Field NotesFly Fishing Books Worth Reading — The Ones I Keep Coming Back To
The fly fishing books worth your winter: the literary canon that makes you feel it, the technical ones that made me a better tailwater angler, and the Colorado writers.
Rocky Drift Co. — Colorado Tailwater
Blog.
River guides, fly selection, and field notes from the South Platte — written from the water, not a desk.
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Field Notes
Field NotesThe History of Fly Fishing — And What It Still Teaches Us
From a Macedonian hook dressed with red wool to a Blowtorch nymph in a Deckers seam — 2,000 years of fly fishing, and why none of it is ancient history.
Gear ReviewFly Tying Materials That Earn Space on My Bench
The materials I actually tie with — Semperfli thread, MFC beads, Hanak and Fulling Mill hooks, UTC wire, Fulling Mill CDC. What earns shelf space on my bench, and what gets cut.
SeasonalSouth Platte & Arkansas Conditions Report — Flows Are Low Right Now (June 25, 2026)
A weak winter dropped the Dream Stream, Eleven Mile, and Arkansas to skinny flows — where to fish instead, the water temp that should end your day, and how to fish low water.
Field NotesWhy I Tie the Blowtorch Myself Instead of Buying It
Why I tie my own Blowtorches instead of buying them. The economic case is backwards — the real reason is what tying my favorite fly changed about how I fish the South Platte.
Field NotesPolarized Sunglasses for Trout: What Actually Helps You See Fish
Polarized sunglasses are the most underrated trout gear you own. Lens tints, glass vs polycarbonate, and how to spot fish in gin-clear Colorado tailwater.
Field NotesFather's Day on the Water
A Father's Day letter to my son — what fly fishing taught me about being his dad, and the hours that matter more than any fish.
Gear ReviewGetting Started in Fly Tying: A Realistic Beginner's Guide
How to actually start tying flies — the beginner bench (vise, bobbin, scissors, whip finisher), the first patterns that catch fish, and the learning curve.
Field NotesThe Whip Finish, Three Ways — Tool, Hand, and Two-Finger
How to finish a fly properly: the whip finish with the Matarelli tool, by hand, and as a field repair — when to use each, and why the head matters most.
Field NotesThree Knots That Cover 95% of My South Platte Fishing
You don't need eight knots. The three I actually use — clinch, triple surgeon's, perfection loop — cover every connection from fly line to fly.
Field NotesHow to Find Blue Lines in Colorado
Nobody hands you a secret creek — that's the whole point. Here's how to read a map, pick water worth the hike, and fish small streams the right way.
Gear ReviewA Long Time at the Vise — What's Actually on My Bench
A personal tour of my fly tying bench — the Renzetti, the Renomed scissors, the full Stonfo lineup, and why each piece ended up there.
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