An Interview with:
John Foust, Master Fly Tyer

As I stomped the snow off my feet on the front porch, I looked down at the mat and was immediately reminded of why I was visiting John and Elna Foust. Under my wet boots a dancing rainbow slashed at a dry fly. I had already stepped over a snow crusted German brown mat. Elna greeted me at the door with a warm smile just as she had done for fourteen years at the Fishous in Hamilton. Entering their living room, the encased 1873 Hardy rod and reel pulled me away from the customary greetings into a world of fly fishing enchantment. 1940's tying tools and original hook boxes, salmon flies encased in clear plastic, vintage wicker baskets and art work. "Wow," I muttered. Elna laughed and said, "When we moved here, we both agreed that it wasn't going to be a museum. Little by little they just seemed to show up and settle in place."

Settling in with a hot Toddy, I shared my vision with John of a web site which would be educational, informative and fun. My secondary goal, I explained, was to write or present information free from exaggeration and hyperbole. "You mean what I used to have to shovel out of the barn when I was a kid," quipped John. John shifted in his recliner, leaned forward and chuckled over what the fly fishing media has done to heighten novice expectations. "A few years ago I had a client turn to me just as I launched the raft and inform me he only wanted to catch trophy fish. 'Just bypass the smaller fish,' he says. I looked at him for a moment and said, "Do I look like God? If you want miracles you should have hired Billy Graham." And so began a conversation not of fly tying and patterns, but of reminiscing about our river, the Bitterroot.

We talked of the increased pressure the last seven or eight years and marveled how the fishery still steadily improves. Elna shared her observations on the increasing late arrival of the golden stoneflys each year and the growing proliferation of the Green Drake hatch, the largest of our Rocky Mountain may flies. After a while we turned to the subject I had come to write about, fly patterns for Western Montana.

"I used to say the weather was unpredictable, that the fish were unpredictable, now I just say everything is unpredictable. I've seen some great charts and graphs, and I've made some myself. The problem is there is no such thing as a 'normal year' a 'normal run- off'. What we've got is unpredictability. It's always a comfort guiding an experienced fly fisher. They know you have to put in your time. You've got to pay your dues before you land those trophy class trout or catch thirty or forty fish in a day."

"And yet we have those days, every season," Elna added.

"I just hate having to reassure clients about all the fish we float over on a given day," I added as John nodded his head in agreement. And yet the right fly on the right spot and Bingo!, we are all hooked!

"John, aside from your fly tying tools and inventions, and your mechanical fish which starred in the movie, "A River Runs Through It", what fly patterns to you credit yourself with inventing?"

"The Ugly Rudamus and the Baler Hopper," laughed Elna, "not to mention innovations to about thirty other patterns."

"I have a simple philosophy after guiding fourteen years," said John. "I test every one of my patterns for at least two years on the river. I want my flies to stay dry and intact. I don't want to see missed opportunities because of a poorly designed fly. The Ugly Rudamus is an attractor pattern. Its silhouette resembles a caddis or stone fly, and it floats great. I designed it with an elk-hair bullet head, mottled underwing and a Flashabou body. It gets there attention. The Baler Hopper I designed with a bullet head elk hair, yellow foam and an elk hair wing. I added orange polypropylene for legs which adds great buoyancy. Same material as a water ski rope. They don't sink.

"I'm constantly experimenting. We have five major hatches on the Bitterroot River. The major factors that determine when a hatch comes off is the time of the year, the water temperature and the water level. All of these variables are just plain unpredictable. Some of our best fishing takes place, as you know, during the Skwala hatch in the later part of March and the first part of April. Big fish! But I wouldn't think of luring anyone out here with the weather changes we can get. The Skwala is a tough stonefly. The water temperature is generally 47 to 50 degrees when they hatch. The female has wings for ova depositing while the male stays flightless. I like to fish with a Skwala pattern on a cloudy day up close to the bank where they cling to spring foliage. Being a big winged bug, they don't do well in the rain so they just hang on to the leaves and branches. The imitation is tied on a number 10-12 hook with a dark, olive brown body. What they lack in numbers, they make up in consistency.

"The next big hatch is the Salmon fly hatch on the East Fork and the West Fork the first part of June to the end of the month. This hatch is greatly affected by spring run-off. Our next reliable hatch is the Green Drake which arrives mid to late July. This hatch too is fairly dependable, especially on cloudy days. In between we have numerous Golden Stones, small caddis, small mayflies and several smaller stonefly hatches, all of which make the Bitterroot River a great dry fly river.

The fall brings seasonal change and cooler water as well as Brown Drakes and the October Caddis which runs into the month of November. The Bitterroot River keeps a fly fisher busy and out of trouble."

Before I left, I asked John what I knew was an impossibility for a man who is renown for dragging his life-time supply of flies into his boat every single time he goes fishing. "John, I'm going to pin you down to make ten recommendations for the best dry fly patterns and the best wet fly patterns for Western Montana.

Foust's Top Ten Dry Fly Patterns:
( Not a prioritized listing )

Pattern: Ugly Rugamus
Hook Size: 14-16
Thread: Gray
Tail: Gray elk hair
Body: Pearl Flashabou
Wing: Mottled Brown Fly Sheet
Hackle: Gray elk hair*
Probably the best attractor pattern during the season!

