Page 2 - Blog

In his words: Phil Rowley's must-have Spring stillwater fly patterns. To avoid the skunk, Phil doesn't leave the house without these bugs. 

Bonefish aren't the pickest fish in the sea (except for when they are), but when you find something that works, why not roll with it?

The Flying V is a great match for blue-wing olive and March brown hatches on Montana's Missouri River and beyond. The pattern is easy to tie, easy to see on the water, and it takes fish on challenging flat surfaces stretches of rivers and streams. Triple bonus!!!

The 2” Montana Mini Intruder is perfect for flinging on two to four-weight trout spey rods. When you tie one, you can choose to run the hook either up or down on your wire. In the summer, I swing it fast and high through riffles and over buckets with the hook angled down. In cold water, I fish it slow and deep with the hook riding up, Clouser-style. This keeps bottom contact to a minimum and hook ups to the maximum.

Kelly Galloup's Sex Dungeon streamer is one of the most effective flies on Western rivers. The Mini and Micro Dungeon versions are especially effective on native cutthroat waters, but they'll take big fish just about anywhere. Just ask Galloup.

Sam Wike's Tailwater Charlie is a knock-em-dead pattern on Montana's Missouri River and matches sow bugs wherever they are found.

If you want to fill your fly boxes with traditional No-Hackles, you may be in for a surprise—those flies require patience to master, and even the typically mild-spoken east Idaho legend Mike Lawson calls them, “a real bitch” to learn to tie.

You can't have too many of these Party On Top Caddis in your fly box. Whether floating or slightly sunken, this fly excels on flat-surface waters and picky fish.

All flies have a story to tell and this particular fly, the Airhead, partially tells the story of Gary LaFontaine and his battles with the terminal illness ALS. In addition, this story tells how some flies can bring people together, even fathers and daughters who have dealt with the ups and downs of parenthood and the teenage years.