Olive Woolly Bugger

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The woolly bugger is a good searching pattern, it suggests a wide variety food to the trout. It might be termed big "yummies" and often the number one early season fly for most lakes. It looks so edible to the fish, it consistently fools trout, bass, salmon, pike and walleyes

Viva Marabuo

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An old favourite, has to be one of the most versatile and productive of stillwater flies

Ace of Spades

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The Ace of Spades Matuka is a good imitation of a small sculpin, and was introduced in mid 1970s'

Badger Yuk Bug

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Same as the grizzle pattern, but with different leg position that creates sightly more interesting movement

Bootlace

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The Bootlace is a colourful lure that always worth a try when your favorites are not tempting the fish - you may be pleasantly surprised

Brown Leech

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In 1997, the ice on White Lake cleared on April 17. After a long, snowy winter, the craving was strong to dip a fly in that fabulous rainbow lake. It wasn't until Sunday the 20th that I was free to try my luck. I had tied up several brown leeches modified from a commercial version that was rather successful in early spring of the previous year on White. As luck would have it, just as we arrived at the lake, a steady rain started to come down. We waited for a time but the urge to fish was just too strong and even though I had forgotten to bring my rain pants, we headed out on the water. And pour it did, alternating between a steady drizzle and violent downpours! After an hour or so, my jeans felt like I had walked through a car wash and the wind gusts began to feel oh so cold. However, just as we were talking about heading in, a strike rocked my fly rod and about a 3 pound White Lake rainbow leaping wildly behind the car topper, my brown leech embedded in its jaw. The fish fought stubbornly in the steady down pour but when I began to think about the landing net, a quick flip and the rainbow was free. The barbless hook had either worked loose or I was not diligent in keeping a tight enough line.

Christmas Tree

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Very popular lure on stillwaters, specially larger waters and reservoirs. Originally devised for the boat anglers and works well from the bank and near the dam wall.

Dambuster

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Richard Walker developed this fly as a variant of the old worm fly for a specific task - the Dambuster, as its' name implies is for fishing the dam wall, actually using the waves to dash the fly against the structure and staying close a possible, the natural red cock hackles are stiff enough to stop or greatly reduce snagging.

Greenbead Woolly Bugger

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If the weather is cold, you feel cold and so will the fish! They become sluggish and less interested in the chase -- slow your retrieve, try three pull and pause and repeat, this can often trigger a reaction.

Grizzle Yuk Bug

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Some people are now using the Grizzle Yuk Bug as a Salmon fly although it is designed for Trout.

Hairy All Black Woolly Worm

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"The Hairys". The basic secret of the Hairy All Black Woolly Worm, as with all Hairy flies and bug patterns is the pulsing action of the hair hackle. Hair is substituted for feathers found in the traditional patterns. This pattern as with all my Hairys have a natural action in the water and it is imperative that fishermen remember that artificial flies at the end of their leader act like living organisms. Normal fishing methods should be used when fishing the "Hairys" - Gordon (2002)

Hairy Black Woolly Worm

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"The Hairys". The basic secret of the Hairy Black Woolly Worm, as with all Hairy flies and bug patterns is the pulsing action of the hair hackle. Hair is substituted for feathers found in the traditional patterns. This pattern as with all my Hairys have a natural action in the water and it is imperative that fishermen remember that artificial flies at the end of their leader act like living organisms. Normal fishing methods should be used when fishing the "Hairys" - Gordon (2002)

Hairy Brown Woolly Bugger

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"The Hairys". The basic secret of the Hairy Brown Woolly Bugger, as with all Hairy flies and bug patterns is the pulsing action of the hair hackle. Hair is substituted for feathers found in the traditional patterns. This pattern as with all my Hairys have a natural action in the water and it is imperative that fishermen remember that artificial flies at the end of their leader act like living organisms. Normal fishing methods should be used when fishing the "Hairys" - Gordon (2002)

