Tying flies has long been one of my favorite winter activities. I derive much pleasure from crafting a supply of the many fly patterns needed to restock my fly boxes for the upcoming trout season.

A close second would be, “What (or how many) fly patterns do I need to have to be successful most of the time? Those are both valid queries, and ones which reflect the quintessence of fly-fishing. On ...

Dry flies have improved dramatically. Even the same classic patterns are better today because the materials used to tie them are so much better. When I first started fly-fishing as a kid in the 1960s ...