Fly Fishing in February Podcast

Fly Fishing in February

Today I am going to discuss fly fishing in February for large trout on our delayed harvest areas and large trout streams. During the winter the large trout in these streams all over the country feed heavily on the minnows and nymphs that the rains and snows flush from the riffles.

For many years I experimented in switching from streamers to nymphs to find which were the most productive. Streamers match the various minnows and nymphs match the aquatic insects. Then I hit on the idea of developing one fly which could pass for a streamer as well as a nymph. After a great deal of testing, I came up with the Strymph. The Strymph has been effective on many trout and bass streams throughout the west and east.

Fly Fishing With A Murray’s Strymph

Murray's Strymph is an effective fly to use when fly fishing in February.

The selection of the materials for these flies was critical. I wanted a fly which would be effective when fished both upstream and downstream. Ostrich herl is ideal for the extended body of my Strymph because it does not collapse when fished upstream. Yet it breaths naturally when fished across stream and downstream. Listen to the rest of the podcast>>

Tying Deer Hair Bass Bugs

In the second portion of my podcast, I am discussing tips on tying deer hair bass bugs. February is a great time to tie some deer hair bass bugs for the upcoming bass season.

When I’m designing deer hair surface bass bugs, I have 3 goals in mind.

  • They need to cast smoothly.
  • I want them to be durable.
  • The bass bug should be productive.

In my winter fly tying workshop, I teach each student how to tie a Tapply Deer Hair Bass Bug. If done properly, there is no reason that each Tapply Bug will not hold up to catch 100 bass. Listen to my podcast for more tips>>