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Tying Bob Quigley's Signature Flies

Reviewed by Scott Richmond

Tying Bob Quigley's Signature Flies. 90-minute DVD from Pegasus Productions. Can be purchased online at www.pegasusvideo.net/ordervideo.htm for $24.95 plus shipping and handling.

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here are a few people you should always pay attention to because you know you're going to learn something useful from them. Among fly tiers, Bob Quigley is one of those people.

The "Quigley Cripple" style of tying emergers (see Callibaetis Cripple for an example) has proven deadly throughout the West. But there's more to Bob than those flies, as this DVD demonstrates.

Good tiers are the product of the waters they fish. Quigley is often found plying rivers like southern Oregon's Williamson or northern California's Fall River. On these spring creeks, you'll find highly selective trout, and that's what the nine patterns on this DVD are aimed at. If you're fishing for seven-inch stockers at Puttentake Creek, you don't need this DVD. But if you seek the challenge of Silver Creek, the Henrys Fork, Fall River, or any other western fishery with famously persnickety trout, you'd do well to pay attention to Bob and give his flies a try.

Nine Patterns

The patterns covered on this 90-minute DVD are Spider Variant Cripple Western Green Drake, Olive Quill Loopwing Parachute Female PMD (or BWO), Hackle Stacker Sparkle Dun BWO, Hackle Stacker Loopwing Blood Midge, Hex X Cripple, Loopwing Hackle Stacker Extended Body Callibaetis, Hackle Stacker Little Yellow Stone Fly, Spider Crane, and PMD Crippled Nymph. Pattern recipes are on the DVD, as well as printed on a handy insert.

The patterns are all intriguing and not available in most stores. None is so complicated that an intermediate tier should feel intimidated. A common thread for most of the patterns is the "hackle stacker" technique, a clever little trick that every tier should give heed to.

Paying Attention

A good fly tying video should teach you more than how to tie a few patterns, and this DVD does not disappoint. Pay attention and you'll learn some subtle advice from a master, such as why a particular material is used, where and how much cement to apply (hint: it's not just for thread heads), and how to keep parachute hackle barbules out of the way when you're finishing the head.

Between each fly pattern is a short fishing tip, recorded on-stream. Here, Quiqley gives advice on tippet length for spring creeks, knots, etc.

High Quality

This is a high-quality, professional DVD. Multiple camera angles and close-ups are used, so you get a good view of the fly. Quiquley's instructions are clear and direct, with just enough by-play to keep it from becoming dry. Some background music is provided by Michael "Hawkeye" Herman's blues guitar.

Pegasus Productions of Ashland, Oregon, produced the video and I commend them for this excellent contribution to the fly tying community.

Bottom Line: Watch, and learn a few secrets from a master tier as he whips up a few patterns for fussy trout. Reviewer Rating: 4

Scott Richmond is Westfly's creator and Executive Director. He is the author of eight books on Oregon fly fishing, including Fishing Oregon's Deschutes River (second edition).

Uploaded 06/14/2006.

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