From Phil Rowley's Fly Tying Column
In recent years European nymphing techniques have become dominant across North America. Not only the method itself but also the unique patterns fly fishers tie and use such as Spanish style nymphs. Spanish nymphs are small, thin and hard bodied. Designed to succeed in...
The FAB is a clever blend of two popular stillwater attractors, the Booby and the Blob, two patterns that have been the subject of previous columns. Together, these three patterns form my current stillwater attractor pattern trinity.
From the research I have done, the FAB’s origins trace back to some English...
by Phil Rowley
From his Fly Tying Column
One of the best dragon nymph imitations is Jim Crawford’s Gomphus. Although technically not a Gomphus imitation, Gomphus or Gomphidae are most commonly found living in slow moving sections of rivers and streams, and there is no disputing this pattern’s success.
The spun and...
Some recipes to prepare for the coming winter...
Ice fishing is great fun for the whole family, but nothing puts a damper on the day faster than shivering bodies and chattering teeth which is why a good dependable thermos tops my list as a must-have piece of gear for keeping the...
This article originally appeared in the July/August issue of BC Outdoors
It is a common belief that wet flies and nymphs are the most successful choice to catch a lot of fish. This does make sense as fish feed subsurface the majority of the time, and anglers will only open...
I was fortunate to meet Rob Texmo earlier this year. Rob is a talented tyer with a love for traditional Atlantic salmon and spey patterns, adapting the tying techniques and disciplines these flies require with great success for Pacific salmon and steelhead. Rob’s tying skill and attention to detail on...
The Surf Candy is one of a number of proven baitfish patterns designed and developed by New Jersey fly fisher and author Bob Popovics. Bob has spent years along the eastern seaboard of the United States chasing striped bass, bluefish and false albacore on the fly perfecting his innovative designs...
I have lots of secluded fishing holes scattered throughout the north but one of my top destinations for rainbow is so big, bountiful and easy to access that there's no need to worry about keeping it under wraps because the pristine waters of beautiful Francois Lake, our province's second-largest natural...
The boat slowly idled through the morning fog, heading across the lake. It was amazing how quiet it was, given in the next few hours it would seem like a water skiing and tubing carnival. There was no sound except for a few waking gulls and the slight hum of...
On my fly pattern checklist, John Kent’s Humped Back Spawner ticks all the necessary boxes for a deadly freshwater shrimp or scud pattern. The Humped Back Spawner boasts a convincing realistic appearance, instantly appealing to any fly fisher the moment they see it. More importantly, trout view it with equal...