Sam Wike

What makes a hopper pattern "The Best" Our choices are derived from very strong opinions, just about zero hard data, and an overdose of heavy debate. The reality is, there are a ton of great hopper patterns and many of them work well.

Sam Wike's home stream is Montana's Smith River and in this blog he goes through his favorite patterns for spring and summer fishing on the Smith. Take these patterns to the Smith River with you and you'll you're sure to catch some great wild trout.

There are thousands of great bonefish patterns. So many, in fact, it would be difficult if not impossible to find a group of saltwater buffs who could agree on a Top 10 list.

The Missouri River Fly Fishers hosted its State of The Rivers conference in Great Falls, Mont., in February, which is an annual event that focuses on the health of the Missouri River. Author Sam Wike details what was said, and how Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks believes the fishing will pan out this year. The good news? Lots of large fish in good numbers.

This list was put together by the collective knowledge of the House of Fly crew, including members of our staff who reside in south Florida, and our guide/ambassador team who also live in that idyllic area.

Unless we get a lot of water, these central Montana lakes will be in tough condition by mid-summer. If you plan to fish stillwater on the Front, you should do so in spring.

New shop owner Sam Wike finds a treasure trove of classic saltwater flies and chases down the mystery and mayhem behind each.

These are our top choices for online fly shops and buying quality flies.

I believe Miami could be the best inner-city fly-fishing community in the United States, with its unlimited waterways and canals, and amazing fish targets, such as peacock bass, largemouth bass, snook and tarpon. All are likely players on nearly all the city’s waterbodies. The problem is this: all the anglers, including young aspiring anglers who use bikes as transportation, know they aren’t really supposed to be fishing those posted waters. So, we got to thinking: What can we do about this?

Author Sam Wike buys a flats skiff and takes on the daunting challenge of Islamorada's bonefish.

Herer are five products that stood out at the ICAST show in Orlando, Florida last week. These will be available at House of Fly this late summer and fall.

The PMD hatch comes off in June and this is one of the few times of the year that large brown trout hold in the shallow shelves, tucked in amongst waving weed beds, gently rising to a mix of PMD’s, spent caddis, and any number of clumsy terrestrials. During a strong PMD hatch the largest browns don’t care too much if it’s full sun, full clouds, raining, or whatever . . . they are there to eat.