“What fly you tying on?” It is a question asked on every day of fishing with my brother. He asks me, or I ask him. Sometimes we ask because we expect one knows more. Sometimes because an unexpected fly piques curiosity. Sometimes I ask, so I know what fly to switch to after watching him fight a fish upstream and out of earshot. I wonder if he caught that on his…
Sheets of light sliced through cracks in the steep rock walls and cut through clouds of insects above the river. Thousands of dull blue-grey wings sparkled in and out of the rays shifting through the shadows. Sometimes a breeze carried warmth from where the sun still hit the grass outside canyon to where I waded in the cool evening air.
“Wanna tie a fly Pop?”
It was a whisper, but it woke me. My son’s weight leaned against my chest. When I cracked my eyes, his gleamed back inches away. I took a deep breath and smiled.
When I pulled off the road and parked next to the South Platte River, I knew I was returning to a special place.
Tying your own flies is a huge leap in the pursuit of becoming a great fly fisher. If you are just starting out, congratulations. Now that you have decided to start tying flies, you may be asking, “what fly should I learn to tie first?” The Zebra Midge is an outstanding answer for many reasons.
They say you can save a lot of time and solve a lot of problems with a glass of whiskey and a table covered in fly boxes, reels, strike indicators --- they don’t really say that. But it’s true…