The Crackleback, created by Ed Story of Feather Craft in 1952, is a time-tested fly pattern renowned for its incredible versatility. It can be fished dry on the surface, stripped just beneath the water as a wet fly, or even swung through the current like a soft hackle. Tied in a wide range of sizes and colors, the Crackleback has remained a go-to fly for trout anglers across the country for generations.

Below is a small piece of fly fishing history—a scan of one of Ed’s original pattern sheets. Not only did Ed write the recipe for each fly, but he also illustrated every one of them by hand.