Influential Pittsburgh angler Tony Marasco dies

[Acristickid]

- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



It’s impossible to gauge the influence that Tony Marasco, former owner of Fly Tyer’s Vice fly shop, has had on Pittsburgh trout anglers. Over several decades he counseled frustrated fishermen, taught many to tie and encouraged them to pass the skill to others.

Remembered for his talent at the vise and love of the sport, Mr. Marasco of Scott died Aug. 14. He was 85.

A supporter of clean-water initiatives, he was a familiar fixture at Penn’s Woods West Trout Unlimited’s annual fund-raising fly fishing expo. Bustling behind his booth, Mr. Marasco sold merchandise left over from his long-shuttered fly shop until he fell ill this spring. He knew everybody and made a lively first impression.

In a condolence message published in the Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh fly angler Bob Bukk wrote about Mr. Marasco’s legacy among local anglers.

“As a very young man I never dreamed of fishing the Yellow Breeches Creek in Boiling Spring. Your bus trip made that dream come true,” he wrote. “The fly fishing community owes you a great deal of gratitude for teaching fly tying to hundreds. Your students have passed that on to their children and grandchildren. What a great legacy! May you rest in peace in the company of the greatest fisherman of all.”

Ron Milavec of Upper St. Clair, a TU member and organizer of the Upper St. Clair Trout Fishing Club, quipped in his condolence that gear from Fly Tyer’s Vice may be available eternally.

“Always the salesman, [Mr. Marasco] sold me my second fly rod and reel, and held his annual going-out-of-business sales at Cabin Fever each spring,” he said. “I can imagine that as he approached St. Peter at the Pearly Gates, he asked where he could set up his table for the final going-out-of business sale. He will be missed and I have lost a friend, mentor and teacher.”

Mr. Marasco was a member of Free and Accepted Masons Lodge 716 in the North Hills. His funeral was held Wednesday. Additional messages of condolence can be accepted at post-gazette.com.

 

[dryflyguy]

I took Tony's tying class back in the early '80's. And it was an experience I'll never forget, that really helped cement my passion for the sport.
He was a fantastic teacher, who really wanted you to tie nice looking flies.
I remember a couple of other guys in that class who were having some trouble with their patterns. And he had them come in at other times for a little one on one teaching.
And tying aside, he also helped his students with other aspects of the sport too. Always doing everything he could to help you become better at fly fishing

He will be greatly missed!

 

[Maurice]

Thanks Akid for sharing. I am bummed to hear this. I too took his classes and helped with teaching in subsequent years. We made several trips annually to the Yeller Britches via Bus, I seem to recall the ever present celery stock in his morning tomato juice on the bus.

He introduced to the movie, "the way of a trout" and this in addition to his passion for fly fishing, like Dryflygy, cemented my passion, he was my mentor and close friend. I spent time with him during the dawn of the computer age helping him with the navigation of windows 95 and the internet. HE WAS AN ALL CAPS TYPIST. LOL. I told him it looked like he was yelling. He said "I don't yell at people". And he didn't.

But he was one of the last of the old salts. I recall the photos hanging around the shop of him with Lefty Kreh, Ed Jorowarski(sp), Flip Pallot, Jack Mickovicz, Vince Marinaro, Charlie Fox, Lee Wulff, etc. He loved bugs and was a source of hard copy hatch charts and dubbing mixes to match mayfly bodys and wings. And he was one of the original "Sharers of information to further the sport" Kinda like a small scale PaFlyfish.com in an analog world.

When I moved east I would return during Holidays and visit. Oh the salted cured meats and deep red wines were a plenty during those visits. His wife Dorothy was tolerant of his life of flyfishing, and a pleasure to be around. Its a blessing to find a woman willing to put up with us to the end. I hope I am as fortunate.

He was a true Italian who would greet me with a kiss on each cheek when we would see each other after a time. It made me a bit uncomfortable but I could tell it meant alot to him.

CAIO, MY FRIEND, I WILL MISS YOU AND CONTINUE TO THINK OF YOU OFTEN WHEN ON THE WATER OR AT THE VICE. My heart is heavy but somehow a smile washes over my face right now.

 

[Acristickid]

Was at his shop behind Denny's before he closed.

Also, South Hills Rod and Reel with Rich. Seems hard to believe their were two fly shops with 5 miles of my house- back before the internet.

Thought that was your guy Mo- you should tie up a honey bug.

