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Custom and Local Flies
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Merton J. Parks Custom Fly Catalog, circa 1950-1951.
Living in Bozeman, and having a cabin near Cooke City since the late 1960s, I’ve grown up fishing the headwaters of the Yellowstone River, but Parks' Fly Shop's amazing selection of foam terrestrials has made it virtually a new experience in the last couple of years. I’ve checked out most of the fly shops in Bozeman and Livingston, and none have the selection of unusual styles and colors found at Parks’. The cutthroats can’t resist them.
B. Derek Strahn
Bozeman, MT
In addition to flies from River Run, Umpqua Feather Merchants (through Orvis), Rainy's, and Montana Fly Company, we are quite proud of our selection of custom fly patterns and designing and tying these patterns is a critical part of our business. Indeed, Parks' Fly Shop began as Merton Parks' custom fly tying business in the late 1940s, and only expanded to a shop in 1953. Over the last several years, our selection of custom flies has actually been increasing steadily, even though imported patterns are generally more profitable. There are times when flies tied identically for shops in California and New York just aren't good enough, and our patterns fill this gap. Some match insects found only in our area, some are general patterns that have either lost popularity or have not yet become popular, and others are simply designed to look just a little bit different than the flies fish commonly see, important on some of the heavily-pressured streams where we fish and guide.
We are also willing to custom-tie almost any pattern you're interested in buying. Contact us for specifics. In general, freshwater trout flies, steelhead flies, and carp/gar/weird fish flies are going to be easier for us to custom produce than saltwater, bass, and pike flies.
Most of our custom fly patterns are produced in-house by Head Guide Walter Wiese or by Gardiner resident (and Gardner River Guru) Matt Minch. Richard Parks ties a few of his traditional dry flies and guide Ben Jewell now ties most of our Woolly Buggers.
Prices for most of the following flies are $27.00/dozen plus shipping, with free shipping for orders over three dozen. Richard Parks' own ties sell for $36.00/dozen. Please note that availability may be limited in fall and winter, as we often sell out of a pattern at the end of the season and don't deliver the next batch until late spring. Please contact us to place an order or to talk about appropriate flies for your trip West or for your home water. E-mail Walter Wiese for fly recipes if you'd like to tie your own.
Under Construction! More Flies Coming Soon!
updated 1/10/08
Photos and Information on Some of Our Most Important
Custom Dry Flies
(hold your mouse over the fly photo for information on the fly designer and tier to pop up)
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PFS Beetle: The PFS version of the popular foam beetle differs from others in two major ways. First, we tie it in brown and olive as well as black. Second, we delete the legs, which on most commercial beetles are stiff and don't move well, and tend to make the fly tip over on its side. Based on the fact that we sell thousands of these a season, it seems to make a positive difference. Hook: short shank dry fly, #14-18 Thread: 8/0 black, olive, or brown Underbody: peacock herl or Ice Dub Overbody: black, olive, or brown 2mm foam Indicator: bright foam. |
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| Lamar River Chernobyl: The Lamar River Chernobyl is a standard Chernobyl Ant save that its body is segmented and we tie it in innumerable color combinations besides the pictured version. Last season the cinnamon over olive foam with natural cream legs combination worked the best. Hook: 3XL streamer, #6-12 Thread: 6/0 to match or contrast foam Body: two colors of foam, bottom segmented Legs: medium round rubber to match or contrast foam Indicators: bright foam. |
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| Green Letort Hopper: The Letort Hopper is typically seen as an Eastern pattern. The trout in Soda Butte, Slough, and the Lamar don't know that. In addition to the pictured Little Green Letort, which Richard Parks came up with, we also tie and sell the more-traditional natural tan/gray version. Hook: Mustad 94840 #10-14 (green), Mustad 9671 #8-10 (natural) Thread: 6/0 to match body Body: chartreuse or cream yarn Underwing: natural turkey wing quill segment, tent style Overwing/head: natural or dyed-yellow deer hair. |
