Fly Tying Group
2008 Board of Governors

(first posted June 18, 2008; last updated October 17, 2008)

Meet your 2008 Board of Governors!

David Nelson, Chairman

I live in San Francisco, California, and am in the Northern California Council. I am 57 and work as an orthopedic hand surgeon, doing both patient care and research (my specialities are distal radius fractures, wrist kinematics, and post operative pain management; see http://www.DavidLNelson.MD for more information). I consider myself a beginning tier. Although I have tied for the national conclave since 1989, I just don't practice! I still have fun. I have been involved with tying since about 1986. I started the project Patterns of the Masters, a fund-raiser for the FFF highlighting the patterns tied at the Conclave. I started and have conducted the Tier as Teacher Initiative, which was under the FFF Department of Eduction for two years before it came under the Fly Tying Group's mandate. I was drafted as the interim Chair of the Board of Governors in 2007 and served in that capacity until I was elected Chair for 2008.

I am very interested in biology, botany (native plants, teaching natural history to kids), and entomology (gave talks at Conclave for years on stoneflies, am a member of the Plecoptera Society). I have two wonderful daughters, 16 and 17, who are working full-time to put more grey hair on top of my noggin. They have both tied at Conclave, but now friends and boys are distracting them. I can wait. I keep telling them that there are tons of boys at Conclave!

My list of things for the FTG is large: increase our web presence, establish a strong program for helping members organize and execute fly tying classes, help demo tiers be better demo tiers. My particular interest is how to help our demonstration tiers be great teachers, reaching out the all students irrespective of their tying abilities. My ultimate goal is to get them to be flyfisherman, and thereby understand the importance of conservation and the need to become active at the local and national level in whatever conservation project is near and dear to their hearts.

Gene Kaczmarek; Chair, Standing Committee, Conclave Fly Tying

I live in Fremont, California, and just retired from Sales and marketing in the Silicon Valley. My home club is the Mission Peak Fly Anglers.

A member of the Northern California Council and have been on the BOD for the past 15 years, I currently serve as the VP Communications and have been VP Marketing (Booth), Fly tying chair, and one of the original members of the BOD for the FTG and currently the Standing Fly Tying Chair for the Conclave. I am the recipient of the inauguralNCCFFF “Ned Long Memorial Fly Tyer of the Year” award for 2002.

I have been tying flies for over 20 years and teach fly tying classes for the beginner, intermediate and advanced tyers. Also demonstrate advanced steelhead tying technique’s at a number of the FFF and western fly fishing shows and clubs.

Tying has become a passion not just a hobby for me. Though I tie everything from trout to Salt water, Steelhead flies are his first love because they provide the “Freedom of expression like no other tying style.” siTeaching needs to be the backbone of this group. We all should have the passion to want to pass on what we know and watch our students excel beyond our abilities.

Steve Jensen, Treasurer; Chair, Framing Committee

My wife and I live in Springfield, Missouri.  I retired three years ago, at age 64,  from Missouri State University where I spent 33 years as a professor of Biology, serving the last seven years as Head of the Biology Department.  My specialty was aquatic entomology (specifically, mayflies). (Steve is being modest here: he holds a PhD in mayflies! - David Nelson)

I have been a life member of the Federation since 1985 and have served as an officer at the club, council, and national level.  Specifically, I was the founding president of the Southwest Missouri Fly Fishers (and have held that office five different times).  I have served in the Southern Council as treasurer (8 years), vice president (2 years) and president (2 years).  I also served as a National Director (when they had such a position) and I am currently a Senior Advisor at the national level.

I enjoy fly tying and tie trout, warm water, and salt water patterns.  So far I have successfully resisted getting involved in tying classic salmon flies.  I get tremendous enjoyment in planning trips, tying the desired patterns, and building leaders and rods for each trip.  I have recently fished New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, as well as a variety of localities within the United States (including Alaska).  This year I have trips scheduled to Mexico, Canada, and Alaska (isn’t retirement grand?).

