About Sickfoot Flies
Sickfoot Flies is named after “Sickfoot Creek” on the lower Grande Ronde River. At the mouth of the deep canyon lies one of the last good campsites on the float from Minam to Troy, Oregon, a stretch that includes good trout and steelhead fishing.
I started Sickfoot Flies after more than a dozen years of wrapping so many flies that I couldn’t possibly fish them myself. I was giving away the majority of my flies to friends, new anglers, kids, and people on the river. I simply like to tie, learn new techniques, and create flies that work. My skills improved over the years until my flies could grace the bins of most shops. My abilities continued to improve and I’m excited to offer flies that are better quality, in terms of durability and fish-ability, than what you’ll find in most fly shops.
While I carry a limited supply of flies on the website and box sets at my online store, I typically tie to order so you get the exact fly you’re looking for. This means you can order varied weights, choose your hooks, create unique patterns, and make sure you get the fly you want for any species or method.
About Me
I was born and raised in NE Oregon where I learned to fish at a young age. With outdoorsy parents who refused to leave my sister and myself behind, we often found ourselves on the lakes and streams of Baker County. Those experiences fostered an intense interest in the workings of the natural world and eventually lead me to Oregon State University where I earned my bachelors degree in Fish and Wildlife Sciences. Immediately after graduation I found myself doing seasonal fisheries work throughout Oregon eventually moving thirteen times in five and a half years before landing permanently in the NE corner of the state.
Through those moves, I often found myself near some special trout fisheries that kept me burning through flies during the hours between work and dark, and wearing out the vise at night. Like many broke, dumb, fish bums, I started tying flies to save money. In reality, it’s just another hobby which creates extremely broke, dumb, fish bums.
Now that my nomadic lifestyle is behind me, I find myself with the time to explore my home rivers and lakes. I still fish often, chasing trout during the spring and summer months with my attention turning to steelhead in the fall. However, I’m not above a good day catching whitefish on the local rivers or chasing a some top-water smallmouth. The past few years I’ve started turning my thoughts toward traveling to fish. In 2018, I made the trip to Belize to finally get those first Bonefish and a few close encounters with Permit.
With the wide variety of fish species available on the fly, I know most of us will never quit learning about the fish, their habits, their habitats, and how to catch them. I find I learn something new every time I’m out and love sharing those experiences. So, join me in the Blog section of the website where I’ll periodically share my fly fishing and tying experiences.