Dave Allbaugh: Dave was born and raised in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. He is a professional, licensed Pennsylvania guide, wet fly tier, and owner of Wet Fly Waterguides. He has been fly fishing since the early 1970’s, and has concentrated his efforts at the famed waters of Central and North Central Pennsylvania, specifically streams like; Spring Creek, Penn’s Creek, Little Juniata, Kettle Creek, and Big Pine Creek. Dave specializes in the classic art of wet fly fishing. His mission is to educate new and seasoned fly fishermen about the largely forgotten art of wet fly fishing, and to show exactly how productive wet flies can be throughout the year. Over the past 30 years, Dave has spent countless hours on the stream and at the vice, perfecting and designing highly effective wet fly patterns and customized wet fly leaders. His unique guide service is one of a very few in the country that focuses on fishing with wet flies throughout the year. Dave takes great pride in teaching his clients that this lost art of fly fishing is as effective today as in the past. He has given numerous seminars and demonstrations on wet fly fishing to local TU chapters, FFF clubs, Boy Scout troops, H.S.fly fishing clubs, and fly fishing shows. You can reach Wet Fly Wateguides at www.wetflywaterguides.com or wetflywg@gmail.com

 

Thomas E. Baltz: A New Mexico native, Tom Baltz has been a fly tier for over 46 years, the last 32 spent among the legendary tiers and anglers of the limestone valleys of south-central Pennsylvania, near Carlisle. Tom is the only four time Pennsylvania State Fly Tying Champion and his flies have appeared in Field & Stream, Fly Fisherman Magazine, Art of Angling Journal, Eastern Fly Fishing, and American Angler magazines, the Orvis catalog (I.C.S.I Midge, MuddBugger, Hatching Nymph and Beetlenat) and the recently published book “Guide Flies”. He is a regular contributor to the Mid-Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide and appears at fly-fishing shows around the country. Tom ties for several fly shops and discriminating anglers coast to coast. His trout and Salmon flies are in the collections of the Pennsylvania State Museum (Jack Eschenmann collection), the Pennsylvania Fly Fishing Museum, Vice-President Dick Cheney, and private collectors from Europe, across the U.S., to Asia. A full time fly-fishing professional since 1974 and one of Pennsylvania’s first licensed fishing guides, Tom is an Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide who was named North East Trout Guide of the Year (2001) by Orvis. Tom is a member of the Regal Engineering (Regal Vise) Pro Staff. He and his wife Eileen live outside Boiling Springs, PA, very near Mountain Creek, the Letort, and the lovely Yellow Breeches Creek

 

Tim “Shorty” Bartholomew: Shorty lives in Stroudsburg Pennsylvania and has been prowling historic Brodhead Creek for over 50 years, the last 25 with a fly rod in hand. It was not long after picking up the long rod that he began tying his own flies discovering, much to his surprise, that the activity was not a way of saving money. Undeterred, he pushed on and fell in love with the time spent at the vise. He ties primarily trout flies but also dabbles in bass and panfish flies when the spirit moves him. Shorty is a member of Brodhead TU Chapter 289 and is the lead instructor for their Winter Fly Tying class. He is also a member of the Catskill Fly Tier’s Guild and can be found demonstrating his craft at various events around the Northeast. Most recently he launched his YouTube channel, “Shorty On The Fly”, with which he has enjoyed great success in a relatively short period of time. The channel features not only tying instructions, but also a series of videos involving tips and tricks designed to make everyone’s fishing and tying experience more enjoyable. Shorty looks forward to continuing to share his love of tying both in person and on his channel for the foreseeable future.

 

Thomas Barton: I live in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I have been fly tying and fly fishing as long as I can remember. My father was an avid fly fisherman and I could tie flies before I could read. I grew up in western PA between Johnstown and Altoona so there was and endless supply of trout streams to explore. I also fished Erie, Ohio and New York chasing Steelhead, Browns and Salmon on the tribs of the great lakes after one of these trips a few years ago that my Knotty Egg pattern was developed. I wanted an effective but simple egg pattern and that is exactly what the Knotty Egg is. After perfecting the pattern I started fishing them and giving them out to as many fishermen as I could. The results have been nothing short of amazing. I have had so much positive response and feedback that I started selling my flies and “Knots” via the web, at shows and through various fly shops. I look forward to demonstrating my pattern at the show, that is if you have 45 seconds of time to spare!

