Fly Tying Expo

A fundraiser FEATURING LOCAL TALENT.

SVATU and Laughing Grizzly Fly Shop co-host an annual Fly Tying Expo that features expert tyers from Northern Colorado and throughout the state. This Expo offers the opportunity for one-on-one interaction with the tyers where attendees can chat and learn their patterns, tips, and pointers. With more than 30 tyers demonstrating an astounding variety of flies, attending the Expo is a crash course in upping your tying skills.

The Fly Tying Expo is a fundraiser to support the Chapter’s work and outreach. Flies tied at the event are donated by the tyers for bucket draws. The event also features a silent auction including trips and fishing related items. Fundraising proceeds go to:

1. Youth programming that introduces kids to fly fishing and healthy watersheds;

2. St. Vrain Creek habitat improvement and restoration; and

3. Educating our community on the value of healthy streams and trout habitat.

2024 EXPO

WHEN: February 3, 12:30 PM to 4:30 PM

WHERE: American Legion Post 32, 315 Bowen St., Longmont, CO

ADMISSION: $20, Adults, 15 and under FREE, available online and at the door. Buy tickets here!

Food and beverage available for purchase.

2024 tyers include

Jonathan Antunez is an avid angler, fly tyer, and student of Japanese tenkara who practices traditional techniques in the cold, mountain waters of Colorado. His preferred method of enticing trout is with Fixed Line Fly Fishing. He ties beautiful multicultural classic flies with traditional materials.

Chuck Esch is a Colorado native born and raised in Fort Collins. Fishing has been a mainstay in his life from the time he was old enough to hold a rod. At the age of nine he was introduced to fly fishing when he got his first fly rod. Learning to cast on local ponds it did not take long to pick up fly tying. At the age of eleven Chuck got his first vise and a copy of The Art Of Fly Tying. Chuck finds great satisfaction in helping people learn to tie flies. From demonstration tying in local fly shops to several fly fishing and tying expos across Colorado. He is known for his clean and consistent tying style. Chuck is a member of the Peak Fishing Pro Team.

Phil Iwane is a passionate tyer and angler. Both are skills that he loves to share with people of a like passion. Being artistic by nature, he views each fly I tie as a piece of art. Phil an Umpqua Fly Designer and will be demonstrating the Iwan-e-Dun extended body mayfly series, Phil’s No Mercy Midge. I will be also sharing other patterns that I have had great success with. He is also an Ambassador for Whiting Farms Genetic Fly Tying Feathers, Pro Team Member of the Solarez UV Resins, Pro Staff for the Force Fly Fishing Predator Vises and Dr. Slick. Phil ties at numerous shows across the country. Additionally, he is an active supporter of disabled veterans through Project Healing Waters Colorado.

Joe Johnson is an avid outdoorsman and fly angler growing up working at the Laughing Grizzly Fly Shop in Longmont. He is currently guiding fly fishing all along his local Front Range waters. He loves introducing people to fly fishing and tries to instill his same passion in everyone he takes. Joe spends as much of his free time as possible behind the vise learning and expanding upon his craft as well as sharing his favorite flies and techniques at fly tying demos around his area. He is a member of the Peak Fishing Pro Team.

Chris Krueger is a fly designer in Fort Collins, CO, where he owns and operates Rocky Mountain Fly Design. Learning to tie at a young age, Chris grew up fishing his patterns and designs throughout the waters of northern Colorado and Wyoming. Tying commercially since the age of 14, he immediately developed a lifelong passion for the art and craftsmanship of fly tying. Now a teacher by day and fly tier by night, Chris combines his two passions and spends much of the year working with youth, teaching fly tying, demonstrating at shops and fly shows, tying commercially and spending time on the water. Chris finds his true fishing passion throwing articulated streamers for large predatory trout in Colorado and Wyoming. He is a pro-team member with Regal Engineering, Whiting Farms, and a signature designer with Montana Fly Company. For more information, please visit www.rockymountainflydesign.com.

Barbara Luneau has been a passionate angler and fly tyer for over 15 years. From her home in the Longmont area, she dedicates her angling time to a wide variety of species and locations from carp, bass, and bluegill in local ponds, trout rivers throughout the west, to a variety of salt water locales. Barbara enjoys tying with a wide range of materials and diving into learning old techniques with classic patterns. She will be tying simple and effective dry fly patterns for Rocky Mountain waters. she is equally passionate about engaging women and the next generation of anglers in fly fishing and tying. She is an active Colorado Trout Unlimited volunteer and serves as director of a number of youth programs including a teen River Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp and STREAM Girls.