Relative to demonstration fly tying, I have tied at local clubs, regional shows (most recently the Smallmouth Rendezvous in Oklahoma), Southern and Southeastern Council conclaves, as well as the International Fly Show and Conclave.  I very much enjoy talking to tiers, especially those to whom I can contribute new ideas.  However, I usually find that I am the greatest benefactor during such exchange of knowledge.

 In 1994, having the desire to become more involved in fly plates and fly plate construction, I attended a two-day workshop conducted by Darwin Atkin held in Livingston, Montana.  I came out of that workshop with a strong fundamental understanding of fly plate construction and with a desire to begin building plates for display.  In 1990, Darwin had initiated a new fly plate project for the Federation entitled the International Fly Tyers Fly Plate Project.  From its inception in 1992 until 1996, Darwin was solely responsible for all aspects of the project: soliciting flies from tiers throughout the world, designing and constructing about 14 plates annually, shipping the plates, and keeping records.  At the 1996 Board of Directors meeting of the Federation of Fly Fishers, Darwin announced that he wanted to step down, and was seeking a volunteer to chair the program.  After some serious negotiations, Darwin agreed to remain on the project as co-chair provided there was a reduction in his responsibilities.  For the next four years, Darwin solicited the flies and handled all correspondence while I constructed and shipped the plates.  At the end of 2000, Darwin completely retired from the project.

Beginning in 2001, I initiated a new fly plate project entitled the Legends of Fly Tying.  Like the earlier project, this project was approved by the Federation’s Board of Directors, giving it official FFF status.  The Legends of Fly Tying project is in many respects similar to the International Fly Tyers Fly Plate Project, and is essentially a continuation of that very successful project, The Legends of Fly Tying fly plate project was scheduled to end in 2006, but because of demand I have agreed to continue the project on a limited basis indefinitely. Darwin and I are proud of the fact that the two projects combined have raised over $150,000 in support of Federation of Fly Fishers programs.

One of the objectives of the Fly Tying Group is to foster the design and construction of fly plates, and I am the head of the committee on fly plates.  Through workshops and presentations, it is our goal to involve more tiers in this rewarding activity. I would welcome your contributions to this committee.

I have a number of other hobbies, some of which are related to fly fishing (I carve fly tying bobbins from various woods) while others aren’t even distantly related (I spend a lot of my time hacking my way around a golf course).  I am blessed with a very full and happy life.

Steve

Donald R. Van Buren

I live in Chardon, Ohio, which is in the Northeastern part of the state.

I am currently the President of the Ohio Council (OHC) and the North Coast Fly Fishers (NCFF)

I just turned 71 and have been retired since 1995.  I was in charge of a Quality Assurance department in Staff Engineering for a large Natural Gas Utility in Ohio.

With regards to fly tying I tie just about any type of fly and have been slowly working on tying “Classic Salmon Flies”.

Dealing with Education I have developed and taught Fly Tying programs and courses for our club the North Coast Fly Fishers (NCFF), the Lake Metroparks (LMP) system here in Ohio.   A point I like to make when working with developing a fly tying program and staffing it, is “you can have an excellent fly tier but a poor teacher or an excellent teacher and a poor fly tier, to make the program work you need both”.  

My experience with demonstration tying has been tying at shows, special events  and club events, including Women in the Outdoors (WITO), etc.  I have had the privilege of teaching children Fly Tying at Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) and LMP events.

I routinely build fly tying tools and fly plates.  For the past nine years I have created a fly plate for our club, NCFF, consisting of flies from our “Favorite Fly Program”, to auction off.

I have also served as “Education Director” for NCFF and as “President” for both our club, NCFF, and the OHC. I have been actively involved with FFF at the Council level, both the Great Lakes Council (GLC) and the Ohio Council (OHC). 

One of my main objectives with fly tying is to teach our instructors how to teach fly tying consistently and to follow a plan, with emphasis on the “Student” assuring that they actually do learn how to use the tools of fly tying as well as following a pattern/recipe.  There is plenty of time to get creative later after they learn the craft of fly tying.  Most importantly to have fun and enjoy fly tying!

I would like to see a consistent methodology when it comes to teaching fly tying!

Leslie Wrixon here reporting live from Boston. Taking a break from my nightly fly tying.  By day I paint fine and not so fine homes. Hmmmm, what to say.  Oh, you should never ask a girl how old she is, but I'll tell you anyway. I am 43.
 
