Favorite tyers

Tigereye

Tigereye

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Always learning stuff here. The post on soft hacking with long feathers was super. Who would you say are your top tyers? Who influences you most.

Davie Mcphail. #1 by far

Charlie Craven. His videos, precision and techniques are innovative and unique. He also was my guide 20 years ago when I fished the South Platte before he found fly fishing fame.

**** Talleur. His book is what made it all click when I was beginning. I still reference it.


Many other great tyers out there. These are my favorites.
 
Tigereye wrote:
Always learning stuff here. The post on soft hacking with long feathers was super. Who would you say are your top tyers? Who influences you most.

Davie Mcphail. #1 by far

Charlie Craven. His videos, precision and techniques are innovative and unique. He also was my guide 20 years ago when I fished the South Platte before he found fly fishing fame.

**** Talleur. His book is what made it all click when I was beginning. I still reference it.


Many other great tyers out there. These are my favorites.
Click to expand...



Tim Flagler has some of the greatest tips and short videos out there.

Blane Chocklett is one of the most innovative tyers of today.


 
Davie McPhail, Barry Ord Clark and Tim Flager videos are fantastic learning tools.
 
All these guys are really good. However, my favorite fly tyer was Jack Gartside. I quote **** Talleur "Everybody had to work at becoming a good tyer... to Jack it just came naturally". I bought a shadow box fly from Jack years ago and I ran into him at the Stagecoach Saloon in West Yellowstone back in the mid 80's. he was a interesting character to say the least.
 
good subject!!

joe fox is one of the best. he runs dette .

https://detteflies.com/

i like mike valla a lot,both as a writer and tyer.

catskill john and mike schmidtt are two of my favorite living tyers.


one of the biggest influences on me is sylvester nemes. he was pretty funny,too.
 
also ,there is a north jersey tyer named andy brasko who does amazing wets.

https://catskillflytyersguild.wordpress.com/category/wet-fly-corner-with-andy-brasko/
 
Too many to list.

Don Bastian. Jin Woo Lee. McPhail's videos are great. There are so many.

It's funny, there are/were innovators, and then there are tyers that somehow take a particular style and perfect it. Make it more beautiful than you thought it could be.

One memory I have etched in my brain was watching Maurice tie at Seven Mountains a few years back. I still recall how clean his flies were. He made it look pretty effortless. If you get the chance, check him out.
 
Dave Whitlock
Davie McPhail
Dave Brandt
Davy Wotton
**** Talleur

McPhail is the most diverse of the group. His knowledge of materials has no peer. He started tying CDC way before it became popular here in the U.S.

Edit to add George Harvey. Shame on me.
 
Kelly Galloup. Really dig the big streamers in high water lately. Also cheech from fly fish food has some great flies.
 
This is timely, but Ed Shenk (who recently passed, rest his soul) and Ed Koch. Their style was for simple flies that used common materials but were extremely effective. Look at a Shenk hopper - it is simpler than almost any other hopper patttern, but is incredibly effective. I loved Ed Koch's burlap fly which is just dubbed burlap fibers on a hook. His foam ant was the trimmings of other foam flies simply tied in the middle to a hook - no hackle or legs. Both used simple flies of just dubbed muskrat fur with maybe a peacock herl collar. Even though they were simple, they were tied with care and the right proportions. In my mind these flies represented the basic old Pennsylvania German values of economy, craftsmanship, value, and effectiveness. Use what you have well and keep it simple.

The world sure has changed with videos of tying any fly known to man on line. Like most I like Davy McPhail and Tim Flagler.
 
I like simplistic and fish catching flies like Ed Shenk ,& Koch , then Fran Betters who often gets overlooked , Caucci & Nastasi , Craig Mathews a little more intricate Rene Harrop & Mike Lawson ... And lots of others including my friends
 
I'll throw in Loren Williams. He has some of the best step by step tutorials I've come across.
 
Love me some Harrison Steeves and Chauncy Lively. These two really helped me the most and I still tie and use their patterns today.
 
The biggest influences for me:

Trout Flies

Lloyd Gonzales
Henry Ramsey
Oliver Edwards
Shane Stalcup
My Dad

Streamers:

Gunnar Brammer
Jonny King

Warmwater:

Jonathan Kiley
Brandon Bales
Dron Lee
Dave Whitlock
 
Dry flies - Craig Matthews for his simple, but extremely effective flies that have become the norm in every anglers fly box East and West.
Lafontaine for his ingenuity, fly design, and brilliant work regarding Caddisflies. And lastly, Marinaro for discovering the importance of terrestrials and his fly designs.

Nymphs - Joe Humphreys, and Lance Egan who I think has contributed some of the most effective nymph patterns within the last decade.

Streamers - Ed Shenk, who put the sculpin streamer/fly on the fly tying map. I still enjoy using his “old ugly” with a big shot at the nose as he fished it. Id have to add Kelley Galloup as well, who has introduced some of the coolest, and most effective articulated streamers. Was never to big into tying steamers until I saw some of Kelley’s video. He really has taken streamer fishing to the next level.

Midges. -None other than Don Holbrook and Ed Koch.
 
I'm just going with some Pennsylvania tyers that are masters at the art. These gentlemen are a true pleasure to watch in person.

Tom Baltz, Dennis charney Parachutes
Henry Ramsey CDC
Ed Shenk Deer Hair (tight lines god bless)
Mike Heck nymphs
Ken Reinard Started my journey to the craft
Don Bastian Classics

Just my opinion, thanks for reading, lots of great videos and tyers. just went with Pennsylvania tyers.
 
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