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Charlie Craven

Longtime Fly Tier's Bench columnist for Fly Fisherman

Charlie Craven co-owns Charlie's Fly Box in Arvada, Colorado. He is the author of four books, most recently Tying Streamers: Essential Flies and Techniques for the Top Patterns (Stackpole Books, 2020).
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Latest From Charlie Craven

FlyFisherman Photo Black-Beauty-Beauty 15693
Fly Tying

Tying The Black Beauty Fly

Simple, slender, and deadly effective, this fly imitates midge pupae with just enough flash to get noticed without turning selective fish away.

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A dry fly in a vise on a black background.
Flies

Fly Tier's Bench: Pheasant Tail (Simple) Sparkle Dun

Tying the pheasant tail version of a Craig Mathews classic dry fly.

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A fly in a vise.
Flies

Fly Tier's Bench: A.K.'s Melon Quill

Remembering the Colorado master whose quill bodies, inventive patterns, and quiet generosity shaped generations of fly tier.

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A pile of hair-wing flies, royal wulffs, elk hair caddis, etc.
Fly Tying

Mounting Hair Wings

Most beginning tiers don't understand the basic idea behind anchoring a clump of hair in place.

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Tying the Drunk & Disorderly Streamer
Fly Tying

Tying the Drunk & Disorderly Streamer

A wedge-head streamer with a deer-hair diving lip

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A compact, durable prey fish that punches far above its weight in both rivers and lakes.
Flies

Tying Barr's Slumpbuster Streamer

A compact, durable prey fish that punches far above its weight in both rivers and lakes.

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Fly Tying: The Finer Points of Attaching Dubbing to your Thread
Fly Tying

Fly Tying: The Finer Points of Attaching Dubbing to your Thread

The act of twisting fur and other fibers around tying thread is a skill that few tiers have mastered.

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A Pheasant Tail Nymph fly in a vise.
Fly Tying

Tying the Irresistable Pheasant Tail Nymph Fly

This mayfly attractor nymph is a guide fly for the ages.

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Watching a big brown trout flash and chase your fly is reward enough, but the grab is what keeps you casting.
Fly Tying

Fly Tying the Gonga: A Streamer That Outfishes the Woolly Bugger

Watching a big brown trout flash and chase your fly is reward enough, but the grab is what keeps you casting.

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A white streamer in a fly-tying vise; the words KISHA'S SUGAR MOMMA overlaid.
Flies

Fly Tier's Bench: Kisha's Sugar Momma

How Kisha Atkin and her fishy crew turned hardship into artistry, adventure, and a groundbreaking jigged streamer perfect for tight-lining deep holes.

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From stealthy snout hook-ups to snag-free drifts—how jigs revolutionized nymphs like the Iron Lotus and the Frenchie.
Fly Tying

Why Competitive Anglers Swear by Jig Hooks for Tying Bead Heads

From stealthy snout hook-ups to snag-free drifts—how jigs revolutionized nymphs like the Iron Lotus and the Frenchie.

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A fly-fishing fly on a white background next to the words Shanafelt's 3 Mile PMD.
Flies

Fly Tier's Bench: Shanafelt's 3 Mile PMD

A half adult, half nymph to imitate floundering Pale Morning Duns.

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