PATAGONIA - Pheasant Tail Simplicity

One of my favorite books to have read this past fall was Pheasant Tail Simplicity with Yvon Chouinard, Craig Mathews, and Mauro Mazzo teaming up again for this Patagonia published paperback tome featuring stories, techniques, and fly tying recipes and instruction.  

The book is beautifully photographed and includes a series of QR codes that takes readers to short videos to demonstrate techniques or give fly tying step by step tutorials.



From the Patagonia website...

Together, these anglers have nearly 200 years of fly-fishing experience. They've tried—and refined—it all and share their knowledge here, demonstrating how you can catch fish—anywhere, any time—with just one type of fly.

Angling aficionados and authors Chouinard, Mathews, and Mazzo come together again, this time to reveal the many wonders of the pheasant tail fly. In Simple Fly Fishing (Patagonia; 2014, 2018), they made the case for replacing unnecessary gear with knowledge and technique. Now, after years of additional experience, they offer the next step: the feather that can be used to tie flies from nymphs and dry flies to emergers, soft hackles, and beetles. Pheasant Tail Simplicity, conceived as an advanced follow-up to Simple Fly Fishing, explores the techniques required to tie and present these flies to trout and anadromous and saltwater species. More than just a guide, it challenges the norm that thousands of fly patterns are necessary to catch fish successfully.

Pheasant Tail Simplicity includes step-by-step illustrated instructions for tying 18 flies, along with materials lists and tips on how to use them. In concise text, with QR codes that link to how-to videos, this colorful book distills fly fishing to its core: one primary fly-tying material, a handful of techniques, and a mindset that prioritizes knowledge, craft, and creativity over all else.

Order your copy of Pheasant Tail Simplicity on the Patagonia website or pick one up at your local book store or fly shop.  Now through January 1, 2026, this book is 40% off online, which is a steal for $15.

THE YOOPER FLY LIFE - Tying the Royal Robert's Drake

I have a real soft spot for northern Michigan fly patterns that originated out of the Grayling area.  This is where I learned to fly fish three decades ago and these historically significant patterns should take up row after row of your dry fly box in various sizes and colors.  This includes variations and fly tiers takes.

Leading up to Christmas, Todd White of The Yooper Fly Life posted the Royal Robert's Drake on Instagram and I asked if he'd put together a tutorial in case you'd like to add this one to the list of flies that you'll tie this winter.  

This isn't the first tutorial that Todd has given us and you can find those posts HERE and HERE.

From Todd White...

I came up with the Royal Robert's Drake color variation just playing at the vise one day a few years back, simply asking the question if Clarence Robert's Drake, the killer light/yellow Michigan mayfly pattern with X-wrapped deer hair body, could be translated into a Royal Wulff style color palette.

This is really a testimonial to the quality and variety of terrific materials readily available to modern tiers.  Nature's Spirit and Varner's Streamers currently produce deer hair dyed in excellent peacock shades, and Sulky Threads extra thin/extra strong red tinsel really makes this version of the Robert's Drake possible.  

The Royal Robert's Drake isn't just a pretty face either, this thing really cooks on the water and it has earned a reserved spot in my fly box  Have had excellent results as an attractor/searching pattern for both brook and brown trout in a variety of water.  And, don't sleep on tying and fishing a 3XL version in larger sizes as a damsel imitation during the dog days.  You can thank me later.

ROYAL ROBERT'S DRAKE RECIPE:

Hook:  Standard Dry Fly Hook - Size 8-16 or 3XL Dry Fly Size 8-12

Thread:  UTC 70 Denier - Black

Tail:  Nature's Spirit Speckled Moose Body Hair - Brown

Body:  Nature's Spirit Spinning Hair - Frog Green or Varner's Late Season Deer Hair - Peacock

Rib:  Sulky's Thread Spooled Tinsel - Red

Post:  McFlylon Poly Yarn - White

Thorax:  Nature's Spirit Strung Peacock - Dyed Fluorescent Green

Hackle:  Whiting Saddle Hackle - Grizzly Dyed Coachman Brown

STEP 1 - Place hook in vise, attach black thread, measure tail to length of hook shank and tie in.

STEP 2 - Measure deer hair tips to 1/3 tail past bend and tie in butts at 2/3 shank spinning hair equally around hook.

STEP 3 - Pull deer hair tips rearward and wrap in open wraps to hook bend and then forward to tie in point crossing over previous wraps in X shape.

STEP 4 - Tie in Sulky red tinsel at thorax and repeat open wraps rearward and X wraps forward covering previous thread X-wraps.  You can paint tinsel with Solarez Bone-Dry Epoxy and cure after completion for durability.

STEP 5 - Tie in and post white McFlylon for parachute wing.

STEP 6 - Tie saddle hackle in on base of parachute post.

STEP 7 - Tie in two strands of peacock at thorax.

STEP 8 - Figure eight peacock hurl behind and in front of parachute post to build thorax and tie off on post.

STEP 9 - Wrap 6-8 wraps of hackle to base of parachute post, tie off on post, and trim hackle tag.

STEP 10 - Finish thread head, trim post equal to hook shank length, and Go Fishing!

Follow The Yooper Fly Life on Instagram and subscribe to his YouTube channel for the latest flies you should be adding to your fly boxes.

MILL HOUSE - What's in Andy's Boat Bag?

I like seeing what's in other anglers boat bags and Andy Mill of the Mill House gives a great breakdown of his essentials.  Press PLAY and take notes...



Check out the Mill House website, subscribe to the YouTube channel, and follow on Instagram.

