Welcome to Stihlhead Season
Four Seasons Fly Shoppe in LaGrande, Oregon, represents everything I love about the Eastern half of my home state. The entire region exposes much of western Montana as the playground for hobby-ranching Hollywood types that it has become. If you want to see a landscape dripping with old-school authenticity, then consider Enterprise, not Ennis.
Why the Yucatan Rules
One of the most common saltwater fishing questions that I get asked or that appears on The Drake message board is some variation of, “I have to go to some stupid/gay/waste-of-time/soon-to-be-divorced-anyway wedding/business conference/family reunion down in Cancun. I’mstaying at (fill in name of cheesy resort, usually within walking distance of Outback Steakhouse or Bubba Gump’s),…
Details
The Disappearance of Stanley Bain
“There was no evidence to show they’d been around. There were no boats, no wreckage. There was nothing.” – Henry Bain. Andros Island, Bahamas Image:Chip Bates On the morning of August 5, 1995, Stanley Bain stood in front of his Cargill Creek Lodge and surveyed the small flyfishing empire that he’d built. The resort sat…
Details
Excuses
For those sad souls who can’t get the angling monkey off their backs and have chosen to live well above the seasonal freezing line, winter can easily slide into a cornucopia spilling over with bountiful excuses. Much like the traveling charlatan preacher for whom the mind is willing but the flesh is weak – we…
Details
Of Alcohol and Albacore
If I’ve had better domestic fishing trips, I can’t remember them. Blitzing Albies, fish from the beach, pool and locol luches at the BT, fantastic food and one questionable movie night. Others have made posts on the forum, but now, you get to the REST of the story… k:
Details
Slumming and Chumming
Confessing a love for chasing chum salmon is kind of like of admitting I used to be an altar boy – something I generally only reveal to close friends.
Details
Five Reasons Why I Love Fishing and Hunting News
1) Because there’s just something about a dude wearing camo, holding a bloody bear carcass. (Headline inside: “Do Goldilocks a Favor.”) Sure, you might not ask him to take your SATs for you, but when your gutless little hippy car slides off the road in a snowstorm, guarantee this dude rolls up in an F350…
DetailsLoop Tuft Emerger
Chuffer Here’s one for the quick and dirty set. My version of the Loop-Tuft Emerger. It’s the bastard love child of the CDC Loop Wing Emerger and the Sparkle Dun, and it’s a great fly for selective trout.
DetailsWally Wing Parachute
Chuffer At the risk of repeating myself (again) I decided to do a fly with wally wings for the second video. However, I did this one as a parachute so it’s not totally redundant. Now, you’ve just watched the video and I know what you’re thinking. You’re wondering just what exactly makes that fly an…
DetailsAdams Paraloop Emerger
Chuffer This is the only fly that I absolutely cannot be without. It just flat out works anytime there are mayflies on the water. Use this emerger as a general mayfly pattern, or use the techniques shown in the video to build a very effective emerger for your favorite hatch. Enjoy!
Details
And Now, Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Fishing
I’m sick of waiting for Bie to make a new blog post. He’s been fighting that shark for like two months. So here’s a quick rundown since July, like Berman’s Fastest Three Minutes:
