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I have been contact by a guy who is writing about Art Dedini so if you can tell me about your experiences with Art it would be helpful.
My old friends use to stop by Art's home in Ferndale or Fortuna where he had a tackle shop in his garage.
He is also trying to get info on Lloyd Silvius who was another fly fishing great around that area.
He is also interested in the steelhead flies of that area and era.
While attending Humboldt State University in the late 1960’s, I often visited both Lloyd Silvius’ shop in the front of his home in Eureka, and also Art Dedini’s garage shop in Ferndale. Lloyd helped me start tying flies and I occasionally watched him tie in the back of the house. Art was great at helping build our own fly rods from the blanks and components he sold. Both individuals were accomplished fly tiers and anglers who influenced many in the Humboldt Bay area. I have done considerable research on both individuals and several others for my upcoming book “California Winter Steelhead, Life History and Fly Fishing”. The book includes a full chapter on steelhead fly fishing and fly history that covers the North Coast region as well as other parts of the state. By the way, the response has been good to our first book “Half-Pounder Steelhead, Life History and Fly Fishing” and we have only a couple of copies left.
Dennis
www.dennisplee.com
Thanks Dennis......
I have a guy who is writing an article about those guys in that era.
I will send him a link to this thread.
Hey there DennisQuote:
Originally Posted by DPLee
Small world... last night, I spent the better part of an hour talking with a fly fisherman who remodeled your kitchen.
I had two nice encounters that day ;)
Attachment 15412
Hope to see on the water some day again also.
Take care
Mark
I first met Lloyd Silvius in 1970 while attending College of the Redwoods in Humboldt County. I met Art Dedini about the same time also. Lloyd taught me the basics of the double haul cast on the school lawn across the street from his house which was also his fly shop. I also watched Lloyd tie flies in his shop a few times. I remember that Lloyd did not use a thread bobbin to tie with and how efficient his tying was. The first two flies Lloyd gave me were Renegades and gray Wolly worms. My first day on the lower Eel was memorable in many ways, especially hooking many quality half pounders and a few summer steelhead, most of which I lost. But that day I was hooked.
We would visit Art Dedini to buy $6.00 shooting heads and Lamiglas rod blanks at rock bottom prices and rummage through the boxes of fly tying materials. We learned a lot from Art Dedini.
Those were good days that launched me on a fifty year odyssey of fly fishing that continues to this day here in the Rogue Valley.
Had a nice phone call tonight with Dennis Johnson of Eureka who at 12 years old hung around Art Dedini and Lloyd Silvius learning all about fly tying, rod building and fly fishing. He also knew Harry Hornbrook and Jim Pray. He is a wealth of knowledge about the old days up in that area.