Father'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.
The journal · Page 6 of 12
Blog.
River guides, fly selection, and field notes from the South Platte. Written from the water, not a desk.
Page 6
142 posts · page 6 / 12
Getting 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.
The Whip Finish, Two Ways — With the Tool and By Hand
How to finish a fly properly: the whip finish with a rotating tool and by hand, when to use each, and why the head matters more than you think.
Three 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.
How 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.
A 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.
Egg Patterns — When the Spawn Is On, This Is What's Eating Trout
Egg patterns rule the South Platte during brown spawn (Oct–Nov) and rainbow spawn (Mar–Apr). Otter's Egg, Y2K, dead-egg variants, and how to fish ethically.
San Juan Worm — The Pattern That Isn't Pretty But Catches South Platte Fish
The San Juan Worm is the unglamorous workhorse of South Platte tailwater nymphing. Red, pink, purple — when and why it earns the point spot on Deckers.
Reading Water on Deckers — Pocket Water vs Pool Tailouts
Where the fish actually hold at Deckers and why. A practical breakdown of pocket water vs pool tailouts — current seams, feeding lanes, and soft water.
Bow Hunting Made Me a Better Fly Fisher
What bow hunting elk, mule deer, and whitetail in Colorado taught me about wind, stillness, and the one-shot cast — and how it shows up on the South Platte.
Building a Fly Box for the South Platte — What's Actually in Mine
Most fly boxes are graveyards of flies that never get tied on. Here's what actually lives in mine — by section, by size, by why it earns the space.
Hardy Built a Reel Just for Streamer Fishing — the Averon
Hardy built the first fly reel made just for streamer fishing: the Averon Streamer, designed with Kelly Galloup. A first look at what a streamer reel needs.