There are not many people in Montana or elsewhere, who know this man by his true name, but there are many fine anglers world wide who haven't heard of Paul Bunyan and his famous Bunyan Bugs. Missoula, Montanais certainly a true pioneer in the art of fly-tying and also a skilled maker of split bamboo fly rods, and must be recognized and honored as a individual who contributed substantially to the sport of fly-fishing in the West. There are only a few who are aware that the series consists of a wide variety of insects - at one time there were about thirity-five distinct artificals.

This fly certainly occupies a unique position in the past and present heritage of fly fishing. It's a fly that has truly survived the test of time. Pauls's grandson, Richard Rose, has kept the Bunyan Bug legend alive since the passing of Norman Means and Norman Means Jr.

Making a Bunyan Bug takes time and isn't easy as some may think. They were never mass produced and to find them for sale today is rare. Bunyan Bugs have caught mammoth trout and bass on the western rivers of the Rocky Mountains.

The construction of the Bunyan Bug is unique and has no parallel among other Montana or western trout flies. It is a reflection of the ingenuity of it's originator. and has no history of Montana trout flies or fly fishing could be complete without a discussion of the famous Bunyan Bug.

Norman Means (1899-1986)

 

 

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If you don't have a Bunyan Bug in your collection, then your missing an important fly!