I discovered fly fishing about five years ago and took the plunge into fly tying just over three years ago. I can’t remember what peaked my interest in fishing, having rarely done it as a kid, but it quickly became the focus of most of my free time. Most of the focus of my fishing is steelhead in the PNW and the majority of flies I tie are for that purpose. I learned the basics of fly tying on shanks with intruder-style flies, but shifted to more “traditional” styles relatively quickly. The beauty of not only the patterns, but the materials and hooks, is such a captivating thing. I honestly think hooks are perhaps my favourite aspect. Finding the right hook as a platform is so very important, I don’t always succeed. The neo-classic featherwing speys of the PNW steelhead tradition were my first real obsession, then their Scottish ancestors as well as their Dee-style strip wing cousins. From there it was a not-too-slow slippage into fumbling through Victorian classic salmon patterns. All of this is still a learning process and I enjoy tying a diverse array of styles and flies. My current obsessions have shifted to the in-hand tying of classic Irish salmon flies and styles (mostly Blacker and Rogan), and I have an ongoing affection for the classic North Country trout flies of Yorkshire. I also like to recreate unique patterns based off of antique examples shared by collectors, and I continue to return to the Speys and Dees that introduced me to tying classics, they are endlessly adaptable. And I always make sure to tie plenty of General Practitioners, the greatest fly of them all…




Best, Adam