The Latest News from the Bench

Welcome to The Latest News from the Bench!

A new book, podcast, article, talk, fly, or any fly-fishing- or fly-tying-related topic we dive into, will be posted here.

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Third Thursday Flies with Skip Morris

Every third Thursday, Skip introduces you to yet another solidly established fly—he tells you what kind of fish it's meant to catch, where it's best fished, how it's best fished, under what conditions it's best fished, a little of its history, and, in case you tie flies, he gives you the pattern (or dressing).

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Third Thursday Flies 8. Dave's Hopper'

Third Thursday Flies 8 Dave's Hopper. For some decades, most fly shops and fly-fishing catalogs have wisely carried the Dave's Hopper: fly fishers have learned it catches hopper-seeking trout, fly fishers want it in their boxes, and it's really everything a grasshopper fly should be.

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First Tuesday Tips with Skip Morris

From Skip's book 365 Fly-Fishing Tips, a new, really practical tip every month that'll catch you more fish.

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First Tuesday Tips, Tip 7: Here's What to Do about Wind Knots'

From Skip's book, 365 Fly-Fishing Tips for Trout, Bass, and Panfish, this is Tip 7: Here's What to Do about Wind Knots. Knots that creep into your leader and tippet as you cast, “wind knots,” may or may not matter much. If I get one up high in a tapered leader and it’s become too tight to open, I usually ignore it—the leader up there is so much stronger than the tippet that the weakness created by the knot probably doesn’t matter. Of course, if I can work it open, easily, with the point of a large hook, or some other needlelike point or just by pushing the ends of the knot together, I’ll do it.

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Skip Morris Presentations: Fly-Fishing & Tying Talks and Clinics

Skip Morris Presentations: Master tier Skip Morris offers a variety of talks and clinics on fly fishing and fly tying that have been popular at fly fishing clubs and shows around the world.

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PowerPoint Presentations

PowerPoint and Zoom presentations by noted author Skip Morris cover a variety of fly fishing and tying topics to inform and entertain.

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Fly Tying Clinics

Skip Morris fly tying clinics cover a variety of fly tying tips and topics to teach, inform and entertain.

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Third Thursday Flies 7. Anatomical Green Drake

Third Thursday Flies 7 Anatomical Green Drake. Putting wing cases in fly patterns that suggest wing-cased mayfly nymphs and stonefly nymphs is almost standard operating procedure. So my Anatomical Green Drake has one (though its wing case, like a real mayfly wing case, is shiny). But the fly has lots of other trout-convincing parts: three divided tails, a hard-looking and glossy back over its abdomen, gills fringing its abdomen, quiet natural-copper-wire ribs up its abdomen (they show smartly against the smooth back), and speckled fibers from a partridge feather fanned at its sides like real mayfly nymph legs.

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First Tuesday Tips, Tip 6: Experience the Hex Hatch at Least Once (or Twice)

From Skip's book, 365 Fly-Fishing Tips for Trout, Bass, and Panfish, this is Tip 6: Experience the Hex Hatch at Least Once (or Twice).The Hexagenia mayfly is a yellow giant. You mostly hear about it hatching in the Midwest, but Hexes hatch in the Far West, too. Apparently various species hatch in the East and even down into the American South.

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Third Thursday Flies 6. Spruce Fly

Third Thursday Flies 6 Spruce Fly.There are many handsome trout streamers—the Spruce Fly isn't unique in that—but there is something about the Spruce in particular that begs it be tied well. I think it's the sweet reward of seeing this dressing of such elegant potential all done right and perched beautiful and noble in the tying vise.

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First Tuesday Tips, Tip 5: Hatches Can Be Easy to Miss

From Skip's book, 365 Fly-Fishing Tips for Trout, Bass, and Panfish, this is Tip 5: Hatches Can Be Easy to Miss.

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Third Thursday Flies 5. Quigley Cripple

Third Thursday Flies 5 Quigley Cripple. Sometimes a fly inspires a whole lot of other, similar flies. Over the past few decades I've seen many fly designs that clearly inherited a hefty chunk of their DNA from Bob Quigley's Quigley Cripple. In fact one of my own flies, the Morris Emerger, is about forty-percent Quigley.

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First Tuesday Tips, Tip 4: Don't Forget the Oldies

From Skip's book, 365 Fly-Fishing Tips for Trout, Bass, and Panfish, this is Tip 4: Don't Forget the Oldies'.

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Third Thursday Flies 4. Mikulak Sedge

Third Thursday Flies 4 Mikulak Sedge. For starters, 'sedge' is a British term for 'caddis'. The Mikulak Sedge is a fly from British Columbia, so. . . see? BCers are fine with both words, sedge and caddis, and judging from the stubborn popularity up there of the Mikulak Sedge, a caddis-imitating dry fly, they're big fans of the bug they name.

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First Tuesday Tips, Tip 3: Embrace the Loop Knot

From Skip's book, 365 Fly-Fishing Tips for Trout, Bass, and Panfish, this is Tip 3: Embrace the Loop Knot.

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