Wire worm? Are you crazy? Who’s fishing a wire worm? Ummmmmm????? OK, You got me! The Wire Worm is killing it on the Missouri! Is it the only worm working? Nope.. Then why the big deal?
 
It’s not just for high water anymore! The tribs to the Missouri have been running high and muddy… Pumping in a whole new food source into the river system. Worms…. Worms…. Worms and more…. Worms! I know, the worm always catches fish? For sure, sometimes. Not always is the worm the fly of the day on the Missouri. Sure you can catch a few fish on it… Sometimes but it’s pretty special right now on the Mo. I have been fishing the Wire Worm for a few reasons.
1-Durable!
2-Easy to tie!
3-Cheap!Every fly bin has them for a dollar if you dont tie flies.
4-Great hook up ratio. I like the ratio as high as I can get it.
5-Weight is perfect for fishing shallow flats where fish have been hiding.
6-Did I mention durable and cheap?
 
Some might turn there noses to the wire worm but not me. All the flies we fish are just imitating food source that the trout are eating. Worms are all over the water column now and are just another source of food. How about the crawfish? Would you fish that? Then drop a worm under it. Surf and Turf at it’s best. So enjoy this great video on how to tie a Wire Worm. Lets give a special thanks to Eric Beebe of Big Horn Flies for this great video on the Wire Worm!

 
Now you can go crazy with worm tech. There are a million ways to tie this guy and this is how I do it. Except I don’t use the orange UV Knot Sense. I just use the standard UV Knot Sense and call it good. I would use the orange if I had it but I dont. Tie up a pile of these guys and get to fishing!

Say what you will… Everyone loves to catch fish on a soft a hackle. Some are better than others.. Phil is our resident Soft Hackle Pro and wrecks’m on the soft hackle! Starling and Purple….. Or this guy? Just Say’n

Next time your scratching your head.. Tie one of these guys on and enjoy the ride!

Just wanted to share a great pattern that has been getting lots of attention from the trout lately. It’s a super simple pattern and is pretty deadly. I love simple flies and this one fits the bill perfectly. Chris Ramos developed this pattern for Cheesman Canyon. Ever fished there? If so you know how techy it can be. I had been using various BWO patterns and they have been slowing down. So it was time to find a new fly and this guy picked up where the others left off. Tie this guy from 14 to 20, with 16 and 18 being the most often used. The video does a good job of showing how to tie this little bug. Headed to the Missouri? Looking for a few new bugs to try? Bang a bunch of these out and try them out. How about black you ask? Ummmm…. Ok…. Might work?

This week we are going to be tying a Purple Lightning Bug. Its been a great pattern the last few years on the Missouri River. It does a great job imitating the nymph stage of BWO’s. Spring and Fall are the best times to use this pattern. Are you a techy BWO guy? Like new bugs? Tie a few of these up and I’m sure you’ll be tying more. This bug is pretty straight forward. Enjoy the video and feel free to stop in or call the shop if you have any questions about tying this bug.
 

Hook – Dai-Riki #125 in 16-20
Bead – 2.0 mm Silver
Thread – MFC Premum Tying Thread, Black, 6/0
Tail – Pheasant Tail
Abdomen – Purple Flashabou
Ribbing – SIlver Ultra Wire, XSM
Wing Case – 2 Strands Purple Flashabou
Thorax – Super Fine Dry Fly Dub, BWO
Legs – Mottled Hen Hackle

Once again our Thursday Night Fly Tying is finishing up and what a better way to end things than…. Free For All Thursday! Tie what you want! Bring in some patterns, materials and beers and whip up some bugs. I will be in the doors a little late due to a guided trip on the Flathead but never worry…. Dr Drea or Larry will have the doors open for you at 6:00.

It’s bug time! Bugs all over the state… .BWO’s, March Browns, Gray Drakes, Winter Stones, Skwallas and the good old midge. From the Flathead to the Missouri… Were fishing dries a bunch and getting some great fish. So….. This Thursday Night is… Dry Fly Night! Duns, emergers, cripples and spinners! Tie them all…..
 
We will be tying flies that are catching fish right now! Gray Drakes, March Browns and BWO’s for the Flathead and BWO’s and Midges for the Missouri. Oh… They’ll work for every river between the two! I’ll be tying my favorite Parachute Adams in all sizes, Craven’s Mole Fly, Rob’s Cripple( Haven’t broken that one out for you yet!), a biot body Gray Drake, and a Furminski’s Gray Drake and March Brown. I’ve been fishing these fly’s a bunch and will continue for a bit longer.
 
Here is a great warm up fly for Dry Fly Night! Oh… It’s a great pattern also!

 
There you have it! Bring your dry fly hooks, foam, tying thread, moose tail, hackles, dubbing and Beers! This Thursday Night will be full of good patterns that are catching fish right now… Doors open at 6:00 and we’ll be there until your done tying!

Am I happy or in misery? What? Sound familiar? Hint…. Jimmy….. Best guitar of all time….. If you said Jimmy Hendrix then… Your right!

