Fly Fishing

I am addicted to everything related to fly-fishing! I tie flies, build fly rods (graphite and bamboo), make reels, and fish where ever and when ever I can. I’ve also just started building 18th to early 19th century wooden fly rods and making my own horsehair fly lines! I also enjoy photographing landscapes, rivers, lakes, fish and wildlife.

A few years ago I won a fly tying contest in the Most Creative category with this spun deer hair lighthouse. I’ve tied similar lighthouses for people all over the world (England, New Zealand, Germany and the US).

The rod photo below it is one of my custom “Birch” rods. It is faux birch bark – meaning that I paint the reel seat, grip and guide wrappings to simulate birch bark. The blank is matte black and all of the hardware is black (including the guides). There is a post on my blog on how to build these and do the painting.

Many of my creative flies and custom rods (especially the “Birch” rod) are donated to charities, schools, and my local Trout Unlimited chapter for fundraising events.