Pop’s Stack of Index Cards with Hand-drawn Flies

This is the stack of 116 handwritten index cards that make up Pop’s collection of trout fly patterns and recipes. Each card was carefully created in his home in Colorado Springs during the 1960s, where Pop documented the flies he tied and fished in the rivers and streams of Colorado.

The cards are a treasure trove of detailed fly patterns. On each one, Pop noted the fly’s name, its recipe, and sometimes added personal insights about the materials, techniques, or waters where it worked best. These cards reflect Pop’s dedication to the craft of fly tying and his connection to the Colorado waters he loved.

Pop (Harry K. Cameron) was born in Missouri in 1894 and moved to Colorado in 1900, where he lived until his death in 1973. He was a WWI veteran, an electrician, a family man, a member of the Freemasons, and an avid fly fisherman and fly tier. He fished the Arkansas and South Platte Rivers using flies tied from both his notebook and these index cards.

This stack of cards is more than just a collection—it’s a glimpse into Pop’s world, where the art of fly tying met a lifelong love of Colorado’s rivers and streams.