Tying a Synthetic-Quill Nymph
Rich Strolis ties a Synthetic-Quill Nymph, a very simple and effective micro nymph that utilizes multi-rib construction.
How to Tie an Antron Egg
Tim Flager's version of the Antron Egg is set apart by extreme realism and might lure even doubters into giving it a try.
How to Tie a Headbanger Sculpin
Rich Strolis ties his latest articulated streamer utilizing the sculpin helmet. As Strolis says: "This guy gets down and drums up nice fish. This fly is best fished with a stout leader on a floating line."
Tying an Autumn Dun Wet Fly
Master tyer Davie McPhail ties an Autumn Dun wet fly on a size 12 hook using natural black hen fibres for the tail and peacock quill for the body.
How to Tie the Olive X-Caddis
Matt Grobert shows how to tie the X-Caddis, a pattern authored by famed western U.S. angler and shop owner Craig Mathews.
Tying the Al’s Trico
Tim Flagler ties an Al's Trico on a size-24 hook, producing a tiny but very effective pattern for late summer hatches.
How to Tie an Isonychia Emerger
Matt Grobert ties an Isonychia Emerger pattern on a size 12 hook. Isonychia are also known as Slate Drakes and appear in streams all over the U.S.
How to Tie a Sulphur Usual
Matt Grobert shows how to tie his Sulpher Usual, a variation of Fran Betters's "Usual," on a Dai-Riki #305 size 16 dry fly hook.
Tying the Moto’s Minnow
Tim Flager ties a Moto's Minnow, a popular streamer originally designed as a sculpin imitation by Moto Nakamura.
How to Tie Matt’s Sulphur Emerger
Sulphur hatches are some of the most anticipated hatches of the year, but they can also be frustrating. Matt's Sulphur Emerger is an excellent pattern to start with.
Tying a Crane Fly Larva
Crane fly larvae are common in streams all across the U.S. and are a tempting meal for trout, reaching up to more than 2 inches in length.
How to Tie a Bob’s Banger
Authored by New Jersey saltwater fly fishing legend Bob Popovic, Bob's Banger is a durable, easy-to-make popper for all-around saltwater use.
How to Tie an Egg-Laying Grannom (Caddis)
Matt Grobert ties an Egg-Laying Grannom, a pattern designed to imitate both dark and light grannom caddis as they return to the river in late spring to deposit their eggs.
How to Tie a Catskill-Style Hendrickson
Matt Grobert includes all the standard measurements and techniques for tying a traditional Catskill-style Hendrickson, a favorite of Art Flick's and one of the flies that helped define that region's style of tying.
How to Tie a Single Wing Flatwing
Joe Cordeiro ties a Single Wing Flatwing baitfish imitation. You'll want a stout vise for this pattern, but the result captures all the underwater subtlety of saltwater prey.
How to Tie a Sucker Spawn
Tier Tim Flagler says: "I consider myself only a recreational user of Sucker Spawn, so I really don't have a problem."
How to Tie a Matt’s Gnat
Author and tier Matt Grobert came up with this pattern in order to construct a more durable Griffith's Gnat.
How to Tie a Zug Bug
Created by Cliff Zug of Pennsylvania in the 1930s, the Zug Bug imitates a cased caddis or caddis larva, but it also works great in a dropper rig or even swung as a wet fly.
Tying a Leadwing Coachman
A great choice for drifting or swinging in cold weather, the Leadwing Coachman can imitate a variety of drowned or emerging insects, from caddisflies to mayflies.
Tying the Royal Wulff
Tim Flagler ties the classic Royal Wulff fly pattern, a garish but extremely effective attractor.
Tying the RS2
The RS2, authored by Rim Chung, derived its name from "Rim's Semblance 2." It can be fished as either a nymph or emerger.
How to Tie a Pumpkin Head Midge
Matt Grobert ties a Pumpkin Head Midge, a very effective wintertime midge pattern that features a fluorescent orange bead head.
Tying a Simple Scud
Tim Flagler demonstrates how to tie a Simple Scud pattern, using a size 16 hook and an Antron-and-Australian-possum-blend dubbing not just for the body, but for the legs and antennae as well.
Tying LaFontaine’s Sparkle Emerger
Matt Grobert ties the late Gary LaFontaine's highly popular Sparkle Emerger, which, Tim Flagler notes, "along with the Sparkle Pupa [is] nothing short of miraculous when catching trout."
Tying a Bird’s Nest
The Bird's Nest is a nymph pattern authored by master tier and San Francisco fly shop owner Cal Bird in 1959. Bird first tied it—without the bead—for trout fishing on the Truckee River.
Tying a Foam-Bodied Ant
Tim Flagler ties one of his favorite terrestrial pattern, a foam-bodied ant that is durable, easy to see, and effective.
How to Tie an Olive Woolly Bugger
There are many different ways to tie a Woolly Bugger, notes Tim Flagler, but he suggests these steps for tying one of the best searching patterns of all time.
Tying a Clouser Minnow
Tim Flagler ties another saltwater classic, the Clouser Minnow, authored by Bob Clouser around 1987.
Tying a Brassie
The Brassie is a simple yet extremely effective pattern which imitates both caddis and midge larvae, with the added bonus that it sinks like a rock, getting the fly down to levels where trout most often feed.