 

David Benoit: My father introduced me to fly-fishing at a very young age. I spent most of my youth fishing for brook trout in a stream near where I grew up in Upton, MA, with trips to Rangeley, Maine each year on family vacation. Military service and the Vietnam War interrupted my fly-fishing and it wasn’t till I moved to Southern New Hampshire in 1979 that I got reacquainted with the sport. I have fished numerous rivers, lakes and ponds in the 5 New England states, the New York Catskill rivers and the Canadian Maritimes, have been an FFF now FFI Master Certified Casting Instructor since 2002.I completed Sweetwater Travel’s Montana Guide School in 2004. Participated for many years as a New Hampshire “Let’s Go Fishing and Becoming an Outdoors Woman” Programs volunteer instructor. In 2012, retired and spend the summer months, May to Mid October in West Yellowstone, Montana working part time in Bob Jacklin’s Fly Shop, fishing the rivers lakes and ponds in Yellowstone National Park and surrounding areas.

 

David “Uptown Dave” Buduen: My name is David Buduén and I live in NYC. I’ve been flyfishing and flytying for over 35 years. I love flytying because you can take new and old materials put them together to create a pattern. I’m a father of 2 kids which I love teaching them how to fly ty. In my free time if I’m not flyfishing I’m flytying. I have the best of both worlds in fishing freshwater or saltwater. Tight Lines David Buduen.

 

Brad Buzzi: Brad has been tying flies commercially since 2004 and is the owner of BuzFly and the current President of The Atlantic Saltwater Flyrodders. He specializes in saltwater flies for the Northeast and East Central Coast of Florida targeting primarily Stripped Bass, Bluefish, Weakfish/Sea Trout, Albacore, Snook, Redfish, Cobia and Jack Crevalle to name a few. He grew up fishing the Jersey Shore from Sandy Hook to Island Beach State park cutting his teeth on Snappers and Fluke when he was a very young boy leaning how to fish. As he grew older, he started to fish for Stripped Bass, Bluefish, Weakfish and Albacore. In the mid 80’s his fishing expanded to fishing the East Coast of Florida, especially around Melbourne and Stuart. It was during this time he discovered Snook and never looked back. This year Brad will be Air Brushing and tying Popper along with tying flies with Light Cured Acrylics and Articulated Flies. Come check out his world class Bucktails that he processes and dies.

 

Lou DiGena – Lou is a Regal Pro-Staff fly tier on the Solarez and Ewing pro teams. He has over 40 years of experience fly tying and is committed to designing patterns using the K.I.S.S. rule (Keep It Simple Stupid). He primarily targets trout, smallmouth, bluegill, and toothy predators throughout the United States. His home waters are in the northeast, where he prefers fishing for Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, and Pickerel. He enjoys tying traditional patterns and creating new flies like the C.E. Crayfish (Close Enough), Tiger Baetis, and Lou’s stonefly creeper, which are deadly on trout and smallmouth.

 

Scott Fisher – A native of New Jersey, he has had a passion for tying Catskill flies for almost 15 years. Growing up two hours from the famous Catskill waters he is inspired by the works of Art Flick, Theodore Gordon, the Dettes, Rube Cross and many other legendary fly tyers from the early days of American dry fly fishing. He focuses on preserving the heart of these historic Catskill patterns while occasionally integrating modern materials to aid in performance. He is a Pro Tyer for J.Stockard, NJ guide for South Branch Outfitters, a member of the Catskill Fly Tyers Guild, a TU member of the Hacklebarney Chapter, and has done tying demonstrations at the Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum. He was a commercial fly tyer for a handful of years, selling his flies online and all over the country. He also teaches tying classes through his TU chapter, and has represented the Catskill Fly Tyers Guild at fly fishing shows in years past. He enjoys fishing NJ, PA, and NY waters for wild trout, and loves seeing a fish rise to classic flies which has and continues to stand the test of time.

