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Friends Flies Journal
A collection of flies gifted and traded over the years with fly tying friends and acquaintances from around the world.
Friends Flies
Fred Hall
The late Fred Hall was a commercial fly tyer located in the Southern Appalachian town of Bryson City, NC. Fred is one of the truly legendary trout fly tyers of this region of the country. An area steeped in fly fishing for trout that predates fly fishing in New England. As you see from this collection of flies actually tied by Fred, he tied dry flies having symmetry, sparseness, and attention to detail second to none. Over the years a number of patterns have been attributed to Fred Hall as originator, but he only claimed the distinction on one pattern, the Adams Variant, the first fly below.
Jeremy Hall
Jeremy is a young Oregonian fly tyer that ties some of the most beautiful small trout dry flies to be found anywhere. These samples are tied on small hooks for fine presentation on spring creeks like the Metolius River in central Oregon. Check out the third fly having an extended body and Wonder Wing.
Ed Story
The late Ed Story was probably best known nationally as the owner of National Feather Craft, a fly tying materials nirvana to tyers from midges to Salmon flies. Ed had a love and passion for the trout streams near his St. Louis shop and this fly, the Crackleback, is the fly he is most well known for creating. Ed stated that while the woolly worm was the best wet fly, he decided to create a dry woolly worm that would work as well for those loving to fish the dry fly. This fly has certainly lived up to Ed's expectations. Ed tied this fly for me when I visited him at his shop in the early 1990's and then gave me a friendly chewing out for putting it in the incorrect style of fly box.
Bruce Staples
Bruce is the consummate trout fisherman of the spring creeks and rivers of Idaho. The trout of locations such as Silver Creek and the Henry's Fork of the Snake are his home waters. Of all of the trout flies that Bruce ties to fish, to donate to conservation auctions, and for kids at shows, this muddler tied by Bruce is the one he is most often associated with.
Jim ties spun deer hair flies designed to fish like the old time popular bass lures of the gear bass fisherman. His meticulous deer hair work makes each fly almost looks like it is carved out of balsa or cedar. A fine example is his Lucky Wiggler below.
Neil Boston
Another exceptional warmwater fly tyer and all round good guy.
Jim lives on one of the impoundments of the Santee-Cooper region of SC. He is a true Southern gentleman and has a very dry sense of humor. Fishing with Jim is always fun, interesting, and exciting. For example, if he happens to spot a none poisonous snake in the overhanging brush he has been known to "accidently" runs the bow of his fishing pram with its guest into the brush so you are eyeball to eyeball with the snake. After a session with a devibbulator and a few beers it's funny even to the guest. He also has interesting fishing partners like the gator that was swimming along side when I was there and interestingly was longer than the 12 foot pram we were in. All of the bodies of these flies were turned out of foam from flip-flops, on a "fly lath" Jim made specifically for this.
The above fly is Jim's Nymphomie fly.
