Spring is here in Western Montana. The Glacier lilies are blooming, Bitterroots and Arrowleaf Balsamroots are popping up. The geese can’t shut up and fight the Redwing blackbirds for the title of noisiest birds around. Of course, it still snows and blows and when it rains the temps are in the 40’s and it’s pretty…
Category: An Angler’s Vice
Fly tying narratives, instructions, materials and photos.
March Brown Spinner
March Brown Spinner If you live anywhere near the Bitterroot River then every March you listen for the whispers and rumors of the first Squwala sighting and even though you know it will be packed with every guide west of the Missouri you still head out there for the chance to throw a big dry…
Parachute Squwala
Just in case you don’t have enough Squwala patterns to tie, here’s another one. This pattern is based on Schroeder’s parachute hopper, which I think doesn’t get the credit it deserves for being one of the best. The fly checks off the key features of a Squwala: it’s low floating, segmented body, and lots of…
Renegade Damsel
The idea for this fly started up at Georgetown lake fishing with my buddies Bryan and Sep. Georgetown lake is a shallow, spring-fed lake that sits around six thousand feet in the Pintlar mountains. It’s a super fertile lake that gets loads of pressure and handles it just fine. There’s enough food to feed the…
The Fink Fly
The Fink fly is a blatant rip off of one of my favorite ice fishing jigs, the “Ratfinkee”. Bryan’s son, Finn, grew up using it and has taken fishing the Ratfinkee to new heights catching every type of fish he can find minus a pike. The fly version here has been a great winter pattern…