Clear and Simple Fly Tying
and
Fly Fishing Instruction
Welcome! We're glad you're here...
Fly tying and fly fishing are equal parts fun, art, information, and fascination. Whatever tips and lessons Skip has learned at the vise or by the stream, you'll find them here.
So...Who are We?
We are Skip Morris, the down-to-earth author of twenty-two books on tying flies and fly fishing (including the best-selling beginner's book, Fly Tying Made Clear and Simple), and Carol Ann Morris, whose artful photography and detailed watercolors have been published in major fly fishing magazines (ie, Gray's Sporting Journal, Fly Fisherman, Fly Fishing & Tying Journal, Yale Angler's Journal, America's Favorite Flies, and others), and also in Skip's books and articles.
We're a husband-and-wife team who've been fishing together for over thirty years, and we love sharing our passion for fly fishing. We'll provide you with clear and simple instruction to make your journey into this sport fun and informative.
First, a couple of announcements:
Are you interested in writing about fly fishing (either for your own personal use, or professionally)?
Let veteran fly fishing writer Skip Morris show you how in this 4 hour Zoom class. . .
BECOMING A FLY FISHING WRITER
*a live Zoom writing class with Skip Morris*
Improve Your Writing, and Get Published
-
the next Class Date will be
announced soon... - The class will be held
(to be decided)
from
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Pacific time, with a break for lunch. - limited class size
- Contact us to sign up
- Price per student: $75.00
Quotes from past participants:
"I learned so many useful new techniques and ways to use my words more effectively and efficiently, as well as artistically. Thank you so much, Skip; you are an excellent teacher. I highly recommend this class!"
— Deb P.
"Great class!"
— Katherine P.
"Skip's course is a great opportunity to learn what it takes to become a fly-fishing author from one of the best! The half day I spent in this class is one of the most valuable experiences I've had as a developing writer."
—J.R.
During this four– (possibly five–) hour class, Skip Morris (the author of twenty-two fly–fishing books and over 350 fly–magazine articles) will teach you how to make your writing strong and vivid and clear, show you how the publishing world works, and a great deal more.
Part I is about the essentials of good writing—making crisp sentences, using variety in sentence structure, how to use specifics to sharpen images and ideas, and far too many more important concepts to list here.
Part II covers the current publishing scene specifically as it regards fly fishing (books, ebooks, articles in magazines and on websites). Also, the practical stuff (composing a book or article proposal, figuring out editors, photos, payments, deadlines . . .).
In Part III, Skip welcomes you into the world of writing as art—sentence constructions that emphasize key words and images, eliminating unnecessary words that dilute meaning and vitality, the mechanics of punctuation that tighten and clarify your prose, prose rhythm, when and when not to use repetition, how to choose words that work as a team to create a mood or meaning, and, again, more than makes sense to even mention here.
In Part IV, you and Skip (and the rest of the small class) write some original prose together, crafting and reworking the words and sentences from a rough draft into something lean and polished.
Skip holds a degree in English from Central Washington University, and has published books with Stackpole Books, Nick Lyons Books (now Skyhorse), and Frank Amato Publications. He has published hundreds of magazine articles in Fly Fisherman, American Angler, MidCurrent (online), Fly Tyer, Fly Fusion, Just Jazz Guitar, Cowboys & Indians, and twelve other magazines.
Four (up to five) pleasant, fascinating hours that will vastly improve your writing and help you get your work published, all in the company of other aspiring writers—sign up and join us!
To sign up, simply send us a message through our contact form on this page (the link is also directly below this box), and we'll tell you how to make your payment of $75.00, and you're in. You'll' be mailed the class handout to peruse; it contains the points you and Skip will explore during the class.
If you cancel a week or more out, you'll be refunded your full $75.00. If you cancel after that, you'll be refunded $40.00 unless your place in the class can be filled. If your place is filled, you'll be refunded your entire $75.00.
If for some unforeseeable, weird reason Skip is unable to teach the class (he's been abducted by extraterrestrials, taken a vow of silence, etc.), you will of course get your full $75.00 back.
Click here to contact us about Skip's Writing Class
for Aspiring Fly Fishing Writers...
. . . and, Skip's classic beginner's fly tying book, is back in print!
