Thanks to Our Presenters

Lets see 14 fly tying sessions with almost 35 patterns. That is a pretty decent season of tying. I learned so much again this year. Remember that we all can learn a lot from each other. I want to thank the following presenters:

Evan Ritchie

Doug Pullen

Phil Rowley

Dr. Bill Young

Don Anderson

Bob Vanderwater

Roy Saunders

Jock MacKenzie

Doug Cook

Byron Stearns

Willy Spijksma

A special thanks to Dave and Amelia Jensen for their incredible video/photos of fly fishing in New Zealand. 

We started the first of December and finished up three weeks into March. Monday nights certainly helped get us through those long winter nights with no fly fishing.

Keep tying everybody. Take a look back through our patterns. All of the patterns will be useful at some point during the season. Try to fish some new waters this year. Venture out, it's all part of the fun.

Please take lots of photos of your your trophies and destinations. We will post them again next year.

E-mail Bob with any neat pictures and places you wish to share. Have a great fly fishing season.

Bob and Karen Vanderwater

Monday March 16th, 2009

Hi Everybody!

Tonight was the final tying session of the year. Bob and Willy led the group in the final two patterns of the season. Willy's lake nymph has paid off big time at Ironside Pond and local caddis patterns, especially the X-caddis are a must have in your river/lake fly box.

Willy leading tonight's group.

Lake Nymph (similar to a damsel pattern)

Hook: size 10 Mustad 9671 nymph hook

Tail: Green marabou with some green crystal flash

Body: Green rabbit with some green ice dub added in

Rib: Green flashabou

Shellback: Brown raffia

Thorax: green rabbit with a webby white hackle palmered through

X-caddis

Hook:Standard dry fly size 14

Trailing Shuck: tan z-lon (or antron, try an amber color)

Body: tan phentex

Wing: Deer hair

Elk Hair Caddis

Body is dark tan superfine dubbing (Wapsi)

Elk Hair Caddis

Hook: Standard size 14 dry fly hook

Trailing Shuck: tan z-lon

Body: orange phentex

Hackle: brown

Wing: Deer hair

Monday March 9th, 2009 Stellar Stoneflies

Hi Everybody!

It was nice to see 14 tyers come out on such a frigid night. The theme tonight was stoneflies. We attacked three patterns that are quite useful in Alberta. Try the Montana stonefly on our local trout lakes. The Brooks Stonefly is big and imitates the nymph of a salmonfly. Charlie Brooks liked big flies for BIG fish! The Bitch Creek Nymph is an excellent pattern when the cutthroat are not rising. Remember to get all three patterns down, bottom bouncing. Number 5 split shots are your friends unless you hit yourself in the back of the head. Ouch!

Our final tying session is next week. Willy and Bob will be the final presenters. See you there!

Montana Stonefly

Hook: size 6 to 12, 3X

Tail: Brown goose biots

Body: Black Chenille

Thorax: Yellow chenille

Wing Case: Black chenille

Hackle: Black or brown

Weight: lead substitute (0.20)

Originator: Charlie Brooks

Brooks Stonefly

Hook: size 6 to 12, 3X

Weight: lead substitute (o.20)

Tail: Brown goose biots

Rib: Copper wire

Body: brown yarn (try uniyarn)

Gills: white ostrich herl

Hackle: brown and grizzle

...try this pattern with black or gold yarn

Bitch Creek Nymph

Hook: size 6 to 12, 3x

Weight: lead substitute

Tails/Antenna: white rubber legs

Body: Orange and black chenille (woven)

Thorax: Black chenille

Hackle: Dun, black or brown

The gang tying stoneflies.

Monday March 2, 2009

It's hard to believe it's already March. Tonight 17 fly tyers learned two patterns that Byron Stearns taught the gang. Byron was part of the guiding team with Fly Fish Alberta last year. Byron taught us a neat skwala pattern he developed and a traveling sedge pattern that paid off big time at both Ironside Pond and Mitchell Lake. We HAD to name the skwala pattern.  Byron, its now the "BS Skwala!" The BS  stands for Byron's initals, of course, nothing else (grin). 

Byron, you were very impressive tonight. Your detailed descriptions made it easy for the group to successfully complete both patterns. Way to go! 

We have two sessions left for the season. See you next week!

Byron Stearns

BS Skwala (originated by Byron Stearns)

Hook: Size 8 standard dry fly hook

Tail: Black 2 mm foam

Body: green dubbing

Wing: Black deer hair

Legs: Rubber legs

Hackle: Black

Thorax: green dubbing

Traveling Sedge

Hook: Size 6 dry fly

Tail: elk hair

Body: golden dubbing

Wing: Deer Hair

Hackle: Brown

-a variation of the BS Skwala with an over wing and an under wing 

(black and natural deer hair)

...some of the gang tying their skwala and sedge patterns