15 YEARS OF HOWLER

Howler Brothers has turned 15 years old and what a wild ride it's been.  They were one of the first companies who caught a wave of coolness coming out of Austin, Texas, and they are still riding it out.  I don't expect it to end anytime soon.  A mashup of fly fishing, surf, music, beach, and mountains mixed together into a vibe that others can only try (and many have) to emulate.  

I am stoked to see them grow, but not grow up, and they recently put together a "Top 15" of their best moments on social media which you should scroll down to read below.  

Lifted from the Howler Brothers Facebook page...

We had a great debate around Howler HQ about the best moments of our first 15 years.  After much deliberation, we finally came up with a list of the Top 15 Moments in Howler Brothers History via a very unscientific process. The list is so grand.  We're going to start at 15 and work to number 1.

15. The unofficial mayor of Austin Matthew McConaughey visited Howler Brothers HQ in 2018.

14. When Hurricane Harvey brought major flooding to Texas in 2017, the HB Family came up BIG, buying over 2,700 special edition shirts and raising over $100,000 in relief funds.

13. In 2016, we launched our first of 10 straight collaborations with Austin City Limits Music Festival. It’s still going…

12. Our holiday parties are all the stuff of legend but we think we broke the record for the longest bar tab in Texas at Donn’s Depot on December 9, 2022.

11. If you know our story, you know that all roads lead back to University of Virginia. We had a chance to create a collection for our beloved Cavaliers in October, 2024. 

10. Only a select few get their own Gaucho Snapshirt.  In 2017, we delivered two 1 of 1 special editions to two longtime friends of the brand, Jimmy Kimmel and the late, great Flip Pallot.

9. In 2015, we named Kameron Brown as our first official Ambassador.  A true friend of the brand, then and now.

8. We cut the ribbon on the South Congress Outpost, our first retail store on October 1, 2020.

7. The legend’s legend Willie Nelson wore our Pilot Bird shirt on the 50th anniversary taping of the famed Austin City Limits.

6. We aren’t exactly sure why, but the 2018 filming of our promo video for the Aguacero Rain Jacket in Oregon just had all the special sauce. The Aguacero is gone (for now?) but the video lives on!

5. For our 10 year anniversary, we put together a comprehensive coffee table book called A Decade of Howler Brothers. It’s a living memento of our first decade and a beautiful thing to pick up.

4. You can read all about our famous Gaucho Snapshirt on our website. All of it goes back to that first one, launched on March 8, 2012.

3. We had a massive, old school movie premiere in Austin (complete with paparazzi) for the debut of our origin story “See For Yourself” in 2022.

2. On October 1, 2012, we hired Howler employee #1, Avery Nystrom Strickland.  She's still with us, working on her 14th year!

1. With absolutely no idea what we were doing or how we would sell any of the stuff packed in Chase’s garage, we officially launched Howler Brothers on December 10, 2010.  

HEED THE CALL

The Silent Spotter

The team at Off the Grid Studios really outdid themselves with this story and film.  Press PLAY...



Silent Spotter explores the extraordinary life of Tommy Batun, a deaf and mute fly-fishing guide in Xcalak, Mexico. With wit, honesty, and a touch of irreverence, narrator Jesse Colten provides a glimpse into Tommy’s remarkable journey—one that questions what it means to be a “hero” in the world of saltwater fly fishing.

Tommy’s story is one of innovation and resilience, family and tradition. For him, fly fishing isn’t just a source of income: it’s his passion and sanctuary, it’s where he finds solace and community. Apprenticing under his lifelong fishing guide father, Alejandro, Tommy uses his keen eyes and boundless enthusiasm to lead anglers through the intricate and complex dance of shallow water flats fishing without hearing a sound or uttering a word. His unique communication style, born from necessity, blends lip-reading, intuitive perception, and self-invented sign language.

The film combines humor, compassion, and Tommy’s wit with jaw-dropping visuals to challenge stereotypes about what a guide, angler, or hero should be. Beyond the typical fishing film, Silent Spotter dives into a sensory world of silence and connection, contrasting Tommy’s unique perspective with the cacophony of the everyday angler’s experience.

From inventing new flies to catch notoriously elusive permit to navigating oceanic environmental challenges in the face of Climate Change, Tommy and Alejandro channel adversity into creativity. The film offers insight into the beauty and immersive obsession that draws people to fly fishing and how a shared passion can demonstrate our essential and shared humanity.

Silent Spotter isn’t about catching fish. It’s also not a condescending portrayal of a young man from a rural community in a developing country overcoming physical disabilities and succeeding despite the odds. It’s a celebration of a shared pursuit, a beautifully told story of relationships that cross cultures, languages, and physical differences.

Ready to book a few a week at The XFlats to fish with Tommy and Alejandro?  I sure am...

FREDERICK STIVERS - A Christmas Sketch

I am a longtime admirer of artist Frederick Stivers with his ability to create art on what most would figure was discard.  This means originals arted on paper bags, shotgun shell boxes, restaurant table coverings, and any sort of scrap paper that he can find.  

When Frederick posted this sketch on his Instagram story this week, I asked if I could share here.  Of course, staying on brand, this was drawn and inked on the back of a Christmas card for a friend.

 
Frederick wrote...  "Of course it’s all a matter of perspective...  As an angler, I realize Santa gets nowhere without the effort and horsepower of great reindeer.  In a world of effort and opportunities, an angler that can deliver the goods at the pointy end of the boat is a gift.  

Don’t be the kid trying to get off the naughty list on the 24th…practice like Christmas depends on it."

 

Follow along with Frederick Stivers on Instagram.  It's worth it. 

SILVER & GOLD

Ivan Orsic's creative talents have far surpassed the GoPro days of yesteryear but this edit is still a fly fishing media Christmas classic.  Press PLAY...



As much as I'd like to see Ivan create an updated version of Silver & Gold, this one is tough to top.