During this fly tying tutorial, guest tyer Don Ward ties a favorite attractor dry fly, the Stimulator.  Don, owner of Keystone Fly Rod Company, talks about his influences in building bamboo fly rods before going into detail about this pattern.  Once tying, it's obvious that Don has an understanding of this pattern, being that he offers many tips on how to tie the Stimulator more effectively.  

The Stimulator is an attractor dry fly that can represent a stonefly, hopper, or even caddis.  It is an effective fly that additionally encourages variations, as Don shows a few colors that he has had success with over the years.  Another fun variation includes adding rubber legs; be sure to try some variations of your own!

Thanks go out to Don Ward for the tying of this pattern.  Don builds beautiful bamboo fly rods and has a net system that is simply better than the others out there right now.  Check out his products at: http://www.keystoneflyrodcompany.com

Midge patterns can be fun to tie, especially easier ones that work well on the water!  As part of my "Two Minute Tying" series, this Foam Wing Midge is a simple pattern that I carry in few colors, yet it produces more often than not.  During this video, I share my tying procedures first, and then talk more about the pattern in detail.

In this fly tying tutorial, I feature a fly that doesn't seem to get a lot of attention, the Tan Adams.  This is a fly that tends to ride under the radar, as most anglers opt towards the traditional Adams in grey, though this one does an excellent job of imitating lighter-colored insects, such as caddisflies.  If you enjoy fishing the Adams, then I recommend you try the Tan Adams out; you won't be disappointed!

Highlighted in this fly tying tutorial is a pattern created by the great Lee Wulff, the "White Wulff."  This fly can be tied to represent various naturals,  such as the Ephoron Leukon (aka White Fly), drakes like the Isonychia (aka Slate Drake), and many more. Perhaps even more importantly, the White Wulff can also serve as a high-floating attractor pattern useful in fast water for trout, steelhead, and other stream fish.  Regardless of the intent or prey, this is a classic fly that simply catches fish.

Fishing ants in the summertime is a favorite of mine when fly fishing, and this pattern is rising rapidly in my arsenal.  Featured in Henry Ramsay's book, "Matching Major Eastern Hatches," the CDC Flying Ant is a pattern that is simple to tie, suggestive of the natural, and effective to fish.  The color can be varied (as many also fish this in a light brown shade), as can the size, yet the basics here are solid. 

In this fly tying tutorial, I again welcome my favorite guest and mentor, Uncle John Cammisa.  Tying for nearly 50 years, my great uncle has seen much in the world of fly tying, yet continues to return to the classics, hence this video of the Adams dry fly.  Tying this pattern in the Catskill-style, my uncle takes us through the procedures for this fly that represents everything and nothing, and continues to take fish all over the world.

In this fly tying tutorial, less is definitely more!  Featured in this video is a deer hair ant consisting of just a couple materials.  The buoyant fly is realistic, easy to tie, and most importantly, effective.  I first stumbled across this pattern in George Harvey's book and believe this to be one of the best ant patterns out there.  You can also turn this into a high-visibility fly by adding some fluorescent yarn to the top.  As always, if you decide to revise the pattern at all, please feel free to share the results...

In this fly tying tutorial, I demonstrate the steps required for Doug Swisher's Madam X.  This version, the "Royal," is based on the colors/materials in the Royal Coachman and Wulff (red and peacock, respectively).  This is a great attractor pattern, incorporating a deer hair wing tied bullethead style, plus great rubber legs to create vibrations in the water.  This is a pattern to use in a variety of situations, most notably as an attractor in faster water; the bonus is that it's a really fun fly to tie!

For this fly tying tutorial, I wanted to bring more light to a tradition pattern, the Royal Trude.  Instead of simply describing and tying this fly, I focused on possible variations that a tyer would make to enhance the fly, bringing it up to more "modern-day" materials.  The original pattern is a highly effective fly, being fished as a dry (attractor), wet fly. and streamer; the variation is able to be fished this way, too.  Other common flies this pattern can represent include terrestrials, stoneflies, caddis, and drakes.  Current versions of this fly are also well-known; the Lime Trude won a One-Fly contest, thus solidifying this pattern for years to come.

Featured in this fly tying tutorial is a pattern that I love to fish, the Humpy dry fly.  This is a great attractor fly that trout really seem to love, especially when fishing it in faster currents.  I was fortunate enough to have my Uncle John Cammisa tie this pattern on this video, and this is a special treat, being that he has been tying for over half of his life (age 82 in this video!).  The tying of this pattern is not the simplest, thus I frequently will "commission" one of my favorite tyers (my Uncle John) for some of these flies!  During this tutorial, my uncle goes into great detail and leads you through the required procedures to make the tying of this pattern much easier.

To begin the video, I conduct a brief interview of my uncle, which then leads into an examination of a finished Humpy.  This is followed by the tutorial, which my uncle concludes the fly for the camera, but still wanted to clean-up the finished product.  After he cut away some fibers that were out of place, I took one final picture so all viewers can see what the finished fly looked like.

Thanks go out to my uncle for agreeing to tie this pattern; he is a fantastic craftsman and has been one of my greatest fly tying mentors throughout my life.  

For this fly tying tutorial, I am demonstrating the methods for a Charlie Craven fly, the Charlie Boy Hopper.  This is a really fun pattern to both tie and fish, especially in a hopper-dropper situation.

Tied during this tutorial is the Griffith's Gnat, a pattern meant to represent many insects, though mainly (and specifically) a midge cluster.  Created by one of the founders of Trout Unlimited, George Griffith, this fly is an excellent pattern to carry in the spring and summer.  Aside from the original pattern, this video also features a high-visibility Griffith's Gnat, plus a number of other variations tied with ostrich herl.

Tying a size 10 dry fly can always be challenging, yet here's a fun (and effective!) one to try.  I chose Joe Messinger Sr.'s Irresistible dry fly for this tutorial, which can be normally tied with characteristics similar to an Adams, though I chose a larger pattern which can represent many insects on the water.  The tying of this dry fly includes a few intermediate techniques, but none that can't be mastered with a little practice.  

Tied in this video is the Letort Hopper, an imitation grasshopper created by Ed Schenk.  This fly is of the "no-nonsense type," consistently taking fish while maintaining an elegant simplicity.

Here is a tutorial for tying a terrestrial spider fly, which consists of nothing more than foam, lure skirting, and thread.  The basic-to-tie pattern has been an effective one for years, and the materials can be modified to meet your fishing needs.  This great attractor fly works on many species, and is especially fun to fish.

Shown is this fly tying tutorial video is a great "old school" fly called the Jassid.  This fly has been fished for many years, yet remains simple to tie with the correct materials.  I go over the required materials and give a step-by-step approach to this pattern, though it may be a fly intended for those closer to the intermediate (versus beginner) stage.