The Flies of William Lovelace

I mentioned that William Lovelace is no stranger to Salmonfly.Net in the preview to  this issue and that is true to be sure. He keeps me the busiest amongst all of our contributors. Not that I am complaining, because his fly contributions have been a joy to publish. I have learned a lot from him, and he has served all of us in the fly tying community with many, many fine examples of new and old steelhead flies, and flies by the way,  that actually catch fish. In this issue, this prolific fly tyer from Oregon adds to his many contributions with his own brand of Marabou Winter Steelhead flies and a few others that have become entrenched in the steelhead fly fishing lore. Some of these examples, Bill admits are rather old compared to others that he has sent. They have seen some wear, but still are useful for us to tie in our own style. When he sent these flies for publishing, Bill wrote:

Here are some various Marabou flies that I thought could be added to the collection. Mostly flies from an old box in my vest but with one new Tip Dyed addition.

I think every Steelheader should dabble with tying some Marabou flies. It is one of those magic “fishy” materials like peacock. Something about it can bring the illusion of life to a fly. In slower water a little line manipulation or a subtle current can make the fly seem to breath or wiggle. You can tie something as simple as a Woolly Bugger or more elegant flies like Dickson’s Cop Car, Foster’s Marabous, or Shewey’s Spawning Purple. If you have never tied and fished an Alaskabou you owe it to yourself to click on the Fly Pattern section and try one for a start. .

Happy feather bending!

William Lovelace

Bill's Fly Box Marabou Series

New Ties for Salmonfly.Net

To see all of Bill's flies visit

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