Hairy Olive Woolly Bugger

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"The Hairys". The basic secret of the Hairy Olive Woolly Bugger, as with all Hairy flies and bug patterns is the pulsing action of the hair hackle. Hair is substituted for feathers found in the traditional patterns. This pattern as with all my Hairys have a natural action in the water and it is imperative that fishermen remember that artificial flies at the end of their leader act like living organisms. Normal fishing methods should be used when fishing the "Hairys" - Gordon (2002)

Hairy Yellow Badger Woolly Worm

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"The Hairys". The basic secret of the Hairy Yellow Badger Woolly Worm, as with all Hairy flies and bug patterns is the pulsing action of the hair hackle. Hair is substituted for feathers found in the traditional patterns. This pattern as with all my Hairys have a natural action in the water and it is imperative that fishermen remember that artificial flies at the end of their leader act like living organisms. Normal fishing methods should be used when fishing the "Hairys" - Gordon (2002)

Hart Lake Vixen

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I tie several leech patterns, most often with marabou in black, brown and deep maroon colours. However, the Hart Lake Vixen is not a marabou leech but instead, it has a black mohair or seal body, black hackle flowing wings, optional sparse black throat hackle and the most striking feature of this fly, a bright red kip's tail! The tail, it was said by the Polar Coachman old timers, was the difference between rainbow trout in the frying pan or eating beans only on those northern fishing trips! The test for me came when the BC Wildlife Department announced a special two week opening on Hart Lake, about 65 kilometres north of Prince George. The lake had been stocked with a special rainbow trout strain some two years previously and because of the abundant feed, the trout had quickly grown to as much as four pounds! Although Hart Lake had been designated as a special children-seniors lake only, it was felt that the large fish were numerous enough to withstand a general public opening that June. I just had to try it but I found the fish very moody and uncooperative on my first trip to Hart. In short, I was skunked! I tried most of my favorite patterns to no avail including my top four, the muddler, spratley, leech and shrimp. But I had seen enough large fish rolling to be drawn back there in just a few days time. I decided to try the red tailed leech on a fast sinking wet line with a very, very slow retrieve. I had a couple of touches when suddenly, a powerful fish took the fly and surged away, taking half of my backing on a deep, powerful run. After a long tussle, the fish, just a touch under four pounds, was landed with the red tailed leech firmly in its jaw. Thus was born the name that I use for this fly, the Hart Lake Vixen!

Hot Tin Roof

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La Bounty Leech

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The good doctor not only can cast a fly with great dexterity but he also is an accomplished fly tier. I recall one early September day that we had an appointment not in a dentist's chair but at Lunbom Lake, near Merritt. Our choice of water transport that day was belly tubes and, as fly fishermen always do, we compared notes on the best fly to use before entering the water. Al showed me a blood leech unlike anything that I had seen before that he intended to fish. It was a blend of black and red seal hair dubbed evenly along the shank of a size 8 Tiemco hook. The preparation of the blend is easy, simply place equal parts of the red and black seal hair into a small electric coffee bean grinder and switch the power on. A few seconds later, you will have the perfect mix for this fly. There is one additional trick. After tying a few flies, boil a cup of water and drop the newly tied Labounty leeches into the hot water for a couple of minutes. When you take them out, immediately smooth the seal hair back along the hook shank by firmly pulling from the hook eye to the bend several times with your thumb and two fingers. Be very careful though as it is quite easy to get nicked by the hook point in this operation. Oh yes, what happened that September day on Lunbom? Al took 3 nice fish on his blood leech and I only hooked and subsequently lost one fish on a silver muddler. It was enough to convince me to tie up several of Al's special leeches. Since that day, I have had success with the La Bounty leech not only at Lunbom, but also at Hatheume and Wasny Lakes.

Muddler Minnow

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The Muddler Minnow is seriously the business! The perfect minnow streamer pattern for any river or stillwater; fish this classic is for the big boys! Is a great pattern to use at dusk when the big Browns and Rainbows are on the hunt. Can be used a minnow imitation with weight and as a grasshopper imitation or injuried baitfish without weight. A mainstay streamer pattern in my flybox, this fly has been so well designed to create as much a disturbance as you choose fish it.