 

Tim Flagler – Tim is the owner of Tightline Productions, L.L.C., a video production company located in Califon, NJ. Although he produces video programs over a wide range of topics, his specialty is fly fishing. Tim is a well-known fly tying instructor. His YouTube videos are some of the best in the business and his YouTube channel, practicalpatterns.com currently has over 118,000 subscribers and 38 million views. Almost every week he produces a new fly tying or “how to” video which appear not only on his YouTube channel but on Midcurrent and the Orvis News fly fishing blog as well. They’re also featured on Trout Unlimited’s national website and in the Orvis Learning Center. In addition, he has a regular column “Beginner’s Masterclass with Tim Flagler” in Fly Tyer magazine, which selected Tim as their “Fly Tyer of the Year” in their Winter 2022 issue. Many of Tim’s tying videos take the viewer well beyond just the tying of the fly and show what it looks like underwater, what natural it represents and how it can be fished. Tim’s a fixture at the Fly Fishing Shows – giving presentations, teaching classes and often as a Featured Tier. He does monthly “Tie-Off’s” with Tom Rosenbauer (Orvis) and, recently, Cheech Pierce (Fly Fish Food) as well. He enjoys guiding year round for South Branch Outfitters (formerly Shannon’s Fly & Tackle)in Califon, NJ and hosts annual trips to Patagonia in the spring and to the Kootenai River in MT in the summer. He has also started hosting several trips within the year to Spruce Creek, PA and to the Erie area for steelhead in early December.

 

Dominick Greico: Dominick has been trout fishing and fly tying for most of his life. A lifelong resident of Upstate New York, he has spent much of his free time exploring the vast Adirondack Park and the endless trout streams the State has to offer. His passion for fly fishing often leads him to the State of Montana in the summer to fish his favorite rivers and mountain lakes. He was fortunate to learn the art of fly tying many years ago from some of the most seasoned outdoorsman in the area. Dominick pays homage to his mentors by continually refining the patterns he was taught. He has a mission of incorporating modern materials and techniques while maintaining the core qualities of these tried and true fly patterns. He remains dedicated to the preservation and advancement of the art of fly tying.

 

Mike Heck: Mike has been fly fishing the beloved Cumberland Valley, Pennsylvania streams since boyhood. He was bless- ed to have been able to learn the art of fly fishing on some of the hardest and most famous spring creeks in the country. He has been doing so for over thirty years. Mike is a graduate of Penn State University where he acquired his degree in Forestry. This degree has allowed him to become more knowledgeable about the delicate balance between foliage, insect and stream interaction, which has in turn enabled him to become a superior fly fisherman and trout guide. Mike is the author of, “Spring Creek Strategies”, Co-Author of “Tying Dry Flies” and “Keystone Fly Fishing”. He has also had articles published in Fly Fisherman, American Angler and Fish and Fly magazines. Mike has appeared in the TV show, “Road Trip USA”, a Discovery channel show that aired across Europe. Mike is also an innovative fly tyer with several patterns credited to his name. His signature fly patterns are famous and used worldwide by all types of fly fishermen. All of these fly patterns are available through his website www.fallingsprings.com. Mike offers guiding for the Falling Springs, Big Spring, Letort, Yellow Breeches and so many other great trout streams in South Central Pennsylvania. You can find Mike Heck’s Trout Guides on the web at www.fallingsprings.com or contact him by e-mail at fallingsprings@outlook.com or by calling (717) 321-5160.

 

Tom Herr – Tom has enjoyed the pastime of fly-fishing and fly tying for well over 58 years. – starting at the age of 8 years old which is when he tied his first fly. His passion has taken him to various locations where he has fished for salmon, trout, warm water and salt water species found within the waters of Alaska, the Florida Keys, Belize, Montana, Colorado, Oregon, Northern California, Maine, New Brunswick, Western Canada and also here in his home waters of Pennsylvania. He is a world-renowned tyer who represented the United States at the 2019 Atlantic Salmon Fly International held in New Brunswick. He was one of 80 individual tyers from around the world who were invited to demonstrate their skills to the general public during this three-day event. He also was part of the planning committee for the 2024 ASFI event that was held in Calgary. Recently one of his ties was placed on the cover of the spring edition of Fly tyer magazine along with an article within on the artwork he creates at the vice as well as the work and ministry he does for others. Tom is also on the pro staff at Semperfli fly tying materials based in the United Kingdom. He has also donated his artistic tying creations of which he also mats and frames himself to organizations such as Casting For Recovery, Project Healing Waters, and the American Cancer Society. He has also served many years as a guide for outings scheduled by Project Healing Waters and Casting for Recovery.He is passionate about flyfishing and his positive attitude and personality shows through when he guides, teaches and explains the various aspects of flyfishing and tying. Tom maintains a website located at artisticflytying.com where his fly-tying work is detailed.

