We are excited to feature some of the top fly tiers from across the region and the nation, at the 2014 Natchitoches Fishing Expo. Whether you are new to fly fishing, or a veteran fly tier, there's always something new to learn at the tying tables!
Peter Allen-Slidell, LA
Peter is a member of the Pontchartrain Basin Fly Fishing Club. He enjoys fly tying and supporting his club at local events teaching kids, of all ages, fishing, fly tying, equipment and simple casting. Peter also enjoys making fly tying tools and has assembled a couple of rods. Peter spent most of his childhood fishing for Trout in small ‘rough’ Yorkshire streams. The North of England was where ‘spider’ (soft hackle) flies evolved and Peter has developed an interest in these flies. He usually finds time to fish for trout for a week every year in North Arkansas. He attends the Conclaves at Mountain Home, Atlanta and Rendezvous at Toledo Bend and Lake D’Arbonne State Parks
Ken Baker - Lufkin, TX.
Ken is a member of the Pineywoods Fly Fishers. He is a past president of that group. He enjoys tying flies for Bream and fishes in the local lakes and streams around Lufkin. Ken also teaches the young folks how to tie flies and fly fish.
Matt Bennett
Matt Bennett grew up in southwest Louisiana where he picked up fly fishing during his teenage years to harass farm pond bass. Upon his move to the outskirts of the Texas Hill Country, Matt plugged in with local fly fishing community through Living Waters Fly Fishing in Round Rock, the fly shop he now manages. He enjoys fishing the clear streams of the Hill Country for Guadalupe Bass and also makes a handful of forays per year up to southwest Colorado to chase trout in the Rockies. In addition to managing a fly shop, Matt is a commercial fly tyer and also very involved in the local fly fishing community as Vice President of the Austin Fly Fishers. He is very passionate about tying everything from the smallest nymphs to the biggest streamers, and enjoys sharing his tying knowledge with others."
Ashley Berry
Thomas (Bud) Bethea-Shreveport, LA
Bud started fly fishing as a teenager with popping bugs for bass and bluegill. After he was married and working for a living he got away from fishing pretty much. He would go once or twice a year with conventional tackle. Bud started back fly fishing about '95 and started tying about six months later. He didn't get very serious until he retired three years ago and joined the NLFF and the FFF.
Ken Bohannon
Ken was born and raised in Phoenix Arizona. He started fishing at the age of 3 and fly fishing at the age of 10 with his grandfather from Oregon. He had the joy of being mentored by legendary writers and fly fishers, Ernest Schwiebert, Lee Wulf, Edson Leonard, Lefty Kreh among others. Who he met over the years on streams and lakes across the globe. He is a life member of the FFF, Trout Unlimited, United Fly Tyers, North American Fishing club and Saltwater Flyrodders of America. He loves to fish in both Fresh and Saltwater, and have traveled extensively around Canada, North & South America, Bahamas, Caribbean, Atlantic and Pacific Islands in search of exotic species. He ties all Fresh & Saltwater patterns. He is currently serving on the Whiting Farms Pro Team.. He also enjoys Spey flyfishing with a double handed flyrod. He teaches flytying and fly fishing locally in Texas. Others hobbies include photography, mountain climbing, backpacking, diving, airbrush art, writing, collecting art, books.
Brooks Bouldin
Brooks began fly fishing and tying flies in 1958. He was one of the founding members of Texas Flyfishers of Houston and has tied at several conclaves and fly tying festivals through the years. As owner of Angler's Edge in Houston for 15 years he taught fly tying classes through the shop and for the club. He was a member of the Phrozen Phantom Fly Tyers who tied flies for fly plates that raised over $32,000 to support FFF clubs and to promote the art of fly tying. He and his wife Judy moved to Georgetown, TX in 2001, where Brooks is a real estate agent and president of San Gabriel Fly Fishers
Ray Boudreaux - New Iberia, LA.