Olive Bugger GH

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By popular demand, a damsel was required with a long tail, to catch those fish too lazy to chase a normal sized creation. This lure has accounted for thousands of fish on UK stillwaters. From small waters, lakes and beyond - this fly is a fish taker!

Partridge & Orange

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This fly works well when the rainbow are feeding on Daphnia, or fresh water flea. It can also be mistaken for a minnow or Dragon fly nymph. The problem producing this fly is in getting the partridge feathers, either English or Scottish.

Peacock Yuk Bug

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Rubber legs are starting to creap across here as a wonderful moving pattern. Used alot in Southern Argentina.

Roche Lake Cow Dun

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The Roche Lake Cow Dun was an accident. A couple of years ago, I was at a mid May trap shoot in Kamloops and I couldn't resist a side trip to one of my favourite area lakes, Roche. I had fished this lake with great success during the two years that I lived in Kamloops, 1980 to 1982. Flies like a thinly dressed gold muddler and a small green shrimp worked very well for me in those years. However, on this more recent trip, I had little success but I noticed one fly fisherman catching and releasing fish after fish while anchored near the shore end of the middle island. A few days after I happened to mention this to Lane Hogaboam of Rutland Sports in Kelowna and he surprised me by saying, "That was Hank using an all cow dun woolly bugger"! I immediately purchased some green cow dun chenille for the body and a package of similar green marabou for the tail. I tied up several flies mainly using 9671 size 8 hooks and headed back to Roche shortly after, around the first week of June. What a success! Eight prime Kamloops trout came to this new fly, all released save one fine 3 pound fish that I kept for table fare! These fish were caught from an anchored boat casting a sink tip fly line towards the shoal side of a transition to deeper water. A slow retrieve was used but with enough movement to wave the marabou tail! On subsequent trips, I found that a sparse throat hackle of grizzly or brown hackle even enhanced the fly's performance.

Ugly Bugger Olive

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The Ugly Bugger Olive is a good search pattern

V.G.B (Vince Gwilym's Bastard)

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Interesting attractor pattern, a modern day Alexandra. Well worth the effort in tying for the results may surprise.

Woolly Bugger

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A good searching fly on strange waters. As a stillwater fly it is a truly excellent pattern; in different sizes, weighted or unweighted it represents a variety of trout foods.

Woolly Worm

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Great searching and attracting pattern. The movement created by palmering going from the tail to the head is probally the key to its international all-encompassing success.

Yallarhammer

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The exact origin and birth date of the Yallarhammer pattern has apparently been lost in the mists of pre-recorded North American history. Unfortunately, American Indians did not have written languages and passed their histories and customs down as oral histories. It is generally accepted that it was the Cherokees who first brought down a Yellow-shafted Flicker with a blowgun, wrapped its bright quill around a hook, and caught a trout. Maybe they first tied the fly as they tied the deer hair fly, reverse Palmer style. However, the Cherokee as an invader of the Southeastern United States may have simply adapted what those they drove out already were doing. Nevertheless, whatever the particulars it is clear that the Yallarhammer fly pattern pre-dated European settlement of the America. One early written description of the style of tying the Yallarhammer is outlined in a letter from J. H. Stewart, Jackson, MS, 1887 to Mary Orvis Marbury (yes that Orvis). This letter was later published in Ms. Marbury’s book “Favorite Flies and Their Histories”. "The two specimen flies which I enclose you will see are reversed hackles, made by cutting narrow strips of deerskin with the hair left on, wrapped around the hook a few times, and well tied at each end. The North Carolina Indians (Cherokee) tie them to perfection, using some sort of cement or waterproof varnish over the thread, and for the bodies the various colors and length of hair from different skins, but usually rather stiff hair, preferring it from the deer's legs. They often cut the hair off and use it without the skin, but made in this way the flies are not as durable. They use feathers occasionally in the same way…" The original Yallarhammer pattern is generally bel