Ever meet any fishing celebs?

[Sean Juan 0]

I've met an awful lot of celebs at shows but a few stand out.

 

Macauly Lord - writes for American Angler and head of the LL Bean flyfishing school my wife got me the Advanced Casting class for a birthday present and I learned a ton from him.

 

Mark Sedotti - Taught me that you can cast flies bigger than you need further than you need to - really expanded the limits of what I thought were possible situations for flyfishing.

 

Finally Ted Williams - when I was a kid my dad used to cast rods and tie at a booth at the Boston Expo Center - not exactly sure what his deal was but as a kid it was cool to watch your dad cast into rings and have people ask him questions especially when you could answer some of them. Well at one of these events I met Ted Williams - I think he got a kick out of the fact that I didn't know or care that he was a baseball player.

[CapeBSalar 0]

QUOTE (BusterWolfe @ May 14 2004, 06:34 PM)

QUOTE (btesch @ May 14 2004, 10:53 AM) I dated the "Hardy Girl" You win.   Only in my dreams. LOL! Yeah, Well I'm gonna Marry a "Hardy Girl" and here is a picture of her on the Margaree fly fishing for Atlantic Salmon!

[maddog48 0]

I've met quite a few and have been fortunate enough to watch my son talking with quite a few more. I guess the combined list of who I consider celebrities would read:

 

Barry and Cathy Beck

Tony Spezio

Dave and Emily Whitlock

Dick Talleur

Mike Lawson

Gary LaFontaine

Gary Borger

Jack Dennis

Charlie Mann

Chuck Easterling

Al Crise

Chris Henson from the Kittery Trading Post in Maine

Chris Helm

John Wilson

Lefty Kreh

 

Cathy Beck was one of the nicest people I have ever met. We saw her at a show in Mass. where my son did some tying with Gary LaFontaine. She stopped and talked to my son for about 10 minutes. We went to the same show the next year and she chatted with my son like they were long lost pals. He still talks about that to this day almost 15 yrs. later. I am fortunate enough to see John Wilson quite often and he is also one of the most patient people you'll meet. He takes the time to answer any/all questions no matter how silly they may seem and he will also take time to chat with the youngsters.

 

 

Mike

[uli2000 0]

I met Jack Dennis at this years ISE in Phoenix.

[NikoT 0]

I met that Nick Pujic guy at my work, BPS...... lol!

[Steeldrifter 0]

QUOTE (NikoT @ Apr 13 2005, 12:46 AM)

I met that Nick Pujic guy at my work, BPS...... lol!

Sorry to hear that, we the FTF staff would just like to say, if there's anything we can do to make up for this just let us know.

 

 

[Realtor 0]

Met Always Kool (A.K.) Best a few weeks ago at San Mateo Show. Great guy!

[TheDude 0]

Well, I've never met any fishing celebs, at least not yet, but my brother lent me a book recently, The Second Fly-Tyer's Almanac, that he got at a book-signing by Dave Whitlock. He handed it to me and said, "It's even signed by Dave Whitlock!" So I opened up to the title page expecting to see some scrawl that vaguely resembled the guy's name, but instead there was a full message addressed to my brother, written in a really good looking script, with a sketch of a fly at the top and a little trout at the bottom. At this point I was like, "Oh, so he must've had a pile of these sitting at a table with everything but your name filled out already, right?" "Oh no, he did that while I chatted with him for a few minutes."

 

That just impressed the hell out of me. As I get more involved with fly-fishing over the coming years, I look forward to meeting many cool people like this. "Celebs" may be noteworthy for whatever reason, but that's just it, otherwise they're regular Joe's like the rest of us.

 

And... thanks for pointing out that "Hardy Girl" guys. Damn, she's cute! There's just something extra sexy about a brunette in jeans and hip waders. Gotta find me one some day

[B.C.TroutHunter 0]

Does it count if you met their flies?

[Redleg 0]

QUOTE (btesch @ May 14 2004, 09:54 AM)

I dated the "Hardy Girl"

Liar.

 

I was engaged to her for a few years now.

 

ANDYOU GUYS BETTER GET HER OFF YOUR BOOKMARKS AND WALLPAPER!

 

 

 

 

[Steeldrifter 0]

You didn't mention rotating screen savers so I'm still kewl

[Redleg 0]

You could at least send a user fee... about $400... should cover a new, Hardy reel... at employee rates of course.

[JasonN 0]

Wow, some of you guys have really impressive lists.

 

I've met Salmo trutta... the most important one of all!

[Big Will 0]

Dave Whitlock tied me an "undertaker" with an ornge soft hackle insted of black at the L.L.Bean. It cought the hell out of Maine landlocked salmon.

[JoeBillingsley 0]

About 20 years ago, when I was first getting into fly fishing and tying, I went over to Dallas to the Texas Conclave. Lee Wulff was sitting at a table by himself and motioned for me to sit down as I walked by, staring at him, of course. Four or five other guys sat down at the table with me. Mr. Wulff had in front of him on the table a size 28 hook, a piece of thread about 2 inches long, and a hackle feather so small you could barely see it. Nothing else - no vise, no tools, nothing. He picked them up, started mumbling, and less than a minute later stood up, tossed down a fly so small you couldn't see it, and walked away. We all looked at one another. I picked up the fly but couldn't tell much about it (even with 20 year younger eyes back then). Mr. Wulff walked straight back to the table, started laughing, handed me a small magnifying glass, and said, "Try this."

It was a PERFECTLY proportioned size 28 dry. Hackle fiber tail, thread body, and hackle (no wings, but we gave him a break. He didn't have on any glasses and had to be in his 80's even back then).

I could shoot myself now for not scooping up that fly and keeping it. It would be in my safety deposit box right now if I had.

It was incredible!!!