I am on the Board of Directors for the North East Council, and am the NEC Fly Tying Chair. Teaching is a big part of my life. I offer many courses at various locales and am an instructor at United Fly Tyers of which I am also a Board member. I seem to manage to tye at a bunch of shows, events and clubs. The shows range from big and well-known to small and unknown. Of note, I was selected as the Fly Fishing Team USA official fly tyer in 2006 and traveled with the team to the Fly Fishing World Championships in Portugal. I am also on several manufacturers pro-teams.

Living in Boston gives me the opportunity to tye and fish saltwater flies in addition to fresh water flies, which are my primary interest.  My flies are available via my website at www.ityeflies.com.  When I am not painting houses or tying flies, I enjoy reading, cooking, sports (playing and watching) and the fine art of enjoying life.
 
It would be important for the Fly Tying Group to formulate and make available guidelines for tying instructors so that each person teaching fly tying does not have to reinvent the process anew. This might include lesson plans, recipe suggestions for students at different skill levels, materials checklists, and guidelines for effective communication and teaching. This may also be translated into a document or video containing guidelines for demonstration tying as well. It seems important to preserve our fly tying heritage. In addition to a museum setting this should also be done digitally so as to make our valuable information more widely available for research. I also feel we need to better utilize the FFF Forum as a structured way for tyers to communicate with one another. 
 
Tight Wraps,
Leslie Wrixon

Jim Reed

I have been in public service for some 35 years now and most of my recent carreer as a fire chief.    My wife and I live in Howell, Michigan, which is about 40 miles outside Detroit and we have 3 grown children, the last graduating from college a couple weeks ago.   I will be retiring in the fall and spending more time on the river, I hope.....

I have long been a avid fisherman and love the outdoors and my passion in most recent history is the art of flytying....I specialize in deer hair (bass/pike etc) but I have tried to be a very versatile tyer and I do some saltwater, trout and steelhead flies.

I have demonstrated and taught around the Great Lakes region and midwest and in fact I'm doing a program for the Great Lakes Council this weekend in Northern Michigan.   I have tied at the Conclave in Livingston twice, West Yellowstone, Idaho Falls, and Bozeman.   I have also demostrated at the Somerset Symposium.  In the 2006 FFF competition I was awarded six world champion medals on the six entries that I submitted.  

This is my passion, and between the fishing and tying, it is my goal to do whatever I can to pass our sport on to many others who may enjoy all the rewards that we have had in creating such beautiful flies and getting to go to all the most gorgeous places on earth to use them.

I look forward to representing the Great Lakes Council and I feel privileged to be working so many talented folks who are represented on this boards

Best Regards, Jim Reed

I am Bob Bates from Spokane, WA, which is in the eastern part of the state where it doesn't rain all the time. At 78, you might say I am a mature (old) member on this team.  My home club is the Inland Empire Fly Fishing Club.  I have been a member of the FFF for many years and am currently VP Communication for the Washington State Council FFF.

The cutthroat trout in the Colorado high lakes forced me into fly tying in 1959-60.  They wanted little flies, circa 22, and none of the shops in the Denver area carried them.  I tie trout flies of all types and a few saltwater patterns.

After retiring in 1989, so many volunteer opportunities came my way that my fishing suffered.  I have been trying to cut back, but when this offer came by, I agreed.  Now I edit only one newsletter and maintain two web sites, www.washingtoncouncilfff.org and www.ieffc.org.  Educational activities include teaching fly tying and maintaining the FFF Fly of the Month web pages.  For years I wrote a weekly fly tying column for a Spokane fishing and hunting newspaper.  My recent demonstration tying has been has been with umbrella hooks, quill bodies, and a few regular patterns. 

You might have seen me at Conclaves photographing tiers as they work. There are many great tiers in the FFF who are not on the well known list.  I try to introduce them to the FFF membership, pass on their ideas and introduce some new materials. Also I try to show that there are many ways to tie a fish-catching pattern.

 

Photography is a hobby, and I teach alpine skiing.

