George Croonenberghs of Missoula, MT was a lifelong fly tyer, pattern innovator and fly-fisherman. By profession he was a railroad engineer. His fly-fishing insight, local expertise around southwestern Montana rivers, like the Blackfoot, and unique period trout flies were instrumental in providing realism to the filming of Robert Redford’s A River Runs Through It. The following flies exude the authentic “buggy” nature of flies used by the trout hunters that imitated salmonflies and caddis in Yellowstone country in the first half of the last century.
George T. Croonenberghs
(1918 to 2005)
Orange General
Grizzly/Brown
Small Orange
Grizzly
Over-wing
Construct
Yellow Hopper
Balsa Grizzly
Yellow Hopper
Underbelly
Croonenberghs General
Grizzly
Small Yellow/Green
Ginger
Coachman
Hair Wing
Natural Body
Brown
Brown General
Furnace
Light Brown General
Grizzly
Light Natural
Wing Construct
Light Brown General
(note fibers in segments)
All flies courtesy of the Don Labbe collection.
©2006 Robert Dotson, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Photographs property of artist and can not be used without express permission.