Ray is an Architect with an eye for simplicity and pays attention to detail. He has been fly fishing and fly tying for about ten years and has developed a talent for tying an teaching his techniques to all who are interested. This year he will be tying the “Black Boudreaux”, “HHB” (Harry’s Hairy Bug), “Red Tag” and several other fresh and salt water patterns. Stop by and see what he comes up with next.
Ron Braud
Ronald Braud became interested in fly fishing in 1999. By the end of 2000 he had begun
tying flies to fish for bream and bass. Ron is primarily known for shadow box poppers
painted using stippling techniques adapted from his days drawing.
Ted Cabali
Ted lives in River Ridge, LA. He is a co-founder of the New Orleans Fly Fishers. He has tied at several regional and national conclaves. Ted specializes in warm water and salt water flies.
Lefty Ray Chapa
Lefty Ray Chapa is a San Antonio based, award winning, professional photographer and writer specializing in outdoor subjects like fly fishing, kayak fishing, & duck hunting. Lefty Ray's work has appeared in magazines like Newsweek, Texas Highways, Southwest Fly Fishing, Paddler, Shallow Water Angler, Fly Fishing in Saltwaters, Gulf Coast Fisherman, Texas Parks & Wildlife and many others. When not guiding on the Texas Hill Country rivers he is teaching fly casting or kayak fishing at the nearby saltwater coast.
David Chin
David has been tying trout flies for about 10+ years. He has been to the Conclave and Sow Bugs events several times. However his main interest is in successfully making dependable split cane Tonkin Bamboo fly rods and Digital image processing.
Bob Clemensen - Dunwoody, GA.
Bob has been tying for over forty years. He ties flies for trout fishing in north Georgia. He has tied at the SouthEastern Festival, Southern Conclave, Gulf Coast Conclave and two National Conclaves. Bob is also one of the great story-tellers of all time. Come watch Bob tie flies and tell stories (I can't say "lies" ... they just might be true).
Ivan Crews
Barry Dauphin - Scott, LA.
With over a decade of tying experience in salt and warm water flies he is never opposed to learning a new technique. Known in fly tying circles as the Cajun Cook, he tied at the Southern Council Conclave in 2004 and 2005 and at the Sowbug Roundup.
Charlotte Day
Charlotte grew up fishing. She learned to tie flies about same time she started fly fishing about 10 or 11 years ago. Her "obsession" with fly materials was such that she built a "woman cave" for fly tying, and other hobbies. She likes cold water fishing but does loads of warm water fishing since she has 2 boats and motors and a river about 150 yards from her camp.
Marvin Ellis
I have been fly fishing for about 45 yrs and tying in some fashion for about the same time. There was about a 15 year time that I really did very little in any fishing. I started tying a good bit about 10 years ago. I have been a plumbing contractor for the past 25 yrs.
Ray Emerson - Waco TX.
Ray is a 72 year-old veterinarian turned fly fisherman and tier. Since first getting involved with fly fishing seven years ago, he has been consumed with the different aspects of the sport. One of the major events which influenced him was a casting seminar conducted by Al Crise which exposed Ray to some of the top casters and fly fishers in the business. His exposure to Kyle Hand, an expert with Classic Salmon Fly tier got him interested in that aspect and he has been working on Classic Salmon flies since. Ray has demonstrated his fly tying skills at multiple Toledo Bend Rendezvous and at the Sowbug Roundup and Federation of Fly Fisher's Southern Council Conclave in Mountain Home Arkansas for several years. He will be demonstrating simple ties of effective top water flies for this year's shows. These flies are inexpensive to make and they catch fish. Ray has fished the Gulf Coast flats for reds, trout, flounder and for bull reds and shark beyond the surf. He also fishes Central Texas streams, rivers and lakes for bass, catfish, carp, perch and sunfish; and Mountain Home, Arkansas for trout.
