Today’s post is from Mike Brown. Mike is the owner of Mossy’s Fly Shop in Anchorage, Alaska. A lifelong Alaskan with a passion for family, fly fishing, and fly tying. In today’s fly tying world, materials and tools are changing and advancing constantly. You see all kinds of ads telling you about how great this…
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Search Results for: tube flies
Tribute to Robert “Bob” Veverka
Sadly, on January 3, 2021, the fly fishing community has lost one of the most prolific designers and fly tyers. Bob Veverka, was a creative, strategic, and innovative fly tyer. With two of the most coveted books in the fly tying world, Spey Flies: How to Tie Them and Innovative Saltwater Flies, Bob left a…
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Leader Building 101: Rapids Camp Edition
From our Head Guide at Rapids Camp Lodge Chad Bryson drops some great tips on building leaders. Since it’s coming from Chad…I’d take it to heart. Enjoy! There are probably as many different opinions about how to build the perfect Alaska fly fishing leader as there are opinions on the perfect Alaska fly rod. So…
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Fly Tying: Golden Stone
When it comes to trout fishing in Alaska; egg patterns, flesh and big streamers are the typical soup de jour commonly associated with Alaska fishing. But, we are targeting trout and salmon aren’t present all the time. So, what are they feeding on, yes mice of course, but they also feed on bugs just like…
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Fly Tying: Flesh & Bone
To start off I’d like to tell you of an early experience in my Alaska sportfishing career that might help you make a bit of sense out of the fly recipe below. This was the early 90’s and I had only been in Alaska a couple of years at that point and also just out…
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Ed Ward’s Knot-a-Fly
Ed Ward, innovator, creative, and fly fishing icon. When it comes to Spey fishing, Ed Ward has contributed in a myriad of ways when it comes to the design and application of fly lines, heads, and flies. The Knot-a-Fly is creative and simple, so simple, he doesn’t even have to speak during the instruction. It…
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Veverka’s Mantis Shrimp – From Its Creator
Classic fly patterns are classics for a reason. They simply work. Bob Veverka’s Mantis Shrimp is one of those patterns. Classic flies, like classic cars, can be modified, painted a new color, add or take away parts to match personalties. Some would say, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Whichever way you lean, this…
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5 Easy Ways to Improve Your Swung Fly Chinook Game by Frank Day
There is nothing more exciting to me at this point in my life than swinging flies to chrome bright Chinooks within a stone’s throw of the salt. Chinook are some of the finest anadromous quarry to be found in our west coast waters. They are the largest of the pacific salmon and have an attitude…
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Underrated Species: The Jack Crevalle
Jacks (Caranx hippos) have an unfair reputation amongst fly fishermen. I believe this started when anglers targeting permit had small jacks aggressively swoop in and take their fly before the permit had a chance to eat it (or knowing permit maybe not eat it.) I get that, and I would be pretty pissed if that…
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Timeless Tips // Water Hauling
I will start of by admitting this cast is not especially graceful looking but it does a great job of loading the rod without needing a false cast. It is surprisingly useful so it should be something you a familiar with, especially if you fish deep or heavy indicator rigs. A water haul is basically…
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