Montana Fly Fishing Blog

Check Us Out on the Destination Angler Podcast!

Posted on May 20th, 2025 in Uncategorized

Walter recorded and episode of the Destination Angler podcast back in March. It dropped about ten days ago (while Walter was out of town for a wedding, of course). In the episode, I talk about the Yellowstone area’s recovery from the 2022 floods, dry fly tactics on area rivers, and my belief that just about all dry flies really imitate cripples or other impaired insects.

Check it out here.

Walter Wiese with fishing client with Yellowstone River and Electric Peak in the background.

Weekly Fly Tying Tutorial – Small Squirmy Wormy (Check the Tie-In Method!)

Posted on November 26th, 2024 in Fly Tying Tutorials, Fly Tying Videos

The Squirmy Wormy (or Squirmito) needs little introduction. This pattern is famous or infamous both for its effectiveness and how hard it can be to tie the material in both effectively and in such a way the fly doesn’t fall apart.

This version is the one I use on the Yellowstone River and other local waters during the winter and spring. It’s much smaller than most Squirmies, and uses a tying technique that seems to keep the material from falling apart quite so fast, while being quick and easy to tie, so that it doesn’t hurt much when the flies fall apart anyway.

NOTE: Squirmy Wormies are not legal in Yellowstone Park.

squirmy wormy fly over dark background

 

Read More…

Weekly Fly Tying Tutorial – Peacock Clacka Caddis

Posted on November 18th, 2024 in Fly Tying Tutorials, Fly Tying Videos

The Peacock (or Coachman) Clacka Caddis is one of the first patterns our owner Walter Wiese created after he began guiding in Montana. Certainly it was the first one to really take off. Tied in sizes #12 down to #16 or occasionally #18, this pattern is a good rough water caddis-style attractor pattern. In this niche, it fills in for the Coachman or Royal Trude, while being easier to tie and more buoyant, yet floating lower in the surface film.

peacock clacka caddis fly against a blue backdrop

 

Read More…