Tying a Foam Cricket
Curtis Fry demonstrates how to tie a Foam Cricket, which he notes not only qualifies "as a dead ringer for a cricket, it can also pass as a cicada or even a dark grasshopper."
Tying a Zebra Midge
As Tim Flagler says, "The Zebra Midge is one of those patterns that really doesn't need an introduction. It's simple, effective, and works over a wide range of fishing situations."
Tying a Double Standard
Tim Flagler offers detailed instruction on tying a fly that is half Pheasant Tail Nymph and Half Bead Head Hare's Ear Nymph.
Tying a Tabory Snake Fly
Tim Flagler says of the Tabory Snake Fly, "If I see mullet pushing in the shallows, this is the first fly I'll tie on. All in all, it's an incredible saltwater pattern."
Tying a Meat Helmet Sculpin
This video details how to tie a fairly quick sculpin imitation that gets down and has loads of built-in movement.
Tying a Slate Drake Nymph
On some rivers Slate Drakes hatch sporadically, on others they hatch en masse, but either way they are a meal that trout can’t resist.
Tying a Gurgler
Tim Flagler shows his techniques for tying one of the most interesting and popular surface patterns in fly fishing.
Tying a PMD Nymph
Richard Strolis ties another of the patterns he came up with on a recent trip to Montana: a variation of the classic PMD Nymph.
Tying an Elk Hair Caddis
Tim Flagler ties one of the most popular caddis patterns of all time, the Elk Hair Caddis. The fly was authored by Al Troth to imitate fluttering or spent adult caddis.
Tying an Articulated Ice Pick
"Going the Distance" is the right lyric for North Fork of the White guide/guru Brian Wise, who ties an Articulated Ice Pick fly in this fast-motion video.
How to Tie a Busted Stone
Rich Strolis demonstrates how to tie his Busted Stone pattern, which he notes will work just about anywhere fish feed on stoneflies.
How to Tie a Simple Caddis Larva
Tim Flagler demonstrates how to tie a simple Green Caddis Larva, an imitation of an easily overlooked but important part of a trout's diet.
Tying a CDC & Elk Fly
Tim Flagler ties the CDC & Elk pattern authored by master tier Hans Weilenmann, a high-floating caddis imitation based on Al Troth's classic Elk Hair Caddis.
Tying a Griffith’s Gnat
Authored by George Griffith, the Griffith's Gnat is an effective imitation of virtually any small insect: midges, midge emergers, or tiny mayflies.
Tying a Sulphur Soft Hackle
The Sulphur Soft Hackle is an extremely versatile pattern that can be fished as a dry/cripple on the surface, dead drifted as nymph, or swung and lifted like a wet fly.
Tying a Hendrickson Soft Hackle
"Most fisherman think that soft hackles and wet flies are meant to be fished exclusively in the film or upper part of the water column, but in actuality they're deadly fished deep."
Tying a Hare’s Ear
Richard Strolis ties the very popular and highly productive Hare's Ear fly pattern.
Tying a Chicken Finger
Richard Strolis ties a Chicken Finger for use as an anchor in a weighted euro nymph rig.
Tying a Case Closed
Adjust the size, color and shape and you can cover all the different types of case caddis you will encounter. The body of the fly is very durable and can be trimmed to any shape in a matter of seconds.
Tying the Glo-Bug
Tim Flagler ties the venerable Glo-Bug, a fly that got its start as an egg imitation for fall and spring spring spawning runs.
“Let the Fur Fly”
Tim Flagler demonstrates how to tie his innovative Fur Fly, a pattern meant to imitate flat-bodied nymphs.
Tying a Beach Comber
"The Beach Comber was the result of a three-year project that I started to create a lightly weighted sand eel pattern for the flats of Cape Cod during striper season."
Tips for Starting Thread
Tim Flagler offers several tips on starting thread on a hook shank, including showing how to "trim" thread without scissors.
How to Use a Whip Finish Tool
Tim Flagler demonstrates in great detail how to use a whip finish tool, showing both slow-speed and normal speed finishing.
Tying a R-F Caddis
"I have always been a big fan of the X-Caddis and the shuck hanging off the back. I combine that with hares-ear style dub with some added flash in minimal amounts."
Tying a Rock Candy Larva
"A very good anchor fly in any euro-style nymph rig, this pattern in particular was one of my top anchors in 2010."
Tying a Shimmer Stone
""This is the latest medium to large stonefly nymph pattern I came up with. The fly is two-toned like a natural and takes on a woven-fly look without the weaving."
Tying a Classified Caddis
""This particular fly I'm tying is a deep pupa, which I'm usually fishing under an indicator, or in a weight-nymph-style rig. There are different colors of this pattern that I tie, but the one I'm tying for you today is in bright green."
Tying an Ice Pick Streamer
"I was very reluctant to use the new heads as I thought for sure they would be inevitably too heavy. Boy was I wrong. Think of this fly as my tribute to the zonker, only spruced up a bit."
Tying a Magic Caddis
"This is my other favorite caddis pupa pattern, also very simple yet much more flashy. I converted this into a weighted pupa for Czech or Polish nymphing by adding the tungsten bead."
Tying a Tenkara Fly
How to tie a tenkara fly, the Sakasa Kebari (reverse-hackle fly), used in the traditional Japanese method of mountain stream fly fishing.
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