The Underground is all about embracing diversity, especially when it comes to fly patterns. In fact, my all-inclusive, non-judgmental nature allows me to steal scam test flies from the fly boxes of almost every fly fisherman I meet, so I’ve never been sucked into the “Catskill vs Parachute” or “Foam vs Fur” jihads that limit other fly fishermen who could simply steal flies instead of tying them.

In fact, there’s nothing I like better on a small stream than a dry fly that won’t drown after a few small brookies frisk the thing around the riffles, which explains my recent fascination with the Unsinkable Dry Flies book - and the interest in foam fly company “River Road Creations” profiled in the Missoulian newspaper (Question of the Day: is Tomsu in fact an Undergrounder?):

The ultra-realistic hopper imposter is the creation of Tony Tomsu. And with the help of tools available from his Stevensville company, River Road Creations Inc., you can reproduce this fly pattern - called Tomsu’s Supreme Hopper - and a host of other innovative foam flies ranging from tiny size 20 trico mayflies to mega-sized creatures designed to dupe bass and saltwater denizens.

Tomsu and his wife Kathi formed their company as a “hobby business” 11 years ago after moving to the Bitterroot Valley from Texas.

River Road Creations is now the world’s largest manufacturer of foam fly-tying tools and supplier of specialty foam fly-tying materials. Its handmade products are distributed worldwide. As a bonus, the company’s Web site, www.riverroadcreations.com, is an excellent source of detailed instruction in tying a wide range of foam fly patterns, including a Bitterroot favorite - the skwala stonefly.

I never really understood a trout’s attraction for the Chernobyl Ant, but my inability to understand ceases to matter when a fish eats the fly. The same is true of yellow bass/panfish poppers (the Official Gurgling, Oversized Dry Fly of the Trout Underground), and we can’t help but notice the above-mentioned River Road Creations actually sells cutters to manufacture the killer flies.

Foam popper cutters? The Underground's heart beats faster.

Ohhh. The Undeground’s interested. More to come on materials diversity - especially as summer takes hold and the Smallies get rambunctious.

See you at the tying bench, Tom Chandler.