This late great gentleman of “Taps Tips” fame in Field and Stream Magazine had a knack for successfully solving the most complex angling problems. His Nearenuf Trout Dry Fly of 50 years ago and his great Tapply Deer Hair Bass Bug are perfect examples of how to develop patterns of simple construction that will catch fish under many conditions. For many years we corresponded frequently: I sent him some tips for the magazine and he sent me some of his great flies….some of which still hang in my office. His wonderful book The Sportsman’s Notebook with hundreds of his tips was published first in 1950 and can sometimes be found in used book stores. Today his son Bill Tapply is one of the finest angling writers we have….be sure to read Bill’s stories.
