Over the past 50 years, fly-fishing enthusiasts from various corners of the world have significantly contributed to the sport’s advancement. These anglers include skilled fly-tyers, expert casters, and those who specialize in specific fish species.
In this article, we spotlight five legendary fly-fishers who have left an indelible mark on the sport. Their remarkable achievements and thrilling adventures have inspired countless generations of young fly-fishers.
1. Joe Brooks
Joe Brooks experienced an incredible ascent to fame as the world’s most influential outdoorsman, a journey that seemed somewhat improbable back in 1938 when he was admitted to a sanatorium for alcoholism. Over the course of two decades, he forged a successful career, serving as the outdoors editor for The Baltimore Sun. Brooks also worked as a freelance writer for several national publications, including Outdoor Life, later taking over as the magazine’s fishing editor.
In 1964 Brooks appeared with Curt Gowdy on ABC’s Wide World of Sports, a series that followed their fly-fishing adventures in Patagonia. The show proved to be a big hit, and ABC subsequently created The American Sportsman, a hunting and fishing show that became one of the most popular and enduring shows in American TV history. Brooks was a regular on the show, and he taught many celebrities to fly fish, including Jack Nicklaus and Bing Crosby.
2. Lefty Kreh
The career paths of Lefty Kreh and Joe Brooks converged at several points. Brooks helped Kreh get a job with the Miami Herald overseeing The Metropolitan Miami South Florida Fishing Tournament. In addition, Kreh later followed in Brooks’ footsteps, subsequently taking over as outdoor editor of The Baltimore Sun.
Lefty Kreh authored numerous books that cover various aspects of fly-fishing, delving into topics like knots, casting, and fly-tying. His writings have been instrumental in enhancing the efficiency and practical skills of anglers worldwide. With a career that spanned the entire breadth of the modern era, Kreh played a critical role in tackle manufacturing and development, working with leading names like Temple Fork Outfitters, Scientific Anglers, and Sage.
Through his many books, articles, films, demonstrations, and presentations, Lefty Kreh taught hundreds of thousands of people to fly-fish and is recognized by many as one of the sport’s greatest ambassadors.
3. Tom Rosenbauer
A humble everyman who has always presented himself as a student of the sport rather than a fly-fishing expert, Tom Rosenbauer has shared his extensive fly-fishing knowledge and experience with the world via a vast array of magazine articles and dozens of books. He also hosts The Orvis Fly-Fishing Guide Podcast, which has been downloaded more than 11 million times.
Rosenbauer’s book, The Orvis Fly-Fishing Guide, was first published in 1984 and has earned the accolade of bestselling fly-fishing reference of all time. He currently has more than 10 titles in print, including The Orvis Guide to Leaders, Knots, and Tippets. Having started out as a commercial fly-tyer at the age of 14, Rosenbauer boasts more than 50 years of angling experience. He is credited with inventing tungsten beads and introducing bead-head flies to North America through his company Orvis.
4. Bob Popovics
Living in Seaside Park, New Jersey, a small town situated on a slim barrier island separating Barnegat Bay from the Atlantic Ocean, Bob Popovics is a renowned saltwater fly-fisher who specializes in casting from the surf for blue fish, striped bass, and false albacore.
Popovics’ capacity to imagine new ways of making flies has earned him an international reputation as one of the most influential saltwater fly-tyers. In his book, Pop Fleyes: Bob Popovics’s Approach to Saltwater Fly Design, which was co-authored by Ed Jaworoski, Popovics shared a suite of patterns employing new materials and techniques to produce incredibly lifelike imitations of prey for Atlantic coast species. In the decade-plus since the book’s publication, countless anglers have tied Popovics’ flies, using designs like the Ultra Shrimp, Surf Candy, Bob’s Banger, the Jiggy, and the Bucktail Deceiver to catch some truly memorable fish.
One of Bob Popovics’ biggest triumphs was using epoxy in fly-tying to give shrimp and baitfish patterns a glossy, slim, durable body, and silicone to produce flies that are light, flexible, and translucent.
5. Ted Williams
In addition to his reputation as one of the greatest hitters in the history of baseball, Theodore Samuel Williams was also a revered fly-fisher. According to Williams, just three fish species are worthy of a true sports fisher: bonefish, tarpon, and Atlantic salmon.
Born on August 30, 1918, Ted Williams retired from professional sports having spent an outstanding career with the Boston Red Sox that earned him the moniker “the last of the 400 hitters.” Williams also served in the military during World War II and the Korean War.
In 1982, Williams coauthored Ted Williams, Fishing the Big Three: Tarpon, Bonefish, Atlantic Salmon with John Underwood, in which he branded the Atlantic salmon “the greatest of game fish.” He made what is believed to be the first commercial sports endorsement in American history when he entered into a deal with Sears Roebuck promoting sales of fishing tackle, in doing so attracting millions of Americans to the sport.