Featured Fly Tyer - Howard Fischer

Howard Fischer - aka @HowardTheDuck23 is our Fly Tyer of the Month!

Speaking with Howie, you realize how much fly fishing is a part of his life, and trying to pin down his favorite tie of all time, doesn't come easy.  "This is a very difficult question to answer, but the fly that I have most recently tied that comes to mind is a Realistic Extended Body Green Drake that I tied up.  When I look at the fly that I created I see a piece of art first rather than a fly. I love to tie challenging flies like this one because it takes me out of the chaos of the world around me for 20 or 30 minutes and helps me to focus on a single thing for that time. Challenges like these also help me to get more creative and try new techniques outside of my comfort zone."

We have to agree - the artistry of this Green Drake is stunning.

While he 100% would pick fly fishing over fly tying if he had to, he also shares that he would be so sad if he couldn't tie.  "Fly tying is a very different thing to me. It’s a time I get to relax (usually) and get creative. Fly tying is very relaxing to me." 

Howie's tying origin story is about a love that naturally grew from another.  "I can’t say that one person or event explicitly inspired me to start tying flies. Rather, I started tying flies as a somewhat natural progression for my growing passion for the sport. I began tying about three and a half years ago at the beginning of winter. As the fishing slowed down for the year, I simply decided I was at a place I wanted to start tying flies to pass the time. It just so happened that my dad had an old Griffin vise that he hadn’t used in years, so I started learning on that while watching YouTube videos." 

We have a lot in common with Howie - he absolutely could not fish without coffee, and he grew up camping on our home of Whidbey Island!  Howie's go to riverside brew these days is a cold brew, and he captured the simple process here.  

We asked Howie about the organizations he supports.  "Trout Unlimited is one of my favorite groups simply because they just do so much good for the outdoors. I also am a mentor for The Mayfly Project, which is an amazing company that helps children in the foster system get connected to the outdoors through fly fishing."  

We are grateful to Howie for taking the time to chat with us; especially as he has just welcomed a new member to his family!

Congratulations and tight lines, Howie!