 

I have proposed some things to enhance the FFF fly tying pages.

 

Bob Bates

Hi Everyone,
I am Sister Carol Anne Corley, RSM. I am a  Sister of Mercy of the St. Louis Region.
I am 63 years old (No, I don't mind telling.) I live in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and belong to the Southern Council.
 
Fresh warm water flies and trout flies are what I tie, teach and demonstrate most of the time, as that is the fishing we have around here. (I have taught and demonstrated a few salt water patterns, but not much.)
 
I am a nurse and have worked in health care for 32 years, the last 13 years of which were as the administrator of several (both for-profit and non-profit) Home Health, Hospice and Durable Medical Equipment companies. I retired in 1999.

I was the Educational and Program Director for the United States Youth Fly fishing Association at it's inception. In that capacity, I developed and implemented the “Streets to Streams” and “Tyme Flies” youth educational programs. I am a volunteer teacher at St. John’s Catholic Elementary School where I teach fly tying in the Art curriculum for 7th and 8th grades, Water Conservation and Aquatic Ecology in the Science curriculum and coordinate the St. John’s Stream Teams and Classroom Aquarium projects. I am an adjunct professor at National Park Community College where I teach Fly fishing and Fly Tying (beginning and advanced classes of each). I am also a Co- director of St. John's Parish ESL Program. I have taught fly tying and/or fly fishing for the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts, CFR, TU Rivercourse Camp, Southern Council Conclaves, Women's Outreach, and various other groups, as well as private individuals. I have spoken on fly fishing, fly tying and/or developing youth programs at local, state, regional, and international fly fishing club and organization meetings. I was a contributing author in “The No Nonsense Guide to Women’s Favorite Fly fishing Destinations.” I do fly tying demonstrations at several shows a year.

I would like to see the group develop and promote more organized, long term youth programs, perhaps with Boys Clubs and YMCAs for after school programs and work with major suppliers to provide free materials to start and then sustain them at a reasonable cost...if not free. 

I am Oscar Feliu, I am 59 and I live in The Villages, in Florida. I am in the Florida Council. I work for The Villages, a retirement development of about 74,000 strong and growing. Though my titles will change on an hourly basis, I’m known as an Event Coordinator. From my office at Church on the Square, I operate some seven year-around projects. 

I teach four six-week Fly Tying Courses a year at The Villages' Lifelong Learning College, and participate as often as I can in Fly Fishing and Tying Symposiums and Trade Shows state & nationwide. I have the privilege of being a teacher of workshops & demonstrator for the FFF for over 33 of my 35 years membership. I will be forever grateful to the FFF for these opportunities.

While most of the patterns I tie are original fresh and saltwater patterns, now and again I tie other folk’s creations for friends. Most of the patterns I had a chance to develop are better suited to the intermediate to advance fly tier. That is a blessing in the sense that the students have a greater comprehension of the techniques. The patterns maybe interesting, but“tying techniques” are what I focus on, techniques the students can take and apply to many other fly tying situations long after the class is done.I feel it’s most important to establish the relation from the living organism to the fly at the vise through entomology or water zoology. And by all means give the students hints as of how to fish the flies. After all “Angling” is our final objective and how all patterns are proved.

I still get a kick out of teaching kids. Young unspoiled minds and hands with incredible dexterity. I must agree: guidelines suggesting better ways of organizing a class are needed. This is especially true when teaching newcomers the use of the most basic tools to understanding the nature of a pattern. Also guidelines allowing the teacher the freedom to use methods he or she feels reach the intended target “The Students”.

I’m in favor of “informative printouts”. A lesson plan needs to be flexible, so it should be left to the individual teacher to create, then it will satisfied their teaching style and personal methods. To be a good teacher you must first have the desire to teach, the knowledge of the subject, methodical orientation, and practice this craft often enough so he or she will excel. Finally make sure that all students are getting the message, the know-how.  

I hope I can bring to the board enough experience to be an asset…I know I’m in good company.

All the best… Oscar

My name is Monte Smith. I’m 43 years old and reside in Halsey, OR, with my wife and two children (ages 11 and 9). Halsey is a small farming town located in the heart of Western Oregon’s Willamette Valley, and many excellent fishing opportunities are within just an hour’s drive.