John Majerus is known for his broad knowledge of standard patterns, in addition, John has designed quite a few effective patterns of his own. He has tied quite a few flies for the bins at Laughing Grizzly Fly Shop, and more than one successful angler keeps coming back for more. As a long-time professional production tyer, John has developed a lot of tips and tricks that make your tying more efficient that he'll share with you.

Steve Maldonado is a Colorado Native that grew up fishing and hunting with his father. He went into the MARINES after High school and was stationed in North Carolina where his best friends father was a Professional Bass Fisherman. Once he was introduced to bass fishing, he incorporated it into his fly fishing. Steve has fly fished in Alaska, Argentina, Chile, Belize, Canada, Mexico and all over the US. Saltwater/Red Fish are favorites next to BIG BASS AND BIG TROUT on Giant Streamers. Steve has been tying for a few years and while always learning, he enjoys sharing patterns and techniques with others.

Mary Manka is a long time lover of fishing in South Park. You can generally find her chasing fish on the Middle Fork or South Fork of the South Platte, or some brookies in the smaller high country streams. She loves fishing with either a "regular" flyfishing rod or Tenkara. She's been tying for several years and has tied at the ISE, several Orvis sponsored tying events and at several TU sponsored tying events. She's currently the President for the Colorado Women Flyfishers.

Dennis Martin is a native Coloradoan who grew up fishing the streams and lakes of northern Colorado and southern Wyoming. As a fly tyer, he has been a fixture on the Front Range Fly Tying scene for years, known for his deer hair tying and other warm water expertise. Dennis ties a wide variety of patterns for trout and other species, and he is known for how he applies his experience fishing bass tournaments to his fly designs

Tony McColl is gaining a reputation among Northern Front Range tyers. He puts his flies to work up and down the Front Range. They are designed to catch fish, and so his ties are a practical mix of creativity and solid proportions and design. Tony ties regularly at shops and tying expos in the area.

Mark McMillan is a lifetime Coloradoan, he has been fly fishing for nearly 40 years and fly tying since the late 1970’s. A self taught tier, he has become known for his inventive use and incorporation of common and not-so-common materials into flies of his own design. His patterns are effective fishing flies for trout, bass, wiper, and carp. Mark has been guiding walk-wade, float tube and pack horse trout fishing trips, and teaching casting and fly tying classes since 2000. He is a member of the Whiting Farms and Vosseler pro teams, and often jokes that he is a pro staff member with Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Jo-Ann Fabrics and Dollar Tree.

John Oppenlander is a longtime St. Vrain Chapter member who has tied in nearly every Expo since it’s inception. John is known for tying beautifully detailed patterns that he fishes with great success throughout the Rockies.

Carl Pennington taught himself to tie flies as a young adult to save a little money. Armed with a Thompson Model a vice and basic tools and materials he started on what would become a life long pursuit of knowledge and skill in the art of fly tying. His signature patterns are those that require the most attention to detail and purporting such as the pheasant tail, biot emergers and parachute dry flies. He is a perfectionist when comes to the size and profile due to many years of fishing Colorado tail waters and the tiny flies they require. Just recently two of his fly patterns have been pickup by Montana Fly Co. He is also a staff designer for Deek Creek Flies in the UK.

Eric Pettine began tying flies in 1960 while at the University of Colorado. Hank Roberts at the Western Angler was his mentor. Eric currently designs flies for Umpqua Feather Merchants. He has written two books on fly fishing and articles in many of the fly fishing magazines. He was featured in a number of videos on fly fishing for Chevy Trucks advertising. Eric works with the International Sportmen’s Expo doing fly tying demos and fly fishing programs.

