In this fly tying tutorial, Matt Callies from Loon Outdoors demonstrates how to tie the Pen Pal, an incredibly fast and versatile nymph pattern designed for Euro nymphing and modern trout tactics.

The Pen Pal starts with a simple fly blank—a bead, tail, and thread base. From there, you can customize the fly using markers, quills, dubbing, or UV resin to create endless variations that match different hatches.

One of the biggest advantages of this pattern is speed. The basic Pen Pal blank can be tied in about 20 seconds, allowing you to quickly fill your fly box with highly effective trout flies. By using markers and simple materials, you can create PMD, mayfly, or attractor variations from the same base fly.

This minimalist pattern sinks quickly, has a thin profile, and proves that simple flies often catch the most fish.