Lightning Bugs – Pheasant Tail Nymphs
October 22, 2009 by admin
Filed under Featured, Fly Fishing, Our Outdoors
Our Outdoors
Nick Simonson
Of all the game birds sportsmen pursue, none is more colorful than the ringneck pheasant. Which makes it a pretty odd fact that the most popular fly used by outdoorsmen is the generally drab looking pheasant tail nymph – or simply, the PTN. Of course, trout, bluegill and other fish don’t seem [...]
Smallie Streamers – Flies for Bass Fishing
February 5, 2009 by admin
Filed under Bass Fishing, Fly Fishing
Our Outdoors
Nick Simonson
Except for a few wily grayling in the cold running streams of northern Norway, few freshwater fish have fought as valiantly on the flyrod as the smallmouth bass of my home water. These fish, from late April through October on the Sheyenne River and others like it in the upper Midwest, are happy [...]
Fall Success Provides Great Fly Tying Materials
February 5, 2009 by admin
Filed under Fly Fishing
Our Outdoors
Nick Simonson
Fall not only represents a time to return to the field, but also a time to restock fly tying and lure making materials for the winter. From partridge and grouse in the early season, to ducks, pheasants and deer as cold air sets in, the bounty of nature on the wing and hoof [...]
Discovering Trinity
February 4, 2009 by admin
Filed under Fly Fishing, Other Fishing
By PJ Maguire
Easter weekend, with most of my peers hunting snow geese somewhere from Nebraska to North Dakota, I was in Northern California. My father and I had made the journey from St. Paul together by plane. We were going to visit my sister and her fiancé and their new child my first nephew Martin. [...]
Tying Egg Flies
February 4, 2009 by admin
Filed under Fly Fishing, Other Fishing
Our Outdoors
Nick Simonson
In my quest for steelhead knowledge, I have found some interesting patterns, from complex streamers to simple nymphs. Stocking the fly box has been both rewarding and exciting as my arsenal takes shape for my trip to the shores of Lake Superior this spring.
The most enjoyable box to compile has been the one [...]
The Woolly Bugger
February 4, 2009 by admin
Filed under Fly Fishing, Other Fishing
Our Outdoors
Nick Simonson
In my journeys into fly fishing and fly tying, I have not found a more enjoyable fly to put together on the vise and put under the water’s surface than the woolly bugger. The beauty of this streamer comes from its simplicity, both in how it is tied and how it is fished.
The [...]
Partridge Patterns – Tying Fly Patterns for Panfish
February 4, 2009 by admin
Filed under Fly Fishing, Other Fishing
Our Outdoors
Nick Simonson
As hunting season hits full stride and the first few birds are placed in the pouches of my upland vest, I can’t help but plan for two things – dinner, of course, and the number of patterns I will tie with the feathers attached to the birds I harvest. With the first partridge [...]
Fly Fishing Tying – Terrific Terrestrial
February 4, 2009 by admin
Filed under Crappie Fishing, Fly Fishing, Other Fishing
Our Outdoors
Nick Simonson
The Fourth is behind us, and summer is in full swing. If swarms of mosquitoes weren’t a sure sign, the vast numbers and array of other insects present during the day and at dusk is a definite reminder. The table is set for summer’s great binge, and every fly fisherman needs a few [...]
Hoppin’ & Poppin’ – Tying Flies
February 4, 2009 by admin
Filed under Fly Fishing, Other Fishing
Our Outdoors
Nick Simonson
The exciting thing about tying flies and fly fishing is trying out new patterns. Questioning whether a fly looks edible, how, when and where it should be fished and more are part of figuring out the grand puzzle.
The trial for every tied fly comes in two phases; first, the selection and assembly of [...]
Time to Start Tying Flies
February 2, 2009 by admin
Filed under Fly Fishing, Other Fishing
Our Outdoors
Nick Simonson
Over, under, around and through, that’s the way to tie…a fly? Well, that’s the way I finish them at least.
Another great start to a fall bird season and the switch to daylight standard time has dashed my hopes of anymore after-work hunting trips. But once again those pre-standard time hunts have given me [...]
Fly Fishing for Beginners
February 2, 2009 by admin
Filed under Fly Fishing, Other Fishing
By Doug Leier
At this stage in my life I feel satisfied with what I’ve bagged, tagged and caught, including deer, birds and a few lunker fish. A 40-inch pike is a favorite memory because of the light rod and tackle I was using and my struggle to boat the fish. It was a classic case [...]
Fly Fishing Basics
February 2, 2009 by admin
Filed under Fly Fishing, Other Fishing
Our Outdoors
Nick Simonson
When most people think of fly fishing, they think of the movie “A River Runs Through It,” pristine mountain streams and a glistening rainbow trout held aloft by the L. L. Bean-clad angler. But that isn’t fly fishing; at the most it is a minute part of it. Just like walleye fishing isn’t [...]