Steve Flanagan
Steve is from Schertz Texas, a suburb of San Antonio at the edge of the Texas Hill Country. This location makes it easy for him to enjoy a variety of fly-fishing settings, from Hill Country streams to nearby lakes, to the coastal waters just three hours away. Steve grew up in Rockport, Texas, fishing the flats in the local bays. After moving to San Antonio in 1984, he joined the Alamo Fly Fishers and has served two terms as President, as well as serving in other officer positions for over 10 years. Because of his history on the Texas Coast, Steve has an avid interest in saltwater fly tying and fishing. While his still fly fishing along the Texas Gulf Coast, he has ventured as far north as Newfoundland Ca nada, to pursue Atlantic salmon, and has also fished the United States from San Diego, California, to Newport, Rhode Island. He has taught numerous fly tying classes and seminars, and has participated as a guest tyer at the Southern Council conclaves in Mountain Home, Arkansas, the Texas Flyfishing Show in Kerrville, the Texas Flyfishers Show in Houston and the Red Stick Conclave in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, concentrating on saltwater patterns designed for fishing the Texas coast. strongest interest
Ron Foreman-Lake Charles, LA
Ron is a member and current Treasurer of the Contraband Fly Casters in Lake Charles, LA. He is also a member and supporter of the IFFF and on the board of the GCCFF. He is also a member of Trout Unlimited. He grew up fishing small streams and creeks in Louisiana. Ron is an avid bass fisherman having fished numerous lakes throughout the mid south. After moving to the Lake Charles area, he began saltwater fishing. His passion now is fly fishing for reds, specks, and flounder. Also, he takes occasional trips to cold water fisheries to try for rainbows and browns. He enjoys tying flies and teaching a new comer to tie. Ron has tied at Sowbug and other various event
Jamie Franklin
Jamie has been fishing his whole life, He has been fly fishing for 4 years. He got started flyfishing by chance, that morning he went to Bass Pro in Bossier to pick up some things for jig tying, the North Louisiana Fly Fishers were there doing a tying demo. He got to talking and decided to go to next meeting, and next thing he knew he was tying trout flies, bought a flyrod, and taught myself to kind of cast. He made a few trips to the Little Mo, then I discovered, you can catch bream and bass with this thing, and that is when he lost his mind, it changed his life. He gave up every other hobby. He ties everyday and fishes every chance he gets. He tries to make every tying event possible , stay active in the NLFF , andtries to get everyone he talks to try flyfishing. He hasmade friends all over the country. He wishes he could have learned about fly fishing years ago.
Jeff Guerin
Kyle Hand
Kyle was born and for the most part reared in Nebraska. He has been tying flies for25 years with most of those years being a commercial tyer. Currently Kyle spends most of his time tying salmon flies, classic wet flies, Rangeley style streamers and old bass and trout flies. He also teaches classes at Cabela’s in Ft. Worth and “pinch-hits” for the other classes in the Metroplex. Kyle feels he has been very fortunate in his tying endeavors to meet and learn from a lot of very talented fly tyers and he enjoys passing this information along to his fellow fly tyers. Stop by and say hello.
Fred Hannie -Lake Charles, LA
Fred is a member of the FFF and the Contraband Fly Fishing Club. He is an avid fresh and saltwater angler and enjoys teaching people how to tie their own flies for this pursuit. Fred specializes in developing unique patterns for local waters and is known locally for his realistic and art flies. He is a dental technician so you could say he creates artificial teeth to fool people by day and artificial insects to fool fish by night. He a member of the FFF Fly tying Group , board member of the GCC, And pro staff member of Deer Creek Uk and Togen Hook company. Look for his flies and patterns in several magazines such as Hatches and blogs such as The Fiberglass Manifesto and Frankenfly . His flies have also appeared in the Fly Fishing & Tying journal , Fly Fusion and FlyFisher. His website is www.realsiticflytying,net
Mike Hawkins
Jerome Ernest Hebert - Broussard, LA
Jerome Hebert is a Warm Water Fly Tyer who specializes in Semi Realistic Fishing Flies he has demonstrated his skills as a fly tyer and instructed a Semi Realistic Foam Fly Tying Clinic at last years Federation Of Fly Fishers International Fly Fishing Fair in West Yellowstone MT. Where he also premiered as a new author with his new book "Tying Bayou Guide Flies". He is also an accomplished Wildlife & Fly Fishing artist; Acrylic Paint & Prisma Color Pencils are his mediums. He will will be tying flies, have copies of his new book & displaying his art work at the "A Bayou Runs Through It" Vendors booth.
