News from Blue Ribbon Flies

2012 Catalog Entries.
An Article from Doug Perrett.

We could not fit all the entries that we received into our 2012 catalog, so we thought that for the weeks ahead we would put these fine entries into our news letter. Thanks to all of you who sent these entries they are very much appreciated.

Article and Photo by Doug Perrett

Without knowing it, Blue Ribbon Flies has supported me on a very special journey. Nearly ten years ago now, my fly tying needed new direction. I called BRF and talked to Jackie. She put together excellent materials to go with the Yellowstone Fly Tying DVD. That started something.

The little yellow Yellowstone Fishing book has introduced us to streams were we've taken 100s (?) of trout. My copy is highlighted and underlined with notes on various pages. Do you guys get how valuable this book is? (When I mentioned it to Craig, he said something like, "It makes the guides work harder") Of course, I've purchased most or all the rest of the DVDs and books. I love John's commentary in the DVDs. It's pretty special. You are a pretty special group.

I love tying your patterns but No way do my flies compare to the beautiful patterns the BRF guys tie.

The special journey? For the past few summer vacations, I've fished around western Wyoming and western Montana, looking for the mountain west's indigenous fish species and subspecies. This quest started when I came across the state of Wyoming's Cutt Slam program. The Cutt Slam program is pretty simple. Take four Cutthroat subspecies in the traditional streams they exist and get pictures biologists can identify. Then submit them to the state of Wyoming with the completed online form. They key your pictures then send you your Cutt Slam certificate. If conditions are favorable, you can complete it in three or four days. After completing the "slam," I turned to researching other indigenous fish and their traditional habitat. Next on the agenda was the Westslope Cutthroat and Montana's fluvial Grayling.

This past summer, I traveled to the very northwestern corner of Montana for what fisheries biologists indicate are Montana's only indigenous Rainbow Trout. The Redband rainbow is found in tributaries of the Kootenai River. Probably, the most memorable fish, thus far, has been the Grayling. The adrenalin was pumping when I watched that first Montana Grayling rise to the fly. It was on a tributary of the Big Hole River. Research I'd found led me to the stretch of the stream.

If you've done much fly fishing, you've probably experienced picking the fly from the surface, just as it starts to drag, only to watch a fish rise to it at the same time. It happened with my first Big Hole trib Grayling. It was a good drift along an undercut bank. The fly was just starting to drag. I lifted it to cast again, only to see a nice Grayling rise then turn away. It was my first sighting but there was no mistaking the large dorsal fin as the fish turned to move back down into the feeding lane. That got my adrenelin going. I had to calm myself, assess the current then reposition for a better drag free drift over the area where I'd seen the fish. The next cast was long and the fly caught in some overhanging grass. You know what happened next. I popped the fly off the grass. It landed on the water, drifted about two feet on the surface and the Grayling was there. My first indigenous Montana Grayling. As happened with my first fly caught Tarpon, I have no picture record. After netting this Grayling, I fumbled with the camera. The Grayling flipped out of the net and swam speedily downstream. I can still see that fish swimming away. It was an appropriate conclusion to the quest. And, I did take two others that morning, complete with pictures. In reference to fly tying, how do I describe the process? It's personal; a constant learning process. I tie by inspiration; sometimes to duplicate other patterns and sometimes to duplicate what I see on the stream. Certain western patterns have the word "Royal" in the name; usually there is red color in the tie. Two years ago, I tied Royal Humpies for Wyoming Cutties. We took many fish on the pattern. During this year's preparation, I fixated on the improved sparkle dun, wondering how to make it Royal (or more Royal than it already is). I couldn't come up with anything, so I just tied one with a red body. No way!!! What a sweet looking fly. OK, maybe beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But the first cast and cast after cast after that, trout were eating this thing. You might argue it was more the pattern or circumstance. Could be, but the trout ate it nonetheless. My tying is back on track. Thanks Jackie!!!