 

Shawn Holsinger: Shawn is owner and operator of Holsinger’s Guide Service has been fly fishing the streams of Western Central Pennsylvania for over 30 years.  Being blessed to be raised in the limestone rich mountains of the area, has offered many fishing opportunities in some incredibly trout-rich waters.  His home is centrally located between the famed Little Juniata and very popular Yellow Creek of Bedford County.  This area is also home to some incredible Class A wild trout water as well, which is where Shawn’s true passion is when it comes to fly fishing. Shawn is also on the Pro Staff of his father’s business, www.holsingersflyshop.com  located in East Freedom, Pennsylvania on the banks of the Frankstown Branch of the Juniata.  Part of his work in the fly shop includes his very popular YouTube channel, Holsinger’s Fly Shop.  Between the fly shop and his YouTube channel, he has had many opportunities to fly fish in some great locations, such as, Colorado for large cutthroats, Alaska for salmon, West Virginia and Maryland for trout, and Lake Erie and Ontario for lake run steelhead, browns and salmon.

 

Joe Jackson: Joe is a professional fly tyer most known for his artistic patterns spun with deer hair, creating real masterpieces like Baby Yoda, Hummingbirds, and T-rex’s. Joe is a veteran and a retired Sergeant in the U.S. Army. Joe spends most of his time tying flies, and volunteering as an ambassador for Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing. Joe has devoted his life to his passions on the water, chasing fish and sharing his passion with those around him.

 

Justin Krumlauf – Like many of us, Justin has been fishing for as long as he can remember. Growing up, he spent many summers in the Adirondacks; swimming and fishing in the Ausable River and its tributaries. This is where the earliest seeds of fly fishing were planted in his young mind. With an engineering background, he teaches high school fabrication and Makerspace and a special, intersession, course entitled “Conservation, Art, and Design in Fly Fishing”. This three-week course gives students a deep dive into fly fishing, with a particular focus on fly tying and conservation. Students also study prominent conservationists, fly tyers, river systems, and anglers with a certain significance to the sport. In his home waters of southwest Connecticut, he fishes for wild Trout on small streams, but especially enjoys fishing local salt ponds, back-bays, and flats in his kayak for Striped Bass. He has shipped flies to various states across the country and has found more gratification in the prospect of someone creating a lifetime memory using something he made, than fishing itself.

 

Bob Lindquist: Bob has been fishing feathered frauds for nearly 40 years, starting as a 12 year old boy fishing Long Island’s lakes. From dabbling with stocked trout, Bob graduated to the Delaware River system and the salt waters surrounding Long Island. Bob has tied flies at national fly tying and fishing expositions for over thirty years and has been published in many fly fishing and fly tying periodicals. Having followed in the footsteps of legendary tyers like Bill Catherwood, Bob has worked extensively with deer hair designed saltwater patterns. Recent years have found him, due to a lack of time as his children were ini college, pursuing simple but highly effective trout patterns. Most recently, the temptation of Spey fishing, steelhead and Atlantic Salmon have hooked Bob! Bob has recently added a love of photography to complement his fly fishing passions.

 

Bart Lombardo: Bart has been fly fishing and fly tying for over forty years. Although he travels the country to fish for trout and salmon and chases fish in the salt, his real passion is warm water fly fishing for bass, panfish, and other warm water species. As an endorsed fly tier for REGAL VISE, he enjoys teaching others about the art of fly tying. He regularly conducts fly tying classes for organizations like Orvis, LL Bean, and Trout Unlimited. Due to the popularity of his website Panfish On The Fly and his interest in warm water fly fishing he has been featured guest on a number of podcasts including The Warm Water Fly Fishing Podcast, Tenkara USA’s Tenkara Cast, and The Orvis Fly Fishing Podcast with Tom Rosenbauer. Bart’s primary interest in fly tying is developing new patterns to target panfish, bass, and other warm water species. He is a member of a few pro-staffs in the fly tying industry including Solarez and Ewing Hackle. His website where he shares information about warm water fly fishing is www.panfishonthefly.com, and he can be contacted via email at info@panfishonthefly.com.

