I
returned to fly fishing for trout and fly tying after a 40 year layoff.
Started to fly fish in New Jersey in my early teens.
I have lived in
Virginia since 1969 and spent a lot of time fishing for largemouth and
smallmouth bass with spinning and casting gear.
I fished B.A.S.S.
tournaments professionally in the 80's. Never had much success but got to
fish lakes all over the east from Lake Ontario to Lake Ockechobee and west to
Truman reservoir in Missouri and Sam Rayburn in Texas. Had a great time,
but now appreciating the more relaxed, less competitive fly fishing for native
brook trout in the small mountain streams of Virginia. I also fish Penns
Creek and the Little Juniata in Pennsylvania quite a lot as I have relatives in
the area.
Pictured at left is
Bill's big Ontario Brown he caught in 2007. Oh yea... That is also
Bill holding it.
I find it great fun
to catch fish on flies I have tied, and I enjoy learning new techniques. I
have met and fished with many of the people I have met through tying boards and
the internet, including Ed Gallop. My fly tying is only into it's second
year and I find tying relaxing and challenging at the same time.
 Note by Ed Gallop:
The fly shown on the right is a Winter's Hope salmon fly that Bill tied recently
(2004). He did a wonderful job.
Not only is Bill an
excellent tier and angler, he's a great fishing companion. I don't usually
comment about my angling friends on this site but would like to point out
something I find an inspiration to all over the hill anglers.
According to Bill's
age he might be considered over the hill but he's far from
it. He broke his leg playing hockey with a bunch of younger
guys earlier this year (2002). As soon as he could get around he asked me to go
fishing with him in a rugged mountain spring creek. Knowing he was limping around with a metal pin in his bone,
using an old hockey stick for a crutch, I
suggested an easier access trout river. No... Bill wanted to fish
for brookies in that tough
mountain spring creek. I was amazed at his
ability to climb and maneuver those thick rhododendrons on that rugged mountain for about 3 miles and end up
in much better condition than I was.
Pictured at right is
Bill holding his beautiful bonefish caught while in St Thomas, Virgin Islands. |