I work as the Director of Business Operations for a real estate software company, which keeps me busy wearing many different hats. Some of my interests and activities outside of fly tying & fly-fishing include outdoor photography, coaching youth baseball, participating in local government, and following sports (especially baseball).

I’m a member of the Oregon Council and have been demonstration tying and teaching classes in support of the FFF at the Northwest Fly Tyers Expo, the State Fair, and other events great and small for a dozen years. In 2008, I served as the Education Assistant Chair in charge of fly tying classes for the newly configured Northwest Fly Tyer & Fly Fishing Expo in Albany. I continue to tie at other events and offer the occasional class through local fly shops as well.

I am a proud member of the Daiichi Pro Staff and have always enjoyed tying a wide variety of flies - from those to fill my trout and steelhead boxes to display flies of somewhat greater complexity for various fly plates and auctions. While my primary focus has settled on dressing Atlantic Salmon flies, I retain a strong interest in tying flies of all kinds.

Some things I would like to see the Fly Tying Group tackle include:

1. Better utilizing the Internet for providing instruction, education and communication tools for tyers and instructors under the auspices of the FFF.
2. Developing a process or guidelines to help develop high quality instructors, whether at the demonstration or classroom level.
3. Strengthening youth tying programs.

I’m honored to be considered for the board amongst the supremely talented tyers and highly dedicated FFF members represented in this group. It would be my pleasure to serve with any and all of you.

Best Regards,
Monte

Hello Everyone. I'm Henrika Prescott.  Last year I relocated from the East Coast and now live in Hemet, which is in southern California. I started a Fly Club last year in our community of Four Seasons.

I have had several careers over the years.  I worked as an accountant from which I'm retired.  For 15 years I modeled for a modeling agency in Washington DC.  I have also become an accomplished portrait artist since that career began 40 years ago.

I discovered the world of Fly Fishing when I relocated to Florida from Washington DC in 1995.  In 1998, I became the President of St. Andrews Fly Fishers in Panama City, Fl.,  and served several terms.  At that point I discovered fly tying was another artistic outlet that closely related to my work as a portrait artist.

I feel that I'm still in the learning process but would like to see more fly tying programs established in our Senior Communities.  After seeing the interest from the Seniors in our community, I would like to pursue that on a National level.  Not all Seniors still have the ability to go Fly Fishing but I haven't found one that is unable to sit and tie flies.

My name is Jim Ferguson.  Just hit 65 and have been retired for about 3 years from 34 years in public education.  Taught physical science, math, geology, chemistry, and physics.  I live in Salem, Oregon, near Chemeketa Community College where I taught the last 9 years before retiring.  My major was physics.  Throughout  my teaching career I was involved with curriculum development and tried to pay special attention to the different styles of learning and how an instructor can adapt to different teaching styles to best match the learning styles of their students.  We had some real variances in learning styles of students in our "Chemistry for Fire Fighters", "Physical Science for Firefighters", and "Nursing Chemistry Series" at Chemeketa.
 
I belong to the Oregon Council of FFF and was elected as the council board VP of Flytying. Last year I was Flytyer Chair for the Oregon Council Fly Tyer and Flycasting Expo in Albany, Oregon, where we had about 296 tyers demo tying during the five sessions of the two-day event.  I will be Flytyer Chair again for next March.  Other tying experience includes demo tying at Conclave last year, teaching a caddis class at Conclave last year (and this year), demo tying at the Washington Council expo, demo tying at the Western Idaho expo and helping teach some vets at one of the start-up Project Healing Waters programs in Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington.  I have been involved in teaching fly tying classes through Salem's local fly shop, Creekside Flyfishing.  The classes have ranged from beginning flytying to full-dressed Atlantic Salmon Flys.  In  2006, I was the Oregon Council Fly Tyer of the year recipient.  I participated in the FFF fly tying contest  and received several awards both at the council and international level.
 
I have been interested in all types of fly tying, from trout to steelhead to Atlantic Salmon. 
 
I would like to see the Fly Tying Group work on some instructional DVD's showing techniques of tying and tool use rather than concentrating on particular patterns. 
  