What is a Purple Haze? It’s basically a purple Parachute Adams. You can dub the body with purple dub or use floss. Floss is my favorite. It makes a slimmer abdomen and is extremely durable. Purple? Really? How many purple mayflies are there? Not many! Why do trout like purple flies? It’s hard to tell and everyone has a theory. What is my theory? Well…. I have a love hate relationship with the Purple Haze. We sell piles of Purple Haze every year and people have good success with them all year round. So back to why trout like purple? I think it has to do with ultra violet light that the cones in there eyes pick up. Now…. This is controversial. Because the cones that pick up ultra violet light disappear after about 2-3 years. Here is a link to a great article about Trout Vision. Trout in our river system, most other river too, see lots and lots of Purple Haze, Purple Caddis and every imaginable variation of the Purple Craze. So for the most part I stay away from it. But…. Early season is great for the Purple Haze. Shhhhh…. Dont tell anyone! We have lots of smaller stones, Gray Drakes, March Browns and BWO’s. This is my favorite time of the year to fish the Purple Haze. Does it work all the time? Nope. Yesterday we couldn’t buy a fish on the P.H. and were getting attention on the size 12 P.A. The week before it was just opposite? Could be just me? Anyways…. Tie these guys up and make sure you have a few in the box.
 

How do you tie the Purple Haze? Here is a video on how to do just that. The pattern is pretty straight forward but there are a few tricks that will make it easier to tie. First is the body material. You can use purple dubbing but I have not really found a good dubbing for it. There is a purple rabbit dubbing but I’m not a big fan of rabbit for dry flies. So why not use Purple rubber floss? That’s what Andy Carlson did when he designed the fly. Flexi Floss or MFC’s Wonder Wrap are perfect for the body material. You can pull it tight when wrapping and build a sweet taper. Most people are intimidated by tying parachutes. I always tied shitty parachutes until….. One day…. A friend of mine showed me a super easy way to tie a perfect parachute everytime. I’ll withhold his name since he might not want everyone to know what a great tier he is… Anyways… Thanks ken! I’ll hopefully never buy another parachute again. The video show how to do this but I’ll touch on it here.
 
Tie your post in any way you prefere. After you tie it in make sure you build a strong base on the bottom of the post. this base is where you are going to wrap the hackle. After you do this secure your two pieces of hackle. You can see in the video how I tie mine in. It’s not the only way, just how I do it. This is the key….. After you secure your hackle, wrap your thread around the post once and hang your tying thread off the far side of the fly. Very important! Wrap your hack down towards the botom of the post. Now…. take your tying thread and secure the hackle to the post. You will want to take care to not trap the hackle fibers when you secure the hackle. It’s simple to do this. Slide your thread along the abdomen and under the hackle fibers. Then do the same on the thorax. It’s kind of a weave. After 3-4 tight wraps your going to whip finish in the same manner. Sliding on the top of the abdomen and thorax. After you do this a few time you’ll get the hang of it. Finishing your hackle like this on parachutes makes tying them a snap. No more trapped hackles, odd looking thorax and bulky head tie offs.
 
If you find yourself fishing a Purple Haze and you find yourself always asking the same question? Am I happy or in misery? Be happy! Especially if there eating your purple mayfly! Life is good! So there you have it! You learned how to tie the Purple Haze and a great trick for tying parachutes! Stop in the shop or give a call if you have anymore questions about tying the perfect parachute or the Purple Haze!

Temps have started to drop to more like April…. The sun will disappear and the clouds will move back in. Sounds like a streamer day to me! This thursday night is going to be Streamer Night!
 

Streamer’s have started to get more attention lately. So what better time time to start filling up those boxes and learn a few more patterns? Most pieces of water have smaller bait fish moving around in the spring. I’m a big fan of chucking smaller clousabous, small buggers, Polar Chenille Leeches, Sparkle Minnows and Krystal Buggers. Small and simple! Here is a warm up video for you, The PCL. One of my favorites.

So what should you bring for Streamer Night?
Hooks – 2-8 3Xl shanks
Thread – MFC 3/0 or 6/0 Premium Tying Thread
Cones, Barbell Eyes and Beads – Gold, Silver or Black in Small, Medium and Large
Body Materials – Marabou, Polar Chenille, Rabbit and Ice dubbing
Tail – Marabou, Krystal Flash
Hackel – Bugger Hackle in your favorite colors.
 
All levels of experience are welcome. If you have never tied a fly… No problem. Let’s get you tying you first fly! The doors open at 6:00 and stay open until were all done tying! Bring a few beers, tying materials and a few CD’s for the stereo!

Since spring has sprung it is time to think about tying some bigger patterns….. It sounds like a great week for Foam Night! Foam Night is always a hit and there are lots of great patterns flying around. Dr. Dray is going to make an appearance and will have some more of his foamy creations to share. Lew is also going to show up and show us a few of his patterns. You’ll also be stuck with me this week…. Sorry about that… I’ll make sure there are plenty of PBR’s for everyone!
 
Here is a great warmup video for all you tiers out there. Charlie Craven and his Charlie Boy Hopper….

 
What to bring? Hooks that are 1-3 XL in size 2-16, black thread, foam in your favorite color, dubbing, elk hair, poly wing material, some hackle and your tying tools. This will be another great night of tying foam flies. I’ll bring a few of my favorite foam patterns…. Black and Red, Way To Small Ant and a few others. If you have never tied before this is a good night to start. Foam flies can be easy to tie and they catch fish! Stop in, tie a few flies, just watch and have a few beers! Doors open at 6:00.

Last week was lake night and this week is….. A Free For All! Thats right! Tie what ever you want! Go Crazy! Have you been wondering how to tie a certain pattern? Let me know and I’ll help you get it dialed! Are you looking for a few new patterns? Tell me what your thinking and I’ll show you a few of my favorite patterns. Just want to sit and watch? How about your favorite patterns? Bring them in and show them off! What bugs are catching fish right now? On the Flathead? Missouri? Clark Fork? Come in and we’ll show you what we are using!
 
Spring is in the air and winter is starting to melt away, who knows for how long? So shake the stuffy confines of winter and go crazy on our Tying Night Free For All! Bring a few beers, sodas, snacks and your tying gear!