 

Rahjeir Miles-Eubanks: This is Rahjeir who fell in love with the sport and lifestyle of Fly fishing, while attending Lock Haven University in Pa. It came as a challenge from a professor By the Name of Dr. Walsh. Who watched him catch fish from the bank of the local river the day prior. “I seen you can catch Fish but, real Men fly fish.” – Dr. Walsh stated. In response, He laughed and said,” listen ima fly fish, get sponsored to do it and be better than you.” This joking moment shifted his life forever. He continued through college earning acknowledgment/awards for Track&field and Football. Which lead him to competing professionally. At the end of his first professional season he decided to stay close to home. He wanted to be close to his daughter who was 2 years old at the time and pursue a life on the Fly. In years coming he would be offered to help pioneer an outdoor inclusion initiative to get inner-city kids of the street and into the outdoors. Alongside the living legend Joe Humphreys. Covid put a stop to this but it didn’t stop his desire to help the youth. So what does he do now? you may ask. Well when he is not on the water, he is at work or spending time with his Family. He works for a local middle School assisting kids with different learning abilities. While working there God presented an
opportunity for outdoor educational programs. He and his co founder, took a shot and pitch the program idea. Fast forward to now, where he is Blessed to share the program just concluded its inaugural term. In addition, the Fly fishing and outdoor educational program for the middle school and high school is the first of its kind in all the surrounding school districts.

 

Safet Nikocevic: Self taught, hand fly tier, Safet was introduced to the wonders of fly fishing and fly tying at very young age. This began at the age of ten when he and his buddies chased roosters in the yard and hoped to get a perfect feather for a fly. He felt nothing is more fun than seeing seven inch brownies flipping and kicking. Born and raised in Montenegro (former Yugoslavia) near the finest rivers with no fishing store anywhere to be found and where hooks were real treasure. He spends his free time tying by hand and using simple materials such as grandmothers treads sheep’s wool or a chicken’s feather. He immigrated to New York City in 1993 and here he brought his fist vise Dyne-King Aristocrat #627 in a fishing store that he never saw before, Urban Angler NY, and started commercially tying for them. Safet spends free time on the finest river, East Branch in Upstate New York. Safet’s flies are very durable and productive and he is involved with fly tying demonstrations at fly fishing shows and various fly shops all over New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Safet continues his fly tying pursuits through participation in some of the industry’s biggest shows, such as the International Fly Tying Symposium. Safet is a very proud full time employee of the piano company Steinway and Sons where he makes flies during his lunch breaks and everybody that knows him calls him a fly maker. He is also very active and very respectful Karate Instructor in Astoria’s Dojo. Using only the highest quality materials.

 

Rick Nyles: Rick has been fly fishing for over 40 years and has turned his passion into a business. Rick stated a fly fishing guide service in Pennsylvania in 1999 called Sky Blue Outfitters. Sky Blue Outfitters has established itself as one of the most comprehensive guide services in Pennsylvania. Rick is also an accomplished fly tyer and is known for his simple approach of fly tying and using CDC feathers in his patterns. In 2014 Rick introduced his own wing material called UP DN TROUT. This materials follows his simple approach to fly tying and will also speed up your tying time. Rick recently placed 3rd in the 2015 Orvis Fly Tying Contest using CDC and the UP DN TROUT wing material to show off one of his “guide” flies, the Green Drake.

 

Michael Perechinsky: I reside in Pennsylvania and was brought up loving the outdoors. Hunting and fishing were my sports throughout my school years. I started tying and fly-fishing in 1999. In 2000 and 2001, I placed in several tying competitions in Harrisburg and Philadelphia. My passion is tarpon on the fly. I am the owner of Pflies, a small saltwater fly-tying shop that specializes in saltwater patterns for tarpon, snook, permit, bonefish. I also tie fresh water patterns for trout and bass. There is no better feeling than having someone catch on your flies you tied!