Jim Ferguson 

 

Hello Fellow Fly Tying Fanatics, my name is Anthony Hipps.

My wife (Robin)and I live in Lexington, NC. I am  46 years young and enjoying my age very much. I received my Masters of Science degree in Environmental Chemistry from the University of Tennessee in 1989.  Since June 1989 I have been employed by Syngenta Crop Protection, Inc. (formerly Ciba, formerly Novartis, formerly Zeneca; you get the picture) first as a research chemist and;for the last 10 yearsas a Product Chemistry Regulatory Specialist writing registration applications to EPA and PMRA (Canada). I have been a member of the FFF since 1994.

I am a member of the Nat Greene Fly Fishers (TU/FFF affiliate), Greensboro, NC where I have served as Board Member, Vice-President, President, Program Chairman, Publicity Chairman and fly tying instructor. 

I have served on the Federation of Fly Fishers - Southeastern Council Board of Directors and tied flies at the FFF-SEC conclaves since 1999.  I have had the privilege to work as a volunteer  speaker, tier and tying instructor and  have taught many tying classes and seminars to clubs and fly fishing events around the Southern USA including Bass/Saltwater Expo, TU and FFF Clubs, Charlotte Fly Fishing Show, Southern Conclave, Callaway Gardens Fly Fishing Weekend and various fly shops. At the June 2007 FFF-South East Conclave I was awarded "The Presidents Award” for outstanding service to the FFF-SEC. I have authored 4 articles published in Fly Tyer Magazine since 2006 and  will have a 5th article published in Fly Tyer this fall.

I enjoy and teach most disciplines of fly tying; coldwater (not salmon flies), warmwater and saltwater.   My favorite flies are warmwater patterns, but I love tying and fishing for any species that will eat a fly. My goal for our Fly Tying Group is to somehow get more young people involved in our sport and the art of fly tying.  I feel that having local/regional fly tying only events may help bring others in.  Also, we want to publish who we are and what we are doing in the fly fishing/tying magazines to increase visibility.  Fly Tyer Magazine has already asked me to convey that they are very interested in publishing an article about our group.

Other hobbies include writing, reading, kayaking.canoeing, hiking, horseback riding, white water rafting, softball, tennis, and basketball.  I also enjoy speaking on religion at various churches.

I am proud and blessed to be a member of FFF and happy to serve on the Fly Tying Board.

God Bless and Tight Lines

Anthony Hipps

Hans Weilenmann, Chair, International Committee

I live in Amstelveen in the Netherlands. A few days back, 18 June, I turned 54. Not sure which council I am in, me being an 'old world alien' and all that ;-)

My tying is mostly for trout and grayling, and I would characterize it for the most part as quick & easy patterns. I have also been known to tie up flies too small to be seen by many tiers and anglers, but plenty big enough to be seen (and appreciated) by the fish. My signature fly is the CDC & Elk.

I have been tying for close to forty years, and have been demo-tying regularly at national and international events in both old and new world for some twenty-five years now.

Professionally I have been a 'geek', working in IT (Information Technology) for several decades, but at present I am doing a full-time project management on enterprise wide projects at the company which employs me, Reed-Elsevier, a publisher of scientific books.

I have several hobbies, and I pursue them all with gusto. A non-comprehensive list would cover help raising my two kids, flytying (fancy that, eh? ;-)), flyfishing, (macro) photography, music, cooking a varied range of 
cuisines, reading, traveling, maintaining my web site (more on that below), and socializing with other anglers and tiers on the Internet.

One of the exciting things for me right now is the serious interest in featherbending displayed by my eleven (soon twelve she reminds me) daughter Faiza. Over the past eighteen months she has taken to it like a duck to water, and  we have since covered a number of shows in father-daughter tag-team mode, such as in Denmark, German, the Netherlands and Italy. This November we plan to hit the British Fly Fair International, an event Faiza is looking  forward to very much.