Dena Hebert - Broussard, LA
She is a member of the Red Stick Fly Fishers club of Baton Rouge and a member of the Federation of Fly Fishers. She was a Professional Barber Stylist for 16 years. She now uses the techniques that she learned in her years of cutting hair to style Deer Hair Flies for Large Mouth Bass. She began tying flies in 1995, after joining the Lafayette, LA Acadiana Fly Rodders. In 1996, after attending her first Southern Council FFF Conclave, she fell in love with tying Deer Hair Flies and studied to perfect the skills that she uses today. She is now known as a Deer Hair Stylist. She has been a fly tying instructor and demonstrator at several local seminars as well as a demonstration tier at the FFF Conclaves for the Southern Council, Southeastern Council, and the Gulf Coast Council. She enjoys fly fishing for largemouth bass in the Atchafalaya Basin. In 2012, she graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with Honors. She is currently an 8th grade English and Computer Literacy teacher at Parks Middle School in Parks, LA.
Bill Heugel - Hemphill, TX.
Bill has been fly fishing for over 30 years and a member of the FFF for that same period. He was originally a member of the Texas Fly Fishers, but since retirement he is now a part of the Piney Woods Fly Fishers. Bill has retired to the shores of Toledo Bend Lake and spends most of his time fishing for largemouth bass. He has been tying flies for about 20 years and his preference is flies for bass and saltwater.
Mike LaFleur
Mike started fishing while working in Alaska. One day in 1983, he saw a fly fisherman catching more fish and having more fun. When asked, the guy suggested that the fastest way to learn was to attend a school. Two weeks later, Mike was at the Fenwick School in West Yellowstone, MT, and has never fished with commie tackle since, and has been going back there every year. In 1990, Mike moved to Baton Rouge and joined Red Stick Fly Fishers and learned how to tie saltwater flies, including his favorite flies, the LaFleur Charlies. He says they are “All You Need” for fly fishing the Louisiana marsh and surf. He has branched out a bit, but not too much.
Warren Landry
Don Lawler-Shreveport, LA
I was born and raised in Northwest Louisiana, and have fished its local waters pretty much all of my life. My first experience with fly-fishing goes back to my teen-age years, fishing with a fiberglass fly-rod and bream poppers (a lot like the rest of us, I can imagine). Not until about 20 years ago did I fully embrace what I refer to as angling's "True Path," Imagine a bearded, zealous preacher wearing patched-up waders, holding Isaac Walton's "Complete Angler" up high and shouting "Embrace the PURE FAITH, Brother! Surrender ALL!" A lot of people have been instrumental in my journey to angling nirvana and enlightenment. Barry Bauer, Jeff Guerin, Davy Wotten, Art Seale, and quite a few others whom I can't quite recall right now (but were affected by, just the same) deserve due credit for serving as guides on my path. When asked why I took up fly-fishing, It’s difficult to pin down a single answer. It could be the environs in which people fly-fish, whether it’s on a trout stream, a farm pond (usually posted, of course), local lakes for bass, or the coastal marsh during a moving tide (there's something to be said about tying a spoon-fly of your own creation then hanging into a 24" red-fish with an "serious attitude problem."). It would seem that most of the time, tying flies takes me there in my mind, even if I can't have the opportunity to go there in person. People ask me where I get the creative "bent" for some of the flies I have come up with, and to be honest, I like tying something that makes me happy, and satisfies that part of me that wants to leave my personal mark on a certain pattern. A couple of years ago, I was granted "Master-Tyer" status from my local club. Between you and me, I think its a nice way of saying "Idiot-Savant" (yeah...definitely...yeah...yeah.. 4:30..Time for Wapner...) Hey, I'm good with it.
