Dave Whitlock has passed

[salvelinus]

Another great one gone. He did so much for our sport.
https://www.facebook.com/WhitlockFlyFishing

 

[wildtrout2]

Sad to hear. He will be missed. I got this really neat brookie plate from him just a few yeas ago.

 

[krayfish2]

That's too bad. Unfortunately never got to meet the man but I remember seeing him in fly fisherman magazine all the time

 

[DGC]

An engaging character from whom I learned a great deal. His book on aquatic trout foods really shaped my thinking.

 

[RLeep2]

I met him many years ago when we sat next to each other at a TU dinner/banquet. This was during the time he was affiliated with LL Bean and he did a Maine trout program that night. We talked quite a bit and what struck me as much as his angling knowledge was that he seemed to be a true gentleman; soft spoken, warm and kind.

RIP....

 

[rrt]

I echo post #1. Whitlock was one of the sport's icons.

 

[Dave_W]

Sad news. With the passing of DW our sport has one less gentleman from the generation that built FFing in the mid twentieth century into what it is now. For many of us of a certain age writers like DW were a key part of our growth as young sportsmen.

I've always been skeptical of mindless prattle about a better time or the good ole days. . . but that generation did produce men and women of admirable public demeanor and temperament that is sorely missed in today's culture. DW personified that.

I met DW once and recall wishing I had more time to talk to him about how he balanced so well his art and writing. FFing is filled with talented writers and quite a few painters but DW was uniquely good at both and his self-illustrated articles were a genuine inspiration to me. His flies were also innovative and effective too (I'm talking to you, Red Fox Squirrel Hair Nymph).

I want to be like Dave Whitlock when I grow up.

 

[Zipper]

So, who are going to be the men/women icons of the future? Somebody who will be talked about 50-60 years from now as an icon to the fly fishing community? Or, is the community so big and diverse that there won't be icons?

 

[Bamboozle]

So, who are going to be the men/women icons of the future? Somebody who will be talked about 50-60 years from now as an icon to the fly fishing community? Or, is the community so big and diverse that there won't be icons?

The icons of the future will be the person(s) with the most likes or views on whatever format is the predominant method for building fame decades from now.

Sadly, that celebrity & fame will have nothing to do with books or the content or value of the information those "icons" provide....

RIP Dave.

 

[JeffK]

I met him a few times at shows and have a couple of flies he tied. He was a gentleman. Two things I remember from his conversations. One is that he fished all over the world and thought the most unique fly fishing spot was the eastern base of the Andes in Bolivia for dorado. Second, he developed many unique patterns and techniques because he was from Oklahoma where there wasn't any fly fishing heritage and he had to pick up things for himself.