A colorful fly pattern known as the Royal Coachman Bucktail was my Grandpa Harry’s secret weapon. This conclusion follows two decades of observing his catch on the South Fork of the Walla Walla River.

There’s no official fly-tying season, but if there was it would be in the depths of winter. The image of a fly tier hunched over their fly-tying vise on a cold winter’s night is about as romantic as ...