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| House and Lot Spider: The H and L Variant is usually tied Wulff-style. The Parks method has always been to take the "variant" part of the name at face value and tie it with vastly oversized hackle, wing, and tail. We have some customers who order these several dozen at a time, mostly for slow streams in the East and Midwest where you wouldn't think to use an attractor. It is also popular with many anglers on the Gibbon. Please contact us for pattern information. |
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| Wiese's Palmered CDC Caddis: This caddis is a modification of Hans Weilenman's CDC & Elk. By palmering the CDC over a slim body of dubbing, a multihued halo effect is created and the most common, long CDC feathers can be used. This particular color variation is the only one I tie in bulk, and is our primary dry for the extremely important Nectopsyche caddis common on the Firehole. Hook: short shank dry, #14 Thread: 6/0 olive dun or light cahill Body: mixture of cream, tan, cinnamon, and olive dubbings and chopped-up tan, gold, amber, and olive Z-lon, dubbed slim Rib: white CDC feather palmered and trimmed flush with the gape Wing: bleached elk. |
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| Parks Salmonfly: Created in 1954, this is the original version of the Improved Sofa Pillow. It is both more durable and more effective than the later fly, but it's also a huge pain to tie. Fish it damp as often as floating high, especially at the tail end of the salmonfly hatch. Hook: Mustad 9671, #2-8 Thread: black Gudebrod "G" Tail: natural bucktail, long Body: tangerine orange knitting yarn wound over Duco cement or super glue for durability Rib: furnace saddle clipped short Wing: natural bucktail tied very full Hackle: Royal Coachman brown tied full. |
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| Wiese's Prom Queen Salmonfly: This pattern is designed to overcome some of the shortcomings common to most foam salmonflies: they ride higher than the naturals actually do, they're the wrong color, they lack movement, and they flip over on their backs too easily. This was our most effective salmonfly in 2007, and we wound up with only one badly-chewed example left in a guide box at the end of the hatch. I'm tying twice as many this year. To be produced wholesale by the Montana Fly Company in 2009. Hook: Dai-Riki 280, #6 Thread: 3/0 orange Body: dark brown or black and tangerine orange knitting yarn twisted into a rope and allowed to turn back on itself as an extended body Wing: elk mane over pearl Krystal Flash Head: dark brown 2mm foam. Leave top end long! Indicator: orange foam Legs: medium brown round rubber (production) or medium brown barred Centipede Legs (for self). |
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| Wiese's GFA: A couple seasons ago we were surprised by the response of some fish towards an odd hopper/attractor called a Black Magic, a fly of which I tied two dozen for the bins. It wasn't durable enough and didn't float all that well, so I switched the wing to bleached elk and folded the foam over to create a bullet head. Now it floats high and stays together. This is the cicada version; I tie it with cinnamon, tan, and olive foam as a hopper, as well. Hook: Dai-Riki 280 #6-12 Thread: 3/0-6/0 to contrast with foam (here, orange) Body/Head: 2mm foam cut wide Wing: natural, bleached, or dyed elk Indicator: bright foam strip Legs: barred sili-legs or speckled Centiped Legs. |
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Photos and Information on Some of Our Most-Important
Custom Wets, Nymphs, and Streamers
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Matt's Bead, Hare, and Copper: Simple in concept and execution, this fly is unbelievably deadly, perhaps because it pushes the same buttons as a Hare's Ear but looks different enough that trout that see many Hare's Ears will still eat it. Matt Minch designed it based on a pattern with the same name popular in his winter home in New Zealand. Most years this is the most effective fly for fall-run brown trout, and is a must-have anytime on the Gardner River. To be produced wholesale by the Montana Fly Company in 2009. Hook: 1XL nymph, #10-14 Bead: copper Thread: 6/0 brown Tail: center section of a well-barred partridge feather Body: Dark Hare's Ear dubbing dubbed rough Rib: copper wire, much heavier than usual for the size of the fly Legs: remaining portion of partridge feather Head: same dubbing as for body. Alternate version has a peacock herl head. |