Flytier's Page
As part of a "giving back" to the tying community I started a niche web site in 1997 called Flytier's Page. It is, simply stated,  a gallery by flytiers for flytiers. I receive sets of flies, submitted by tiers  from around the world, photograph the flies and present them, with detailed  recipe, on the web. Since its start it has grown to be, what I believe, the finest and most comprehensive web site of its kind with at present some 3,500 flies by over 200 tiers, with many many more waiting in the wings to be added. Should you not be familiar with the web site, you are cordially invited to check it out at http://www.danica.com/flytier

I believe the two most significant developments in flytying the past 100 years is the combination of the Internet and affordable high-quality (digital) macro photography. This combination has paved the way for an interaction,
and an information exchange in almost real time unparalleled in history.

We truly live in the Golden Age of flytying. My friend Ed Berg put it like this: "Ever since I got onto the Internet my neighborhood has gotten kind of large". Ed was, and is, very right.

I believe one of the focus areas for the team should be to harnass and  use this power in better and more varied ways than the FFF has managed to do to date.

As noted above I am not located in the USA as all the others appear to be, which places me closer to 'outside' tying community and its potential candidacies to attend the USA based conclaves.

Hans

Greetings all from Chicago (yes we do fish in the Chicago River) My name is Jon Uhlenhop. As per your request, I will tell you a bit about myself and what I hope to include to the group.

I seem to be the only one in the group foolish enough to mix their passionate hobby with career.  My partner Andy Kurkulis and I opened Chicago Fly Fishing Outfitters over 7 years ago.  I currently manage the store, employees, education programs, and outreach. 

I grew up in the northern suburbs of Chicago teaching myself how to fly fish by sneaking into golf course ponds, and making friends with security guards at local corporate complexes (those with ponds or lakes). 

As a fly designer for a major fly manufacturer, I am constantly refining and field-testing new fly patterns.  I fish extensively for steelhead, both 1 and 2 handed, smallmouth, and saltwater.  My passion are spring creek trout streams, very abundant here in the Midwest.  Our wonderful sport allows me to gain new knowledge every time I put a hook in the vise or string up a rod. Living, breathing, and making this my livelihood, I enjoy educating (or rather infecting) others with my enthusiasm. 

At a ripe 34 years of age, when I am not thinking about all things fishing (read retail business, casting, tying, entomology, etc…), I enjoy traveling, reading military history, drawing & painting, and long walks on the beach. 

I am a member of the Great Waters Council here in the Midwest.  I have also been a member of all three local FFF fly tying clubs.  I am an FFF certified Casting Instructor aspiring for my Masters.  I am a frequently requested guest fly tying instructor at local clubs, fly fishing shows, and other events.  In addition, I have had the pleasure to teach various fly tying classes at the National Conclave.  Furthermore, I have been involved with the BSA fly fishing merit badge program, teaching fly fishing courses at Walter Payton High School, and leading a college course at the Art Institute of Chicago where I use fly tying to demonstrate the difference between practical realism versus impressionism. When I tie for fun over function, I enjoy classic streamers (Stevens) and both classic & contemporary spey flies.  I also readily use Z-lon in my parachutes (not a purist)!  

Having taught many tying courses over the years, I feel like I have a good perspective on how to deliver the important information needed given the age or skill level of each individual student.  As a fly casting instructor, I know the understand the difference in teaching substance versus style.  I anticipate this to be one of the greatest challenges facing this fly tying committee.  I hope we will be able to create resources to help facilitate this standard and encourage more participation in both fly tying education and the FFF.  It will benefit the Federation and the industry as a whole.

Give me a call if you are ever in the Midwest!

Jon Uhlenhop

My name is Clifford S Sullivan Sr.

I live in Tracy California. I am a member of the Northern California Council, and also a life member of the FFF. I have been tying flied since 1956. I am 63 years old and have been retired since 2000.

I have been a Certified Fly Casting Instructor since 1997, the past President of Diablo Valley Fly Fishermen and a member of the Tracy Fly Fishers. I have been teaching fly tyiny for over 20 years. In 2002 I did a 3 part TV show for our local TV station (30 mins ea) called Introduction to Fly Tying With Cliff Sullivan. 