Here is an article from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette from 13 years ago-

Fishing: Hook up with a fly tying class

By Deborah Weisberg
Thirty years ago, Tony Marasco made room in his Scott TV repair shop to sell materials for tying flies.

"I did it so my Trout Unlimited students would have access to good material. There were no other shops in town," he said.

Over time, feathers, fur and thread led to waders, rods and reels, all of which began edging out the electronics stuff. And while Marasco still operates a TV repair service, it's the business of fishing -- a labor of love -- that keeps him going strong at age 73.

"I learned a good lesson when I opened this place," said Marasco of Fly Tyers "Vice" on Swallow Hill Road. "A guy came in here one day with a bunch of tackle I'd sold him and said, 'I don't know what to do with this. I don't know how to fish.'

"I felt so small, I could have crawled under a rock. It was opening day weekend and I couldn't take him out, but I told him to come back the following weekend and I'd get him started. Well, he never did. From that point on, I made sure that anyone who came in here could learn how to fly fish."

Students in his beginners fly-tying course receive 10 weeks of tying instruction plus a casting lesson and are treated to an outing to Slippery Rock Creek.

Like Marasco and other fly shop owners, Rich Roseborough of South Hills Rod and Reel in Dormont also devotes part of his fly-tying course to knot-tying, tackle and casting, and includes casting instruction with the purchase of every rod. "One of the reasons small shops have been able to hang in all these years against the big chain stores," said Roseborough, who has been in business 21 years, "is that they give customers individualized attention."

"It's the great thing about a fly shop, the personal touch you can't get when you mail order," said fly fishing guide Dale Kotowski.

Students in most beginner courses learn to tie nymphs, streamers, emergers and dry flies beginning with simple patterns and graduating to more advanced techniques.

"The first three weeks are hard," said Marasco, whose work has earned a spot at the Allenberry Resort's Fly Fishing Museum on the Yellow Breeches. "After that, it's a piece of cake if you practice, practice, practice."

For anyone serious about fly fishing, developing a relationship with a fly shop is essential. Organizations such as Trout Unlimited and Family Tyes also offer good mentoring opportunities.

"Tying classes are a wonderful way to introduce a child or a grandchild to the sport," said Joe Kline of Penns Woods West Trout Unlimited. "And it's a nice night out with fellow fishers."

 

[Bruno]

Great guy. Taught me how to cast when I first startex

 

[foxfire]

Still have and use the inexpensive 5wt graphite rod/reel combo I purchased from Tony - when, as an adult, I got back into fly fishing.
Set me up with a container of free fly's as well!! RIP.

 

[DaveKile]

Maurice wrote:
HE WAS AN ALL CAPS TYPIST. LOL. I told him it looked like he was yelling. He said "I don't yell at people". And he didn't.

Oh yes I shared several an email with Tony. (Smiling)

 

[turkey]

Thanks for posting this Akid. I hardly open the paper these days.

 

[DanL]

Thanks for posting. I had the pleasure of meeting Tony and being around him a few times at the USC Fly Fishing club that Ron Milavec still hosts. This was I think 2 years ago, and before he had knee surgery and had to miss the Cabin Fever show that year. I wasn't able to get there this year but assuming he didnt attend...

 

[BrookTroutLover]

Very sorry to hear this. I took Tony's class around '79 or '80, when it was at the DahnTahn YMCA. Used to come home and tie flies in my closet (so my parents wouldn't see the light and tell me to go to sleep on a school night). He was a larger than life character to this teenager. I think of him every time I sit down for a midwinter session at the vice. I would have loved to have seen him one more time to thank him for the gift he gave me.

Scott

 

[Maurice]

Thanks for sharing Scott.

 

[Dr.J 1952]

I also took lessons from Tony and was an assistant instructor with Maurice. I only live a few miles from where Tony lived so I would see him regularly and we would exchange emails. I knew he was ill but didn't stop in to see him as I didn't want to be a nuisance. A mutual friend called me when he passed and I was able to go to the funeral home. I lived in Harrisburg area in the late 1970s and fished the Yellow Breeches. When I found Tony liked the Breeches, that was a plus for me. I was an instructor for several years. Tony would teach the same patterns every year but would use a different technique year to year. Tony would also dye his own dubbing and furs and he had a lot of natural materials others didn't carry. I also met Chauncey Lively at his shop which was a thrill for me as I use his Peacock Trude a lot( great attractor and grannom imitator). I pass the site of his shop several times a week and always think of him when fishing. I hope there is garlic in Heaven!