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Wiese's Deep Super Softy: This fly, which I produce in three color combinations, was a surprise hit last fall on the Gardner for both resident fish and runner browns. I actually designed it initially as a steelhead fly, but it's going into full production for our bins in 2008. The largest fish I had a client land last year (2007) ate this fly. The secret lies in the abdomen: it's made of Quick Descent dubbing, which makes the fly sink like a brick. To be produced wholesale by the Montana Fly Company in 2009. Hook: #6-10 scud hook Weight: .015-.020 tin wire under thorax Thread: 6/0 dark brown Abdomen: gold, copper, or gray Quick Descent dubbing Thorax: loop-dubbed dark hare's ear (gold), seal brown Hare-Tron (copper), or copper synthetic peacock (gray) Hackle: partridge or gray speckled hen. |
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Wiese's Gray Glass Caddis: While never a first choice, if you're not catching anything on Soda Butte or the Lamar, nymph this through deep, slow holes and hang on. The largest river cutthroat I have ever seen ate one of these, and kept it when my client broke him off. Hook: #12-14 scud Thread: 6/0 dark brown Beads: translucent amber 11/0 seed beads Tail: lemon wood duck Overbody: gray squirrel dubbing wound between and over beads, very sparse and rough Head: natural dark gray ostrich herl. |
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Wiese's Hula Princess: I came up with this fly last season as an experiment. In a sense it's a cross between a beadhead Prince (hence the name) and a Serendipity, but really it's an attempt at making a Coachman Trude nymph. So far the fish like it as a caddis larva imitation, so it's going into limited production in 2008 to see how well customers like it. Hook: #14-16 scud Bead: gold Thread: 8/0 dark brown Abdomen: peacock herl Rib: fine gold wire Wing: white Z-Lon clipped short Head: brown ostrich herl. |
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Matt's Joffe Jewel: This pattern fits the classic tradition of Eastern brookie streamers, and the larger brookies in the many brook trout ponds near Gardiner are suckers for it. Fish it fast or slow, deep or shallow. It is named for Joffe Lake, a popular family fishery near Mammoth where Matt Minch often goes to catch the next day's breakfast. Hook: Mustad 9671 or 9672, #8-12 Thread: black Tail: red hackle fibers Body: embossed silver tinsel Wing: yellow over white marabou, sparse. |
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Matt's Creep: This is Matt's answer to the Bitch Creek. It has more rubber legs, is brighter, and when tied with a tungsten bead and plenty of tin wire, it sinks faster. This is an excellent fly for sunny days in the fall on any river with fall-run browns and rainbows. To be produced wholesale by the Montana Fly Company in 2009. Hook: Mustad 9672, #2-8 Weight (optional): .035 tin wire Bead: copper, brass or tungsten Thread: 6/0 orange Tails: 2 white rubber legs Body: 3/5 short black flash chenille, 2/5 fire orange. In large sizes substitute large ice chenille for orange Legs: 2-3 white rubber legs tied across the body. |
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Matt's Herl Shrimp: This is a simplified version of the fly featured HERE to make it easier to tie for production purposes. It is an extremely effective scud for Trout Lake, the Swan Lake Flat beaver ponds and spring holes, and most other area stillwaters. Please click the link for the original pattern. This one differs only by having the filo-herl feather as a tail but not a second back under the turkey quill wingcase. |
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| Matt's Skinny Bugger Damsel: Like most of Matt's flies, his damselfly nymph is quick to tie and impressionistic. It is one of his favorites on Trout Lake or anywhere damsel nymphs reside. On some heavily-pressured water where the trout see a lot of more "accurate" damsels, this one can trigger them to take. It also doubles as a leech. Hook: Mustad 9671 or 9672, #8-12 Thread: olive 6/0 Tail: olive marabou Body: olive marabou wound forward Rib: copper wire Wing: short tuft of olive marabou clipped short. |