Jimmy Lee
Kelly Lovelady
I was born in December 1959, in Texas. I am a USN vet. I have two grown children. I started fishing when I was about 3-4 years old. I did not learn how to tie flies, or fly fish, until January of 2008. My goal is to tie flies the way my mind imagines them... :-)
Jean-Luc Geja
I was born in 1960 on March, 10th in France. I was raised in Chambery, the Capital of Savoie in the Alps. My parents’ house was just at the junction of two rivers, La leysse and l’Hyeres.
As a child I used to fish for brown trout with my father and my grand father, using worms and spoons. In high school I met new friends and one of them was tying flies. I learned how to tie from and I started to fly fish. In 1978, I started biology studies in college and got my degree in 1982. At that time, I was also working in the biggest fly shop of the area where I met the best fly fishermen around and we shared secrets. In 1982 I created the GPS of Chambery : an association to promote fly fishing and protect rivers Later on, I went to Slovenia for a fly fishing trip on the Soca river and I met Marjan Fratnik. He asked me if I could do some advertising in French specialized magazines for fly fishing in Slovenia. I spent 10 years 1988-1998 fly fishing in Slovenia and guiding journalists there during my holidays.
In 1998 I did my first trip in the Rocky Mountains. I presently live in Louisiana and work as a french teacher. I like fishing for redfish and I have found it very interesting to compare the two cultures .
I try to tie in this soup of French American salt and fresh fly fishing life. I hope you will enjoy to discover my crazy French flies.
Patty Lueken
Fishing since age 2, Patty Lueken tried fly fishing about ten years ago and has never looked back. Whether it is cold, warm or salt water, Patty is a zealous advocate for fishing on the fly. In fact she has converted her family to fly fishing and regularly works with youth so that they can feel the “tug” and hopefully become hooked as well. She ties her own flies and has built some of her rods. In 2009 Patty was named Arkansas Fly Fishers Fly Tyer of the Year. She has tied at several different venues including Sowbug, AFF Southern Region Conclave, the grand opening of a Cabelas, Smallmouth Rendevous, and local events in Arkansas and surrounding states.
Larry McCarver
Born in Wenatchee Washington Larry fished for bass and mountain lake rainbows before moving to Texas. Now ties much larger flies for much larger prey. He enjoys fishing from his kayak in rivers and bayous of Louisiana and Texas. He has fly fished in Washington, New Mexico, Wyoming, Mountana,Louisiana, and Alaska. He still won't choose what's more fun playing a large jumping rainbow or being taken on a 'Texas Sleigh Ride' in his kayak by a powerful Redfish. Summer plan include fly fishing for acrobatic Mako sharks with his sailor son off San Diego before his wedding. Larry is a member of CCA, IFFF,TU and Contraband Flycasters of Lake Charles,LA.
Johnny McJunkins
Linda McLendon - Lufkin, TX
Linda started tying flies with the Pineywoods Fly Fishers during various demo events. She took classes at different Texas fly fishing shows and started teaching tying with TPWD Angler's Education events. She enjoys tying trout flies and broke the Texas state record for Redear on the fly rod several years ago with a trout fly.
Walter McLendon - Lufkin, TX
Walter has been involved with fly fishing for over 24 years. He is the force behind Fly Fish Texas and the Rendezvous. He has developed considerable knowledge in old flies and researched their beginnings and construction techniques. He is presently the president of the Piney Woods Fly Fishers.
Kyle Moppert - Baton Rouge, LA
Kyle is a member of Red Stick Fly Fishers and has been kicking around various Federation clubs, conclaves, offices and events for close to 20 years. When not dealing with his kids (4), he and his son prefer to chase reds in the Louisiana marsh and trout in the White. While not a “Master Tyer” or “world Renown”, this non-traditionalist interloper of tying pit is a cofounder of the Classic Atlantic Bream Fly Society. Come by and he’ll bore ya’ with bits of wire screen, Christmas tinsel, some pink, or other odd stuff.