Pattern: Orange Polychute
Hook Size: 14-16
Thread: Gray
Tail: Elk hair
Body: Orange flourescent, poly yarn
Wing: White poly
Hackle: Brown and grizzly mixed
Special features: Dub gray in front of polychute to head -- Good all season!

Pattern: Royal Wulff
Hook Size: 10-16
Thread: Black
Tail: Elk hock
Body: Peacock herl and red floss
Wing: White calf tail
Hackle: Brown

Pattern: Elk Hair Caddis
Hook Size: 10-14
Thread: yellow
Tail: none
Body: yellow with brown palmered hackle
Wing: Light elk hair
Hackle: none

Pattern: Standard Adams (parachute)
Hook Size: 14-16
Thread: gray
Tail: elk hock
Body: dubbed gray poly
Wing: calf tail
Hackle: mixed brown and grizzly

Pattern: Coachman Trude
Hook Size: 12-14
Thread: Black
Tail: Dun hackle fibers
Body: Peacock herl
Wing: White calftail
Hackle: brown

Pattern: Blue Wing Olive Parachute
Hook Size: 14-16
Thread: Olive
Tail: Dun hackle fibers
Body: Olive dubbing
Wing: Poly yarn
Hackle: Dun

Pattern: Pale Duns
Hook Size: 14-18
Thread: cream
Tail: Dun fibers
Body: Light gold dubbing
Wing: poly yarn
Hackle: Light dun

Pattern: Polychute Hopper
Hook Size: 10-12
Thread: Olive
Tail: none
Body: Golden olive Evasote / dub thorax section with golden olive
Wing: White poly yarn
Hackle: mixed brown and grizzly
Special features: We occassionally use legs

Pattern: No Hackles
Hook Size: 18-20
Thread: Olive
Tail: Olive micro fibbets
Body: Olive dubbing
Wing: Mallard quill
Hackle: none
Note: For selective fish, this pattern can't be beat.

John Foust's Top Ten Wet Flies:

Pattern: Beadhead Pheasant Tail
Hook Size: 14-16
Thread: Olive
Tail: Pheasant tail
Rib: Gold wire
Abdoman: Pheasant tail
Wing Case: Pheasant tail
Thorax: Pheasant tail and brass bead
Legs: Pheasant tail
Note: This is the most productive wet fly I use.

Pattern: Beadhead Prince Nymph
Hook Size: 10-16
Thread: Black
Tail: 2 brown goose biots
Rib: Green wire
Abdoman: Peacock herl
Wing Case: White goose biots
Thorax: Light gold dubbing
Legs: Ginger hackle

Pattern: Golden Stone Fly
Hook Size: 10-14
Thread: Cream
Tail: Hare's mask
Rib: 6 lb. mono
Abdoman: Light gold dubbing
Wing Case: 3 cut feather or wing pad material
Thorax: Light gold dubbing
Legs: Ginger hackle

Pattern: Hare's Ear Nymph (or add bead to front)
Hook Size: 14-16
Thread: gray
Tail: Hare's mask
Rib: Gold wire
Abdoman: Light gray hareline dubbing
Wing Case: Turkey quill
Thorax: dark gray hareline dubbing
Legs: Picked out front dubbing

Pattern: Flashback Nymph
Hook Size: 12-16
Thread: Cream
Tail: Wet ginger hackle
Rib: Gold wire
Abdoman: Cream rabbit hair
Wing Case: Pearlescent flashback material
Thorax: Cream dubbing
Legs: Picked from dubbing in front

Pattern: Black Stone Fly
Hook Size: 6-12
Thread: Black
Tail: 2 black goose biots
Rib: 6 lb. mono
Abdoman: Black rabbit dubbing
Wing Case: Cut pads from feather or pad material
Thorax: Either black or orange
Legs: Black or brown hackle
Note: This pattern is a real good dropper during the Salmon Fly hatch, size 6-8

Pattern: Brassie (Great dropper fly)
Hook Size: 16-18
Thread: Black
Tail: none
Rib: none
Abdoman: Copper wire
Wing Case: none
Thorax: Peacock herl
Legs: none

Pattern: Double Beadhead Olive Pheasant Tail
Hook Size: 10-14
Thread: Olive
Tail: Olive pheasant tail
Rib: Green copper wire
Abdoman: Olive pheasant tail
Wing Case: Olive pheasant tail
Thorax: 2 gold beads
Legs: Olive pheasant tail

Pattern: Larva Lace Bead Head
Hook Size: 14-16
Thread: Black
Tail: none
Rib: none
Abdoman: Red larva lace
Wing Case: none
Thorax: Peacock herl
Legs: none

Although John and Elna sold the Fishous, they are far from being retired. John and Elna run a mail order catalogue business called Foust's Fly Fishing (406) 363-0936. John stays active as a fly fishing guide and fly tyer. They may be reached by fax at (406) 363-0307, or you may write: Foust's Fly Fishing, PO Box 583, Hamilton, MT 59840.