 

Daniel Podobed – I was born and raised in Warren County, New Jersey. I studied English Literature and Creative Writing, and have published several poems throughout the years. I am a dog Before getting into the fly fishing industry I worked as a Canine Nutrition and Wellness Specialist. My two dogs are Kodi, a Chocolate Lab, and Tim a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon. These days I am a full time fly tyer by trade, selling custom orders through my website Prime Fly Co as well as through a small Etsy catalog. I’ve also been doing commercial work for select fly shops across the country, as well as online subscription based businesses like The Fly Crate, and Postfly Box. I love tying everything including euro nymphs, articulated trout streamers, bass and pike flies, and even flies for my bucket list species like Tarpon, Golden Dorado and Giant Trevally. I’m happy to answer any questions about tying or fishing, just reach out to me via my Instagram @primeflyco. I have no secrets, I wouldn’t be anywhere without the numerous other fly tyers that I hounded for answers and opinions and who were gracious enough to answer all of them.

 

Glen Populorum: Glen is a self-employed automotive mechanic in Illinois, who grew up canoeing and fishing many different places in both Illinois and Wisconsin. His Uncle introduced him to fly fishing at an early age, and Glen has never looked back. He decided to try his hand at tying in the early 1980’s and liked it, as it allowed him the flexibility to tie different flies depending upon their use. Glen inherited his love of travel from his Grandmother and has used it well – fishing and even guiding in the Seychelles for bonefish, Mexico for tuna and sailfish, and to Columbia and Brazil for peacock bass and payara. He is always developing new patterns for his next fishing adventure.

 

Peter Simonson – Peter has been fly-tying for 25 years. Of special interest are the unnamed and other lesser-known fly patterns of Carrie G. Stevens, the well-known Maine streamer tyer of the early 20th century. Peter became fascinated by the beauty of Carrie Stevens streamers in about 2006. He developed his streamer tying skill studying under Mike Martinek, among others. Peter’s website www.petersimonsonflydresser.com contains a pattern library of about 180 unnamed, unknown, and unusual streamer patterns of Carrie G. Stevens, each accompanied by his rendition of the pattern. Peter has tied at The Fly Fishing Show and the International Fly Tying Symposium for over a dozen years, at other well-known shows, as well as at smaller shows and at museum events. His work appears in magazines, books, and other websites. Peter is a retired signal processing systems engineer, and when he’s not tying, he enjoys fly-fishing, kayaking, and hiking. A favorite is fishing for brook trout and big land-locked salmon from pocket water and deep pools in the upper Connecticut River of New Hampshire and from the Rangeley region of Maine. Peter has two grown sons, and lives with his wife Lynne in New Hampshire, where they have been pouring money into a small farmhouse for over 40 years.

 

Brian Smith:  My name is Brian Smith. I started tying in September of 2022, and I dove in head first. I am a professional tattoo artist by trade, but my true passion has shifted into tying. I specialize in realism and dry flies, but I tie literally everything. My Instagram is @_tiesflies_ and my tiktok is @tiesflies. Tight lines!

 

Mike Stewart – Mike is a custom fly tyer and instructor. He started fishing in 1959 on the Canadian border in Vermont. He is a freshwater and saltwater fly tyer / fisherman who has been tying since 1982 when he taught himself to tie. Mike teaches fly tying out of his home in North Granby, CT and throughout New England and New York. He is also very active with the Fly Fishers International (Life Member) where he is a past member of the FFI Board of Directors, the Fly Tying Board of Governors (Life Member and former Secretary), past President of the FFI Foundation Trustees and past president of the FFI North Eastern Council. Other organizations that Mike is a member include the CFFA (Life Member), United Fly Tyers, Catskill Fly Tyers Guild, and Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum. Mike is on various Pro Teams such as Daiichi Fly Fishing, Ewing Feather Birds, Solarez Fly Tying, Peak Fishing, and Flymen Fishing Company. While he ties all types of flies, he especially enjoys classic wet flies and soft hackles/spiders. Not only are they a joy to behold, they harken back to our mutual fly fishing heritage, and, “Boy! do they catch fish.”

