Fly Tying - Due West Anglers

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fly tying

Fly fishing articles tagged as fly tying

Attractor dry flies, sparkle pupa, why do trout rise? Gary LaFontaine Dry Fly New Angles

trigger points Featured

Attracting Rises from Trout

Wisdom from a forgotten book: Why do trout rise to a dry fly? Exploring LaFontaine's lost ideas on attractors

swinging soft hackle for trout spey, fly patterns include hares ear, partridge, peacock, pheasant tail soft hackles

Why Swinging Soft Hackles Works

It might be the oldest trick in the trout fly fishers playbook. Yet many people still don’t really know why swinging soft hackles work. It's hardly a natural presentation...

Fly tying the Chubby Chernobyl fly pattern

Get the Wings Right on the Chubby Chernobyl

Despite being a Swiss Army knife pattern, fly tyers seem to struggle with the wing on the Chubby Chernobyl

stanky leg fly pattern, tube jig fly pattern, crayfish fly pattern, euro nymphing fly pattern

Weird Flies That Work: Stanky Leg

the fly fishing equivalent of a tube jig

Favorite Flies for fishing runoff: Pigsticker, Woolly Bugger, Cranefly, Tequeely, Polar Shrimp, Pat's Rubber Legs

Down But Not Out: Runoff

6 favorite flies for fishing runoff, when the rivers are running high, and dirty.

Flies displayed include: chubby chernobyl, clouser minnow, barr's meat whistle, popper, crazy charlie, and turneffe crab

behind the scenes

Behind the Scenes

Unveiling the creative process from idea to ink for Due West Angler's distinctive articles on fly fishing + science + conservation

Streamer fly fishing on the Animas River, Durango, Colorado

How to Match the Hatch with Streamers

Fly fishing: We all know about the bugs... but what about the baitfish?

pink pookie fly pattern, pink grasshopper fly pattern, pink hopper fly

grasshoppers Featured

Pink Grasshoppers Really Do Exist

In our never-ending quest to explain why unexpected colors work as fly patterns I found some insights in an unlikely place... the museum...

Fly fishing for carp with Umpqua's Headstand fly pattern, Egan's Headstand, Denver South Platte

Weird Flies that Work: Chartreuse Headstand

I have a slight obsession chartreuse fly patterns...

salmonfly fly pattern

Improving the Salmonfly Dry Fly

We walk through tying a modified 64 Impala fly pattern and clarify how to customize this recipe to match the hatch beyond the original

sculpzilla fly pattern

sculpin Featured

Phantom Sculpins of the South Platte

Why would a trout eat a sculpin fly in a river without sculpin?

midge fly patterns for the San Juan River, New Mexico

3 Under Appreciated Fly Tying Materials for Trout

Fly Tying: I want to highlight some under-appreciated materials that look incredible

polar shrimp fly pattern

Weird Flies That Work: Polar Shrimp

Fly fishing: An unexpected pattern to be treasured by a Rocky Mountain trout angler

The Elephant in the River

The Elephant in the River

Fly fishing: We're all going to have to deal with river overcrowding at some point in the future, if not already.

The Unforgivable Sins of Fly Tying

Do you know the unforgivable sins of fly tying?

umpqua weekender fly box loaded full of fly patterns

What Makes a Fly a Classic?

Fly tying: You may have heard that there are no original stories anymore, or that movies are all remakes... the same is true for flies

Why Don't We See More Chartreuse in Stillwater Trout Flies?

Why Don't We See More Chartreuse in Stillwater Trout Flies?

Do you recall any chartreuse flies for trout when shopping at your average fly shop?

Which hopper fly is the best fly pattern? Color combinations for chubby chernobyls, dave's hopper, morrish hopper and others

The Colorful World of Grasshoppers

Fly tying: What are the best colors for tying and fishing grasshoppers. Check out our breakdown.

slovakian super heavy nymph fly pattern

Weird Flies That Work: Slovakian Super Heavy Nymph

Fly tying: Slovak Super Heavy nymphs are not messing around when it comes to getting deep.

super x fly pattern

Weird Flies That Work: Super-X

Fly tying: Developed for the South Fork of the Snake River below Palisades Reservoir in Southeastern Idaho, the Super-X kind of has a cult following

End of the Year Round Up: Best of 2020

essential reads

End of the Year Round Up: Best of 2020

Our best fly fishing articles from 2020: mysis, salmonflies, and tippet rings

Adding Triggers to Fly Patterns: Subliminal Messaging for Trout

Adding Triggers to Fly Patterns: Subliminal Messaging for Trout

Fly tying: We might carry a lot of patterns, but if none match the searching terms outlined by trout, then what good are they?

effects of catch and release angling, how does fly fishing affect trout behavior?

Catch and Release: How do fish respond to fishing pressure?

By practicing catch and release we actively alter our favorite rivers and lakes and influence the dynamics of the fishery.

Umpqua's Black Back Emerger designed by John Barr, emerger fly pattern, south platte

Black-wing Emergers

Fly Tying: Discussing a nondescript pattern listed in Umpqua’s catalog often past over piles and piles of peridgons.

stillwater fly patterns including chironomids, leeches, damsels, callibaetic

Where to Start with Stillwater Flies

Our best stillwater fly patterns, condensed into a convenient to read word cloud. Pheasant tails and leeches go a long way.