Elephants Eat Peanuts...

The biggest steelhead of my life ate a bug just like this.  Over 40 inches, it damn near ripped the rod out of my hands by eating a bug that was, in comparison, like an elephant eating a peanut

When we first began this journey of fly fishing for steelhead, I assumed that everything needed to be big and bold.  Full of flash and substance.

Attach a chicken to a hook and hold on, like it needed to be the neon buffet sign to get them to eat it.

How wrong I was.

The truth is now during dryline season, through learning and trial, I force myself to try sparser and smaller flies.  Flies that you'd look at and say...."no way"

Sure, they're going to eat the big bugs but it's more exciting when an elephant eats a peanut.

Wrapping Hairwings...

Lets temper ourselves with the realization that steelhead eat gobs of eggs, diver plugs, beads and oh yes....pink bass worms.

But on the converse, they also eat some of the most beautiful hand tied creations that can pass as works of art.

Traditional steelhead hairwings are so damn cool, and so damn effective.

My work on the vice is far from that, but the journey of getting better gives me something to shoot for.    Like the junior high kid who plays pickup basketball with the high schoolers, I have been fortunate to become friends with some of the best bug wrappers who challenge me to up my game

I cant thank them enough.

You can only go so far on your own.    That's why I love this sport so much, the best are so willing to help.