RIP Lefty Kreh

[Noahguide 0]

We lost a great one today.

[Flat Rock native 0]

Lefty was the real deal. He will be missed. Ironically, today I chose a Monster Mondo Deceiver as my current tying project and was planning out the design when I saw the news feed. Sir Kreh's family and friends can take much comfort in his legacy and much goodwill he spread around our industry....

[mikechell 0]

I wrote this on another thread, and will continue to write it when it comes up, because it is so rare to find a personality like his.

He will be missed by millions. Anyone who fly fishes as probably heard, read or seen him.

 

I am sure the creeks he's on now are full of trophy sized fish that will not take anything less than a perfect cast. Of course, he'll still catch more than anyone else on the water ... including the "big man" himself.

[Guest]

https://www.google.com/search?q=flies%20created%20by%20lefty%20kreh&tbm=isch

 

Videos too

https://www.google.com/search?q=flies%20created%20by%20lefty%20kreh&tbm=

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=flies%20created%20by%20left%20kreh&tbm=isch

 

[utyer 0]

I had the pleasure of meeting Lefty for the first time in the late 1980s. He visited our shop once a year for several years, and I got to be his chauffeur to and from casting venues, the shop, and his hotel. He was a class guy in everything he did. He was a good influence on our sport, and a friend and teacher to millions of anglers around the world. I hope the Good Lord enjoys his casting instruction, and one liners. Our sport as lost a legend. Anyone who had the pleasure of meeting with him, learning from him or talking with him will miss him, I know I will.

[JSzymczyk 0]

Anyone who has stepped outdoors in the last 50 years owes him a bit of thanks. I have read his books and learned from him my entire life.

[SILKHDH 0]

Would watch Buccaneers and Bones and would always lean into the TV when he had anything to say. Didn't want to miss a word of his advise. I noticed he was getting kind of frail and would tire easy on the show. But was still going bone fishing in his 90's. That's pretty darn impressive. He was blessed with a good long life. R.I.P. for sure. He's probably asking God "just one more Tarpon ,PLEASE"

[David Parker 0]

Sad news for sure. We in the fly fishing world can all be thankful for folks like Lefty Kreh, who have dedicated so much to the fly fishing world.

Now he moves to fly fishing history with the many others who came before him.

His pattern, The Lefty's Deceiver, is certainly one of my more productive flies in almost all sizes.

 

Thanks Lefty! R.I.P.

[mikechell 0]

He's probably asking God "just one more Tarpon ,PLEASE"

I doubt it ...

God's asking him, "How do you cast without a rod again? I can't seem to get it out there like you do!"

[retrocarp 0]

I wrote this on another thread, and will continue to write it when it comes up, because it is so rare to find a personality like his.

He will be missed by millions. Anyone who fly fishes as probably heard, read or seen him.

 

I am sure the creeks he's on now are full of trophy sized fish that will not take anything less than a perfect cast. Of course, he'll still catch more than anyone else on the water ... including the "big man" himself.

Nice words Mike

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

I was lucky enough to be introduced to Lefty in the spring of 1972 by a young man named John Emery... At that time Lefty was the outdoor writer for the Miami Herald (this was a few years before he moved up to Maryland...). I was working at that time at a local tackle shop and just beginning to realize just how much I wanted to learn about everything related to fishing. We met at J. Lee Cuddy's - the only place back then that carried rod building components - and many, many locals built their own rods since what we needed wasn't being offered in any stores. Lefty struck me as a real gentleman - and that opinion only grew stronger over the years. For those that don't recognize the name Emery - he was a club fishing fanatic back then who went on to become one of the premier south florida fishing guides (fishing out of a Challenger hull, of course...) and later designed and built the first big game fly reel after Fin Nor and SeaMaster... If you can find an Emery reel today you'll have to pay big bucks for it since all of them were built by hand like the Fin Nor and SeaMaster reels... Emery was one of the folks down here whose life was cut short my melanoma - he passed away at 38... Way back then John was just an employee at Cuddy's and helped this beginner pick out the components for my first fishing rods (about four years before I got interested in fly fishing...). I still have one or two of those old fiberglass rods in my shop somewhere... All of this was well before the first graphite rod blanks came on the scene (nowadays some are calling them "carbon fiber" - and probably charging more....).

 

Years later, when I was a commercial fly tyer, I'd work every show in south Florida that would have me - tying flies and learning from other tyers and the various really skilled folks who worked the show circuit year in and year out. Even though we only met every year or two Lefty made a point of saying Hi and I always enjoyed seeing him. By then he'd published more than a few books - and I read everyone from cover to cover to pick up anything I could. I still have the first of his books that came out in 1974 on saltwater fly fishing (and still find reasons to look up things in it - all these years later...). When I finally began to write a few short pieces for magazines - Lefty's book on photography was my primer for outdoor pics (no, I'm not very skilled - but I'm trying...).

 

Lefty was one of many that I was lucky enough to meet and learn from down here - Miami was a different town way back when... Thinking about Lefty... I should live so long - and accomplish maybe half of what he did...

[SILKHDH 0]

 

He's probably asking God "just one more Tarpon ,PLEASE"

I doubt it ...

God's asking him, "How do you cast without a rod again? I can't seem to get it out there like you do!"

LOL... Maybe it's like this... I'll let you catch one more Tarpon if you teach me how to lay out 100 feet without a rod...."Deal"