The Original Classic
Beginner's Fly Tying Manual,
FLY TYING MADE CLEAR AND SIMPLE
is now available!
Newly released! Fly Tying Made Clear and Simple
by Stackpole Books (release date April 15, 2022)
We are excited to announce that Fly Tying Made Clear and Simple—the original iconic beginner's fly tying manual, with a new cover, from a new publisher—is back in print as of April 15, 2022 from Stackpole Books.
Over 150,000 copies sold with over 25 reprints to date.
Now, more about this website:
The Creative Art of Tying Flies
If you want to learn how to tie the Turck Tarantula, you'll find instructions here. The Miracle Midge? It's here too. So are the Articulated Leech and the Hackled Skip Nymph.
All are effective, intriguing flies, and there are many more.
Every tying step is explained with clear and simple instruction through detailed text and up-close-and-personal photographs, and that makes tying these flies easy to learn.
An Insider's Tips for Taking Fish on a Fly
There is also instruction on how to use big attractor flies to motivate large trout to strike, how to catch salmon off of Washington's wild coast, and how to work chironomid-pupa imitations deep in a lake where big trout live.
There are many other techniques we'll share based on our experience on the water, and these tips will help you hook more fish and have more fun doing it.
Get an inside look at the secrets of this amazing sport, and find out more about the intriguing world of fly tying and fly fishing.
The information offered here gives you the chance to learn new skills and
enjoy yourself as you go.
Fly Fishing and Tying Article Libraries
The fly fishing and tying article links below (and in the left-hand navigation column) will take you to previously-published magazine articles (most of them written by Skip, and a few written by Carol).
These informational pieces span 25 years.
Some are filled with the fundamentals of tying and fishing techniques that remain vital to this day. Others contain cutting-edge fishing strategies or outline clear and simple tying instructions for many of today's most popular flies.
Skip's books, flies, lessons, articles, tying instruction, and more...
Other links take you to information about Skip's fly designs, fly tying lessons, talks and presentations, podcasts and interviews, a free trout-fly proportion chart, our YouTube Channel, and some of Carol's photo essays.
So...are you ready to get started?
Find a quiet corner, settle into your favorite chair, and join us...
Do You Need a Speaker for
Your Club Meeting, Banquet, or Show?
Would you like to contact Skip or Carol to do a talk for your
club meeting, conference, banquet, conclave, sportsman's show, or fly fishing expo?
Contact us here...
For a list of Skip's Programs, click here:
Skip's PowerPoint Programs...
For a list of Skip's fly tying clinics, click here:
Skip's Fly Tying Clinics...
Carol gives a 50-minute presentation on photography called
"Fly Fishing Photography 101: How to Capture What You See."
She'll provide more details on request.
Use the "Contact Us" form, or the "Contact us here" link above to get in touch with Carol about her talk.
Table of Contents
Check out Carol's Etsy store, CarolAMorrisFlyFish for original gifts for the fly fisher:
Click here to hear Skip's interviews on popular podcasts...
*Announcements*
Skip's latest books:
Top 12 Nymphs for Trout Streams, 2nd Edition, originally published as an e-book only, is now available on Amazon as a paperback...check it out! Click on the links below to go to the information page on Top 12 Nymphs (the link to Amazon is at the bottom of the page...)
Top 12 Nymphs for Trout Streams: How, When, and Where to Fish Them (2nd Edition)
Click here to get more information about Skip's e-book,
500 Trout Streams...
Skip's latest PAPERBACK BOOK:
365 Fly Fishing Tips for Trout, Bass, and Panfish
Click here to get more information about Skip's latest book,
365 Tips for Trout, Bass, and Panfish...
Print Skip's chart for FREE:
Skip Morris's Trout-Fly Proportion Chart
Go to Skip Morris's Trout Fly Proportion Chart
Skip's Predator...this popular Fly Now Available!
The Predator is now available to buy...
Skip's ultra-popular Predator—a hit fly for bluegills and other panfishes and largemouth bass (also catches smallmouth bass and trout)—is being tied commercially by the Solitude Fly Company.
The Predator
CLICK HERE to learn more about or to purchase the Predator...
Learn to Tie Skip's Predator
Do you want to tie the Predator?
Skip shows you how to tie it on his YouTube Channel link, listed below:
CLICK HERE to see Skip's detailed video on how to tie the Predator...