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: Streamer #6, #8, #10
• Thread: Black 6/0 Danville
• Bead: Copper
• Tail: Dyed Grizzly Brown Marabou
• Body: Peacock Herl
• Rib: Copper Wire
• Weight: .030 tin along side of hook shank
• Legs: Silly barred pumpkin/green
• Antennae: White Goose Biot
• Hackle: Dark Brown Speckled Hen Back
• Head: Ice Dub Peacock