Gift Box

With spring approaching quicker than it has in all my days on earth, I've been frantically trying to catch up on my orders for the shops as well as put a few boxes together for friends, donations, and future family.  Below are a few shots I put together of a box I gave my future brother-in-law and his spring order of SPlatte PMD's, SPlatte Baetis's and SPlatte Rollers.  Although it pains me a bit to see all these flies land in other peoples flybox, a certain sense of grace is felt knowing they'll all be getting wet on the end of someone's line this spring.  Get yours

An assortment of Barr's Graphic Caddis, with and without a tungsten topper, these will make their way to the Arkansas headwater.

                                        SPlatte Rollers in #12 with a couple wraps of lead in the thorax to help take it down to the next level.  Drop a SPlatte Baetis off the back of this caddis nymph and hold on.  There's a reason there are 4thousand fish per mile in this river, they all have enough to eat.                                      

 A few of Charlie's Two Bit Hookers tied with flouro fibre wing buds, an instant tailwater clasic.  You'll also notice a few Pure Midges, again courtesy of Mr. Barr and a couple tungsten bead Rainbow Warriors. 

 More hookers in #16, I prefer the 2.0mm tungsten in this size.  4mm's of Tungsten on TMC 3769 have equiled a ton fish to the net, these flies just don't give up.

 Here is collection of a few different Pat Dorsey patterns rolled into one fly.  It makes for a killer tied on a #22, TMC 2488.  Anyone out there willing to donate their old, non used medalion sheeting?  Just put it in an envelope addressed to me and expect good karma coming back within 2-3 working days. 

15dozen SPlatte Rollers ready to hit the fly bin at the new and improved Royal Gorge Anglers fly shop just outside of Canon City.  If you missed the grand opening, you'll be needing to stop in to see what the industry buzz is all about.  

5dozen SPlatte PMD's should hold off the masses for now, I've already started tying for the post run-off PMD season this summer.  The Ark is a Hopper Dropper river and you can't go wrong with this combo in July and August.

Life is good, and even better when you're fishing.  Get out there.

Salt

My good friends Joe and Brandon headed out last week with their wives in seach for bones and permit in the Bahamas.  Joe had spoken with the his guide and after exchanging a few emails about what's hot down there right now, I had a material list and a game plan.  McKnight's 'Crimp' is an Umpqua pattern that shares the common charactoritics of a shrimp and a crab.  Working on this pattern this last week been an oportunity for me to upsize the hook size and work with some materials not normally in my wheelhouse.  The first half dozen 'attempts' have been discarded to spare the embarrassment associated with tying shitty looking flies.  I'm looking foreword to the pictures of some of these flies stuck in some faces.