Fly Tier's Bench: Craven's Food Stamp PMD
Some of the best fly‑tying ideas don't come from books or time on the water, but from handling materials themselves. A flawless dry‑fly cape, a dense patch of deer hair, even a simple slab of foam can spark hours of experimentation at the vise. That process led this pattern down a surprising path, beginning with a close look at caribou hair—a material that has long lived on the fringes of modern fly tying. Soft, attractively mottled, and prone to broken tips, it lacks many of the qualities tiers traditionally look for, but those very shortcomings eventually revealed a strength that sets this fly apart.