I am a trout bum.  Officially, I am a wildlife biologist, having spent many years in college, then chasing spotted owls and other rare and unusual creatures.  That is just a cover identity, however, designed to fool family members, although actually working once in a while does help me pay for this obsession. 

I grew up in the mid-west, then learned fly fishing and the lives of salmonids in southwest Washington.  After years of fishing and working there, I packed up and moved to Montana, to go back to school and find some better fishing.  Since then I have lived in Washington, California, and Colorado.  If you know of any jobs up north, though… 

As you will see below, I am a fan of basic flies.  Part of this is my belief that trout, even big ones, are inherently stupid.  The rest is laziness, which leads me to tie the simplest effective flies I can get away with.  But all of these flies have been tested thoroughly on some of the best trout waters the West has to offer.