It is easy for the novice fly-fisher to become overwhelmed by the proliferation of items and gear that can be used to create artificial flies. Fly Tying- Proven Flies for the Pacific Northwest, provides a simple overview of the basic equipment, materials and patterns used for chironomids, wet flies, and dry flies, as well as those for steelhead and salmon.

His fly-tying methods, taught by the late fishing legend Earl Anderson, do not use a whip finisher tool for making half hitches, but rather a one-hand half hitch, creating flies that rarely unravel. Every fly in this book has been successfully tested by the author to such an extent that he is confident the reader will achieve success. Focusing on established flies that have years of proven success in the Pacific Northwest region, this book provides a combination of instruction as well as life lessons and stories accumulated over decades, providing both a useful and enjoyable read.

Don grew up on a small South Langley dairy farm as the only son of Olaf and Catherine Alice Haaheim. Luckily, the Little Campbell Creek flowed through part of the forty-acre property and this gave Don a marvelous opportunity, aided by a very outdoor-minded father, to experience the joys of fishing at an early age. When Don was eleven years old, he bought his first fly rod which was the beginning of a lifetime of fly fishing including Fly Tying throughout the beautiful province of British Columbia! Don Haaheim still actively fly-fishes many of the waters mentioned in this book. Besides fishing and fly tying, Don also writes monthly fly-tying articles and has also authored two prior books, one of his fishing experiences called “Willow Sticks, Earth Worms” and the second titled “Jessie, A Yellow Labrador Retriever”. This book originates from actual on-the-water experiences with each fly pattern.

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