Marc Pinsel - Hammond, LA.
Marc is an award winning international fly tyer who has been presenting fly tying demonstrations for many years in large venues, bars and pubs throughout the US and Europe. Marc has held local, regional and national offices in the FFF and plans to hold no more. Specialties include bass, trout, steelhead, Pacific and Atlantic salmon. As usual Marc will trade fine flies for fine cigars.
Jay Renken - Lufkin, TX.
Jay was one of the original members of the Pineywoods Fly Fishers. He instructs on casting and fly tying. He is particularly effective at tying innovative bream flies and catching the hard fighting species.
Stephen Robert - Houma, LA
Being born and raised in Houma, Stephen was taught at an early age by his father to fly fish for bluegill. Fly fishing never stuck with him at an early age. Growing up he enjoyed fishing the Louisiana marsh around the Houma area in both Freshwater and Saltwater. He tried his hand at the Professional Redfish series for several years and really enjoyed the competition. After meeting a few people that were really big fly fishers, he got back into it and fell in love with the sport. In 2010 he started the Fin-Addict Fly Fishers Club in Houma. Stephen began fly tying around 2003 and has not looked back. Over the past 10 years he has enjoyed tying multiple patterns from tiny Coldwater Flys to the large offshore Bluewater Flys. Stephen is mostly known for his warmwater pattern that he developed called “Crappie Candy”. This fly has been a versatile fly catching multiple species from Saltwater (Speckled Trout), Warmwater (Bass, Crappie & Bluegill) to Coldwater (Rainbow Trout). Stephen’s flies can be seen on his web/blog site: http://finaddictflies.blogspot.com
John Scarborough
Bill Trussell - Houston, TX.
Bill began fly fishing in the Texas hill country in the early 1960s with a $5 fly rod and reel. He tied his first fly using feathers pulled from his mom's pillows. Bill fishes for sunfish, small bass and even catfish. He began fishing for trout in the 1970s while teaching school and living on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. Bill started building rods and tying favorite trout patterns, Girdle Bug and Humpies, around 1979. He has continued to spend summers fishing the Wind River Range in Wyoming for over 30 years. He progressed to saltwater fly fishing and fly tying in the mid 1980s on the Texas coast, and developed the Redneck Slider (see "Flies of the Texas Coast" by Greg Berlocher) and Grass Assassin for sight casting to redfish in shallow water bays. Bill feels sight casting to redfish is the most exciting and effective way to fish shallow saltwater. His personal philosophy is stalk close, cast accurately, and keep the fly moving.
Beverly Vidrine
Rex White - Shreveport, LA
Being introduced to fly fishing in Up State New York, while working in that area in the late 80’s, I didn’t receive the ‘Passion’ of fly fishing, however, until I stopped at a small borrow pit, back home in Louisiana, Spring of ’91. There, I happened to accidentally tie into a large bluegill, then another and yet another all on a fly. After about 40 bream I landed a nice 3# bass, my destiny was secured that day. However, it was odd that I would not get to really learn fly fishing until I came back to the South, back home in Louisiana. Some of the worlds’ best fly fishers and fly tyers reside right here in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas and Oklahoma. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to learn fly fishing and fly tying from them.
Through my work travels, I’ve had to opportunity to fly fish across the United States and learn from each outing and area. Over the years the natural progression of fly fishing has overcome me, from tying that first fly to catching new and exotic species and just think, my journey has just begun.
Anthony Zepeda
Anthony is originally from San Antonio, Texas, but currently resides in Houston with his wife and two daughters. His fishing experience spans 4 decades where he has fished both fresh and saltwater for everything from perch and trout to marlin and tuna. His interest in fly fishing and tying began 20 years ago, when he was seeking a new challenge for fighting large fish on light tackle. Since then, he has utilized his skills and knowledge as an engineer to help him evolve his techniques to create flies of a wide variety for targeting species around the world.