 

Son Tao: Son Tao, is an Army veteran and has been tying since 2016. In 2017, he won the 5th annual Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing national fly tying competition and has several patterns published in books. Son is well-known across social media due to his photography, beautiful fish photos and “how to” videos which has led to over 200,000 followers across social media platforms. He enjoys teaching others tying techniques through The Fly Fishing Show circuit, clinics and Zoom presentations.
Son is a huge advocate for veterans and is very active with numerous nonprofit organizations. He regularly spends time helping Project Healing Waters and Warriors & Quiet Waters programs in order to raise awareness for veterans. Son ties a wide variety of patterns but is best known for his intricate trout flies. He is an ambassador for Abel Reels, Whiting Farms, Fishpond, Wapsi, Solarez, Douglas Outdoors and Simms Fishing.

 

Dan Thomas: I was born and raised in a small town called Carbondale located in Northeastern Pennsylvania, along the Lackawanna River and began fishing with my father at the age of three, at the various rivers, lakes, ponds, and streams that surround our area. Some of which include the Lackawaxen, Lackawanna, Susquehanna and Delaware rivers. It wasn’t until the summer of 2008 that I discovered what is now, my sheer addiction to say the least; fly fishing. It all began one afternoon, while fishing a local damn. I was rummaging through my gear when I came across a plastic container full of miscellaneous hooks, sinkers, lures, and other tackle which my father had given to me. Among these was a small cardboard box containing about 5 or 6 old dry flies. I carefully studied and admired each one in amazement. I was intrigued at the fact that someone had created these things by hand. I was reluctant at first to feed such works of art to a fish, but I had to try one out. I rigged my spinning rod with a float bubble and cast my first fly. It wasn’t but a minute later, I caught my first fish on this beautifully tied Adams. The very next day I purchased my first fly rod. For the first month or so, I purchased flies from my local Orvis dealer, as I believed I didn’t possess the patience needed to tie flies myself. It wasn’t until my father had given me an old unopened fly tying kit that he had found in his basement that I actually attempted fly tying for the first time. Now, armed with a crude rusty wing nut style vise, the obsession had begun. My current employment with the Rail Road has me traveling throughout parts of Pennsylvania, Vermont, and New York, to the Canadian border. Each year I am afforded the opportunity to fish the many great rivers along the way including, the Delaware, Hudson, Susquehanna, Battenkill, Ausable, Saranac, and Chazy, as well as Lakes George, and Champlain to name a few. I enjoy the challenge of coming up with flies for these wonderful waters and enjoy even more getting to try them out.

 

Kino (Jean) Torres – While my fly tying hobby began 5 years ago, I have found that I love trying new patterns, new tools and materials while continuing to perfect my own style of tying. I try to tie as often as possible. I also love the community of fly tiers that I have met on social media and tying shows since I started. In addition to tying in my spare time I enjoy fly fishing, offshore fishing, hunting, and spending time with my girls. Catch me on Instagram @fliesbykino and Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/jean.torres.737

 

Steven Wascher: Steven is a third generation fly tyer who has tied flies and fly fished for over 50 years. Steve was taught the craft at an early age by his father, who in turned learned from his mother. Steve learned early on that perfection to detail, proportion, and the utilization of quality materials was of utmost importance in the production of every pattern to fool the browns and wild brook trout of the Pine Creek Valley in Pennsylvania. He has taught a variety of tying classes for over twenty years and also guides. His classes varied in depth from basic trout flies to spinning deer hair bass bugs as well as Steelhead flies and Tube Flies. Over the past 10 years, Steve’s flies have be published in many books national and regional magazines. Professionally, Steve was a special education teacher and also taught summers at the New York State Department of Corrections, as well as a college level course entitled – Introduction to Fly Fishing at Jamestown Community College. Prior to obtaining a Bachelors and Master’s Degree, Steve served in the United States Army for three years as an Artillery Surveyor in West Germany. Steve works as a manufacturers sales representative in the fly fishing industry offering product lines including Abel and Ross fly reels, Scott fly rods, Korkers wading boots.