Fred, or Fred of York as he's known on-line, is from York Pennsylvania, and is a very innovative and talented tier, and a consummate angler. A professional tier at one time, Fred has taught me so much in the few years that I've known him. He ties a sort of mayfly dun with which I was completely unfamiliar before getting to know his flies. It's a parachute with spent wings, wings that are made from hen hackle or breast feathers of birds, burned to shape with brass wing burners. I've never seen this fly done anywhere else, but it's a staple in Pa.

Fred will never toot his own horn, but I have it on good authority from those who've fished with him that he's a master angler, and consistently out-fishes his companions. This comes as no surprise to me; I can see it in his flies. Fred's flies have life. I've used some of his personal variations and inventions, and they just come alive in the water. What fish could resist.

Fred has been a great friend to me. Occasionally I'll receive materials from him, just out of the blue, and he sent me my Mary Orvis Marbury Book when I started doing "Just Old flies" articles for FAOL. They don't come much better than Fred, and his sense of humor is legendary. If you'd like to read an in-depth bio of Fred, his fly fishing history and his relationship with his late brother-in-law Russ Mowry, try this link to Ed Gallop's site. If you'd like to know how he ties the spent parachutes, Fred has done a nice tutorial at Tutorial.

"ELA"