 

I am fly tier of the year foe 2007 for the Northern California Council. I was on the Whiting Farms Pro Team for 6 years and am now team leader for Jay-Fair Pro Team. I have be Tying for the I.S.E Shows for 10 years and the Fly Fishing Shows since they started. I have tyed at the FFF conclaves. I do a lot of fly ting demos for different Clubs. In 2003 some of my flies were used in the Jackson on fly. I have been published in different magazines. Jim Schollmeyer and Ted Lesson put one of my flies in the book Tying Emergers. I also took first place in Jim Schollmeyer Patten patterns. I was one of the tyers Jack Dennis asked to tie in his Jack Dennis and friends Volume 3 (which I did).

Tight Lines
Cliff

Hello,  My name is Vern Jeremica.  I live in Issaquah, Washington.  I am a current Board  member of the Washington State Council of the FFF.  I'm 57 years old and  work as the Chief Pilot of Flight Standards for Boeing Commercial Aircraft in Seattle.  My job has afforded me the opportunity to train commercial airline pilots and flight test Boeing jet aircraft all over the world, and in some fortunate situations an opportunity to meet kindred fly fishermen and fly tyers in the international arena.   Although my degree is in Biology, with a concentration in Fish and Game Management, I am living one of my dreams,  doing engineering, training, standardization, flight test, and management at Boeing Commercial Aircraft Company. What did my Biology degree do for me?  It has helped me create three children and has made me a better fly fishermen.

My first fly caught trout was on a fly I tied myself, a grizzly hackled black woolly worm...........At 15  I was teaching the kids on my block to fly cast and tie flies.  One of them, Sam Matalone, has become my life long fishing buddy.  We've fishing all over the northwest together.

I have been teaching fly casting and fly tying since 1965.  Teaching, everything from river running with drift boats, to fly tying, to fly fishing, to fly casting, to flying has been a part of my life. I have actively taught how to fly turbo-jet aircraft, in the USAF, since 1977 and at Boeing  since 1986.  I love sharing what I know with everyone I meet.  Teaching is a part of my life.

My wife Koni has asked why I spend the time helping and promoting the FFF instead of just going fishing.  Well, this sport of fly fishing has given so much to me.  It has enriched my life.  It has created life long friendships.  Because of this, promoting fly fishing is what I do.

Regards to the FFF and where we go with fly tying, we have many choices and opportunities.  I hope that a large part of our efforts center around our youth, and the beginning fly tyer. Creating the proper structure and format can lay a strong foundation in fly tying. I believe that stressing the basics from the very beginning will do wonders for enhancing one's ability to learn other techniques and processes in fly tying.

Henry Hoffman

I live 85 miles west of Portland, Oregon, and south of Astoria, near the small town of Warrenton.

I am 74 and started tying flies in 1954. In 1955 and 56 I bought day-old chicks to raise for my own fly tying. After a stint in the Army, I moved to Oregon (from California) and needed more hackle for some commercial tying. I bought a pair of Barred Rock bantams for $5 from a fair and spent another $75 for ten more from Murray McMurray Hatchery, in Iowa. These last ones were bought sight-unseen and were not very good for fly tying. Using very selective breeding on these and some other colored ones I bought from members of the Oregon Bantam club, I was able to develop a business selling hackle under the name Hoffman's Super Grade Hackle. The first necks only sold for $3 and the saddles for 75 cents.

We lost money four out of the first four years, but as the quality got better and the sport of fly fishing grew, I was able to quit working as a logger and longshoreman and start Hoffman's Hackle Farm. When the money got better, my wife Joyce was able to quit her job at the paper mill and help with the chickens.

In 1989 I decided that it was time to reduce the workload so as to have more time to tie flies and to FISH! I sold 23,000 fertile eggs to Dr. Tom Whiting and cut our production in half. In 1995 we quit raising hackle altogether.

I am interested in fly fishing for all kinds of fresh and salt water fish, and will tie flies for any of them. I am also interested in science and natural history, and spend lots of time cutting firewood for my family.

When doing tying demos or putting on workshops, I like to show how to use feathers that are usually thrown away and give tips on tying methods. In the book "Northwest Fly Patterns & Tying Guide" I list 31 fly tying tips.

Stan Fudala

Tom Berry

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Bob Jacklin