Dennis Garrison
Colorado
I am a trout bum.
Officially, I am a wildlife biologist, having spent many years in college, then chasing spotted owls and other rare and unusual creatures.
That is just a cover identity, however, designed to fool family members, although actually working once in a while
does help me pay for this obsession.
I grew up in the mid-west, then learned fly fishing and the lives of salmonids in southwest
Washington. After years of fishing and working there, I packed up and moved to Montana, to go
back to school and find some better fishing. Since then I have lived in Washington, California,
and Colorado. If you know of any jobs up north, though…
As you will see below, I am a fan of basic flies. Part of this is my belief that trout, even big ones,
are inherently stupid. The rest is laziness, which leads me to tie the simplest effective flies I can
get away with. But all of these flies have been tested thoroughly on some of the best trout waters
the West has to offer.
Select One of Dennis's Flies:
Be sure to visit our on-line store at
http://www.flytyingworld.com/angling/index.html
for your tying needs.
Tier: Dennis Garrison
Hook:
Dai-Riki 700/710 or equivalent, size 10.
Bead: 1/8" gold.
Weight: 3" of .015 lead-free wire.
Thread: Tan, 6/0.
Tail: Grizzly marabou feather, dyed "sand" or
"gold" (Wapsi).
Rib: Fine copper wire.
Body: Medium brown/yellow variegated chenille
Hackle: Spencer - grizzly dyed golden ginger (email for
source)
Tying tips: Tie in the rib at the back, before the chenille, then wrap
the chenille forward and tie off. Tie in the base of the hackle, then wrap back to the end of the body.
Counter-wrap the wire forward over the hackle and tie off. This will greatly increase the life of this fly, especially on brown trout.
Use the lighter, finer surface hackles for this fly, then use the darker, webbier underlying ones with brown chenille,
brown-dyed grizzly marabou, and a black bead for a chocolate-hue pattern.
This is the current version of my idea of the perfect woolly bugger. Fish it dead-drift, as a nymph, or strip it like a streamer. Does it work? Check out the pictures on my eboard site.
Select Another Fly:
Return to Dennis's Introduction.
Tier: Dennis Garrison
Hook:
TMC 2457 or equivalent, size 14.
Thread: Olive.
Body: Emerald glass beads.
Head: Peacock herl.
Tying tips: I thread the beads on the hook, then tie several wraps of thread
behind them to keep them from
Select Another Fly:
Return to Dennis's Introduction.
Tier: Dennis Garrison
Hook:
TMC 3761 or equivalent, size 16-20.
Bead: 3/32" gold.
Thread: Gray or black, 8/0.
Tail, Wingcase and Legs: Gray phase ruffed grouse tail
feather, 6-8 Fibers.
Rib: Fine copper wire.
Abdomen and Thorax: Muskrat dubbing, minus guard
hairs.
Tying tips: I tie in the grouse fibers, using the tips to form the tail of the fly.
DO NOT trim off the rest, but leave it along the shank to simplify the tie.
Tie in the wire, then spin/twist dub the abdomen over the grouse, keeping the profile slim.
Wrap with wire and tie off. Raise the grouse out of the way, then spin/twist dub the thorax slightly
larger than the abdomen. Bring the grouse over the top to form the wing case, then evenly split and tie off the
remainder of the fibers for the legs. Trim to length, then finish the fly.
This is my favorite small mayfly nymph for western waters. It provides a slimmer, darker appearance than a
GRHE, yet is absurdly easy to tie. The gray/black mottling of the grouse provides a very buggy appearance while
still being fine enough for this small fly. A killer on BWO waters.
Select Another Fly:
Return to Dennis's Introduction.
Tier: Dennis Garrison
Hook:
Dai-Riki 700 #10.
Bead: Black chrome 5/32.
Thread: Olive uni 6/0.
Weight: .015 lead or lead-free wire as desired.
Tail: Dark olive grizzly marabou.
Rib: Green or black copper wire.
Body: "Wintergreen" New Age chenille.
Hackle: Dark olive dyed grizzly.
This is the olive version of my D-bugger. Makes a good stillwater
dragon/damsel generic bug, a decent streamer for trout, and is a killer on
bluegill. Give it a try.
Return to Dennis's Introduction.
Tier: Dennis Garrison
Hook: TMC 2487 #14.
Thread: Uni 8/0 tan.
Tail: Lemon woodduck flank.
Body: Tan superfine.
Wing: Natural dun CDC.
This fly one of my favorite dry mayfly patterns. If floats well, provides a good silhouette on the water, and works when hackled dries come up empty.
Adapt the materials and size to match the color of whatever mayfly is hatching--drakes to BWOs, the basic pattern works for all.
Select Another Fly:
Return to Dennis's Introduction.
Tier: Dennis Garrison
Hook:
TMC 2457 or equivalent, size 12.
Bead: 1/8" gold.
Thread: Tan, 6/0.
Tail (Optional): Partridge fibers.
Body: Medium brown/yellow variegated chenille.
Hackle: Partridge, hen, or grizzly saddle dyed golden
ginger.
Note: Believe it or not, this fly actually started out as a generic nymph for the
Gallatin River in Montana, where it worked very well. I have also used it throughout the west on wild trout, and have been very successful. However, it has
since proven to be an absolute killer on stocked trout. Fish it without weight, let it
sink, then twitch it back to you in slow (6") strips.
Select Another Fly:
Return to Dennis's Introduction.
Be sure to visit our on-line store at
http://www.flytyingworld.com/angling/index.html
for your tying needs.