Dan Delekta started Fly fishing when he was ten years old, encouraged by his dad, who owned sporting goods stores in upstate New York. Dan grew up fishing in the Adirondack Mountains. His passion for trout and steelhead fly fishing eventually led him far from New York, to Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia. He moved to West Yellowstone at age 22.

Dan began tying flies when he was ten years old. He has designed over 200 patterns of flies that are the trademark Delektable™ collection utilizing both traditional and new age materials. His fly patterns are now tied by Riverborn Fly Company in Boise Idaho and supplied nationally. His passion for fly tying is as strong now as it has ever been. He is constantly thinking about, designing, tying, and field testing his new designs in the great Madison River just outside his door and other rivers he guides including the Big Hole, Beaverhead, Ruby, Missouri, Stillwater, Yellowstone, and Big Horn Rivers. Dan loves to make stuff and started building rods in 1975. He now constructs custom graphite, fiberglass, and bamboo rods at the shop. He started Beartooth Flyfishing in 1982, constructing Made in Montana braided leaders, hand-tied leaders, and fly rods.

Dan has access to an apartment, car, and flats boat on Andros Island in the Bahamas. He spends a good amount of winter time fishing the salt for Bonefish and many other saltwater species. He has an opportunity to design and test his saltwater patterns while on Andros Island.

Dan has guided in Montana’s trophy rivers for over 25 years. He built the Beartooth Flyfishing lodge in 1989, with the help of friends. He greatly values the friendships he has built over the years. His love of the mountains, the solitude, and the peace is exceeded by his appreciation of all the people who have treated him like family. Dan loves fly fishing and all the challenges and rewards it brings. He looks forward to continuing to innovate, to being in touch with nature, and to continuing to bring the joys of fly fishing and deeper knowledge of fly fishing to even more people.

RECIPE

• Hook: Std. Dry Fly; sizes #14, #16, #18
• Thread: 6/0 Brown Danville
• Body: Ice Dub UV Cinnamon
• Hackle: Whiting Brown Furnace
• Rib: Fine Gold Wire
• Under wing: CDC Dun (Gray) color tied full
• Over wing: Light Bull Elk
• Legs: Sili legs Nymph size Brown Solid
• Head: Dubbed head to match body color

Watch More of Dan's Patterns!

From Al:

I grew up in Michigan and have fished as long as I can remember. After graduating college, I moved to California and gravitated toward fly fishing almost exclusively. I have been tying “seriously” since 1983 and have been a tying instructor both independently and for several Colorado fly shops since 2000. In 2005 I also began guiding along Colorado’s front range. Currently I am a member of Whiting Farms Pro Staff and am employed by PEAK Fishing and I have several fly patterns commercially available. In addition to guiding, tying instruction and demos, my wife Diana and I own and operate our own company geared primarily toward flyfishing education services. More detailed information is available at www.live2huntfish.com.

RECIPE:

• Hook: Dai-Riki 700B
• Thread: UTC 70 Denier
• Eyes: Black Round Rubber
• Body: Whitlock Crawdub SLF Dubbing
• Legs: Saddle Hackle palmered through body and brushed out Dubbing
• Weight: Lead Dumbell Eyes
• Antennea: Crystal Flash
• Carapace: Thin Skin
• Claws: Foam Claws Mounted on Round Rubber Arms
• Underbody: Yarn
• Rib: Ultra Wire