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| Matt's Stone Nymphs: Available in black and golden (pictured). These outsell and outfish all of our other stonefly nymphs combined by a factor of 5 to 1 at least. They're modern twists on the wildly-influential patterns by the late Charlie Brooks. The largest brown trout ever caught in the Gardner (9.5lbs) ate one of these in their first year of production (1993). Matt caught the fish, of course. To be produced wholesale by the Montana Fly Company in 2009. Hook: Mustad 9672, #4-8 Black, #8-12 Golden Bead: black or gold Thread: 6/0 brown for Black, 6/0 tan for Golden Tail: brown Chickabou, Black, gold Chickabou, Golden, both clipped short Abdomen: black short flash chenille, Black, golden-olive short flash chenille, Golden, both over a thread or yarn underbody to create a natural taper Thorax: dark brown squirrel dubbing, Black, antique gold squirrel dubbing, Golden Hackle: brown-dyed grizzly. |
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| Matt's Perch Candy: This is the one warmwater fly we stock, and it's a good one. It has taken everything from pike to perch, and even a few large brook trout early in the year. Hook Mustad 9672, #8-12 Bead: gold Thread: 6/0 chartreuse Tail: chartreuse marabou and lime green Krystal Flash Abdomen: chartreuse or caddis green short flash chenille Hackle: green-dyed grizzly wound as a collar. |
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| Parks Fattail Buggers: While the Woolly Bugger certainly isn't a fly we invented, we do one thing differently, which is why we tie all our standard buggers in-house. We tie the tails with at least two marabou plumes, meaning they don't lose all definition when wet. Available in the original Bugger color combo of black and olive, all-black, all-olive, and all-brown, from sizes 4-10. |
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| Wiese's Glasshead PT Soft Hackle: This is a highly-effective fly for the Firehole and Madison, where it almost certainly imitates an emerging caddis. On these waters it can be fished either dead-drift or on the swing. Elsewhere I usually fish it dead-drift. Hook: 0XL wet fly, #14-16 Bead: translucent amber glass Abdomen: 3-5 natural pheasant tail fibers Rib: fine gold wire Thorax: peacock herl Hackle: brown speckled India hen saddle. |
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| Wiese's Four Feathers: One of our best-selling nymphs. I developed the original gray pattern (still the most effective version) to utilize four feathers that work well on other nymphs: lemon wood duck for the tail, natural ostrich herl for the abdomen, peacock herl for the thorax, and natural pheasant tail for the wingcase and legs. Gold or copper Krystal Flash as an "under-wingcase" and legs complete the ensemble. It's an excellent attractor nymph used as a complement to the beadhead Prince, while in smaller sizes it's effective for spookier trout. Available in the original gray, brown, and olive. Gray produced wholesale by the Montana Fly Company. |
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| Wiese's PT-Bugger: This Bugger makes use of sculpin-like coloration from the multicolored tail and body. A great deal of motion is produced by the collar hackle, which is a "Church Window" feather from the shoulders of a ringneck pheasant. Gold barbell eyes ensure it can be fished deep without snagging. Produced wholesale by the Montana Fly Company. E-mail for more info. |
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| Wiese's Shimmer Nymphs: available in Rust (pictured), Black, and Dark Brown. This series combines the best attributes of the Lightning Bug and Copper John. They owe their success to their abdomens of twisted Midge Diamond Braid and thoraxes of Ice Dub. Both features give them a lot of iridescence that drives fish wild. The Rust is basically a PMD nymph, the Dark Brown a BWO. The Black is simply a black nymph, replacing a black Pheasant Tail as the only black nymphs we stock. E-mail for more info. |
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Contact Information |
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| Phone: | (406) 848-7314 |
| Address: |
PO Box 196 202 Second Street South (US-89) Gardiner, MT 59030 |