Richard Pilatzke has lived in Colorado for over 37years. He has been fly tying and fly fishing for over 40 years. For the last twenty five years, he has specialized in tying flies for and fishing mountain lakes in Colorado. He does many fly tying demonstrations at events like The Flyfishing Show, The International Sportsman’s Expo, the Black Canyon Fly Fishing Show, the Western Colorado Fly Fishing Expo, The New Mexico Trout Symposium, the Federation of Fly Fishers National Conclave and Regional Gatherings and at fly tying clinics at many Denver area fly shops and TU and FFF chapters. Richard’s flies have been exhibited at the Boulder Art Museum and the Prichard Art Museum in Idaho Falls. He is currently a member of the Regal Engineering, Unibobber , River Road Creations and Wasatch Angling Pro Staffs. Richard and his fly patterns have been featured in books by Gary LaFontaine, Pat Dorsey, Rick Takahashi, Marty Bartholomew, Bob Dye, Ron Belak, and Jim Schollmeyer and also in Southwest Fly Fishing, Fly Fusion and Colorado Outdoors.

Mark Rayman has been teaching fly fishing and tying for more than 30 years in fly shops, classes, and clinics. His patterns have been featured in a number of publications. Mark is an accomplished angler and has created patterns to target all sorts of cold water, warm water, and salt water species. His life‘s passion has always been on the water. Fishing brings Mark peace, solitude, friendships, and enjoyment of nature. Sharing simple fly tying techniques and patterns that effectively catch many species in a variety of situations are his specialty.

Jane Retherford is an ardent volunteer and supporter of women in fly fishing. Her favorite tying creations are foam terrestrials and flies using resin. She brings years of experience working with acrylic nails into tying her flies using ultraviolet light cured resins. Jane ties at many demos, including the Fly Fishing Show, the ISE, and Orvis. Jane is also a mentor for The Mayfly Project in Denver, “Mentoring Foster Children Through Fly Fishing.” (TheMayflyProject.com)

Michael Ringus has been fly-fishing for more than 30 years. His flies have appeared in Fly Tyer magazine, a nationally syndicated magazine. He enjoys tying many of the classic patterns, from simple wet flies to salmon flies. His flies straddle the line between lure and art, and the attention to proportion and detail in tying them will surely improve our tying on modern patterns.

Steve Rogers is originally from eastern Pennsylvania, but moved to Fort Collins in 2005 after graduating with a degree in Biology. He currently works as a biological science technician at the National Wildlife Research Center in Fort Collins. Steve started tying and fly fishing when he was 13, but took an extended 18 year hiatus until he returned to tying and fly fishing. A self diagnosed “streamer junkie”, Steve can often be found carrying two rods just in case the streamer bite is on. Steve loves to talk and spread his knowledge (or lack there of), whether it is at his tying demos in northern Colorado, in the shops, or on the river.

Dick Shinton has been the leader of organizing the St. Vrain Chapter Fly Tying Expo since it’s inception. Well known throughout the Longmont area, Dick works and guides for Laughing Grizzly Fly Shop. His “office” is Rocky Mountain National Park, where he introduces clients to the joys of fishing for wild trout in small streams and high lakes. He specializes in simple patterns that catch fish, and his flies have been featured in books by Steve Schweitzer, Rick Takahashi and Pat Dorsey. He founded a Kids Learn to Fly Fish program at the St. Vrain Anglers Chapter of Trout Unlimited, and has been on the staff of the CTU Youth River Conservation and Fly Fishing Camp since 2007.

Marty Staab discovered fly tying 50 years ago, learning from books with black-and-white illustrations. Since then, he is known as a thorough and accomplished teacher leading numerous fly tying demonstrations, classes, clinics, and social tying events. Marty ties regularly at Elkhorn Fly Rod & Reel and with Rocky Mountain Flycasters fly tying socials. With his great sense of humor, his outstanding tying skills and his encyclopedic knowledge of fly patterns, you're sure to learn a lot from Marty.

James Ushiyama is a well-known fly tyer in the Northern Front Range. He is another longtime St. Vrain Chapter member who has tied in nearly every Expo since it’s inception. He likes to fish both rivers and lakes and his patterns are designed for simplicity and effectiveness.

Tom Ziegler specializes in deer hair flies for both trout and bass, demonstrating fly tying at several national and regional shows as well as local fly shops along Colorado’s Front Range. In addition to tying demonstrations, he has published fly fishing photography in The Fly Fish Journal, The Best Bass Flies, Southwest Fly Fishing and MidCurrent. Tom is a FFF Certified Casting Instructor.

Previous Expos