Category: Meet the Tyers

Bryan Smith is an Arizona native and has been flyfishing in and around the state for the past 15 years.  Drawn to the sport by the thought of designing his own lures to catch fish, he started tying flies 13 years ago.  He landed his first fish on a fly rod at the lower Salt River in the mid 90’s and instantly switched gears from conventional bass fishing into becoming a trout bum.  He teamed up with Travis about 6 years ago and the two have hammered out many innovative patterns and techniques for  larger Arizona trout.  He mostly ties trout patterns, however recently started tying some warm water minnow based patterns for the desert lakes and rivers.  Daryl convinced him to start tying commercially last year and he’s been at it ever since…..although you sometimes have to push him to deliver them and not fill up his own boxes.

If you happen to bump into him on the water, don’t hesitate to bug him about what patterns and techinques might be taking fish.

Daryl White has been fishing Arizona’s waters for 35 years and flyfishing them for the past twenty.  He began fly tying around the same time.  He enjoys fishing some of the “out of the way” waters around Arizona’s back country.  He also fishes a lot of the waters around Arizona….harrassing fish in Utah, Idaho, Colorado, Oregon, Nevada and Montana.  In the winter months you can find him plying the warm waters of Arizona for bass, crappie, bluegill, catfish, carp, suckers, stripers and anything else that swims.  He ties many of our simi seal leech patterns and has developed a minnow pattern that has proven very effective for all species of fish, the DW Minnow.  Look for DW on the water.  If he’s around…you’ll know it.

John previously was part owner of AZ Fly Fishing.  A long time Arizonan, he has been fishing Arizona’s waters for over 45 years.  He is currently actively involved and serves as the president of a new non profit organization, the White Mountain Lakes Foundation.  This foundation was formed for the sole purpose of improving the trout fishing waters of the White Mountains of Arizona.

His knowledge of the state’s cold and warm water fisheries has proven helpful to many fishers that seek advice on our local fishing. His book, AZ Trout Streams and their Hatches, which he co-wrote with Charles Meck, has been a guideline for beginner and advanced fishers plying our waters for trout.
He has been in the flyfishing industry since 1983 either as a contract tyer, a guide, a shop owner or now as a fly designer and fulltime manufacturer of fly tying materials.  A contract tyer for Riverborn Flies, his flies and materials are sold all over the world and are some of the more popular flies used in Arizona’s bass and trout waters.

John now runs an online retail business selling his flies and materials at www.azflyfishing.net.  You can reach him by e mailing him at that site.  He is more than happy to talk fishing and flies any time.