork on the rod Cut away the stem of the Patrón cork with a razor Find center and drill out a hole for the butt of the blank to drop into Apply…
Continue readingWe all take risks while fly fishing. Really, anytime you go outdoors you’re taking a risk. The farther you venture into wild places, the more those risks add up. Thankfully, the vast majority of anglers, hunters, and hikers return unscathed. Yet every one of us has experienced to recount some sort of peril. Sadly, every one of us probably has heard of someone who succumbed to a worst-case scenario of outdoors risks. While all the…
Continue readingWhile I was at the Somerset Fly Fishing Show doing demos with my personal gear, a number of visitors to the booth were really excited to see my “Hacky” boxes – which I made by combining an Original Tacky Flybox and a Tacky Big Bug Box. For me – “pulling the pin” gave me less boxes to keep up with, less weight in the pack, and a lot more efficient use of space (and time)…
Continue readingMy first was caught near the mouth of Alaska’s Kenai River. My last on the tribs of Lake Ontario. East or west, rare or in plenty, few things stand more true in my mind as symbols of Winter than the cold pursuit of hot chrome. Long drives – riverside coffee – and stories wisely told by new and lifetime friends. The fish are the objective, but never the expectation. A seasonal addiction fueled by memories…
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