Jeff Sheldon shares his hand-tied “Trout Candy”
by Mike McKenna
Jeff Sheldon’s fishing buddies call him “Jefe.” The Spanish version of his name also translates as the “boss” or the “big man.”
After examining some of Jeff’s hand-tied flies you can see why his buddies call him this, especially since he’s always giving them some of his “trout candy.” Jeff’s unique flies flat-out work on the high mountains lakes and streams he loves to fish, so his friends are always happy to cast them.
“I’d like to think I’m the man,” Jeff joked from his home in McCall, “but I’m really just a flatlander gone good.”
Jeff was born in Kansas and discovered his passion for angling while casting for bass and sunfish in the Sunflower State when he was kid. In 1977 he moved to Northern Idaho and soon really got into fly fishing. Jeff moved to McCall in 1982 where he met his wife, Toni, and he’s been chasing trout all over the Idaho’s high country ever since.
“My secret passion is hiking and fly fishing in the high mountain lakes,” said Jeff who retired in 2010 after a career teaching elementary and middle school. Jeff also likes to mountain bike and often works that into his fishing adventures, too.
“I get to fish more than I have a right to,” Jeff commented, adding, “My wife is very forgiving.”
All this fishing not only means that Jeff goes through a lot of flies, it also means he spends lost of time studying what trout like to eat, from the big terrestrials to the small aquatic insects. So “Jefe” took to tying his own flies many moons ago and has now pretty much perfected a half-dozen flies.
We asked “Jefe” to share some of his favorite “trout candy,” as he calls the flies. His six-pack of flies for high mountain fisheries includes: Beetle, Caddis, Damselfly, Griffith’s Gnat, Mayfly and Red Ant.
Beetles are somewhat simple flies that are often overlooked as an option, but Jeff says they shouldn’t be. “When the afternoon winds pick up in the mountains they push insects into the water and the fish take notice. Terrestrials like beetles are a big part of a trout’s diet in the warmer months,” Jeff said. “I didn’t have a lot of luck with other people’s beetles so I created a pattern that really works for me. I’m proud of this one. It’s become one of my go-to patterns.”
“Trout love caddis, which is why patterns like the Elk Hair are so popular,” Jeff said, explaining that the key to a good caddis fly is its ability to float. He uses a tent wing that looks like a “pup tent” to keep it buoyant. “You skate it across the surface and there’s a big splash and it’s gone.”
Damselflies, like their larger cousins the dragonfly, are some of the most striking insects out there. They are not easy to tie or fish, but when the trout key in one them there’s nothing like it. “Trout will literally jump completely out of the water or even up onto a log to grab one and then slide back in the water. All of my fishing buddies have seen it happen,” Jeff said.
Griffith’s Gnats are usually thought of as a winter fly, but Jeff loves to use them when hunting cutthroats in moving water, especially if it’s little windy. As he advised, “Give it a shot. It just might work for you.”
“Mayflies are the most famous dry flies there are. They are just a beautiful, amazing aquatic insect,” Jeff said, pointing out that size is usually more important than color.
“If I had to choose one pattern for the summer season it would be the red ant,” Jeff said. “All through the summer red ants are hatching and getting blown onto the water and the fish go crazy for them.”
By all accounts, trout go crazy for any of the flies “Jefe” ties for himself and his friends. His advice for aspiring fly tiers is simply be creative and have fun with it.
*From the August 2021 issue of IdaHome Magazine.
