My Mentor. My Teacher.

I admired you, listened to everything you said, and learned so much from you. You set the foundation for my fly tying life.  I'll never forget you, your smile, you're demonstrations, your laughter, your guidance, your stories, and the best damn fly tying advice on the planet.  

He's best fly tier I ever watched.  Saturday mornings at the old Western Angler.  The man behind the counter every time I walked in, along with Gierach.  Gierach spoke about all things fishing and outdoors. A.K. spoke mostly about flies, dry flies.  The tools, the materials, and what you're supposed to do with them.  He's responsible for the HMH vise I still clamp hooks in today, the shoe box full of Metz necks I still pull feathers from, the Wiss clips I still clip materials with, and the Thompson Ice scissors that cut anything as well today as they did in 1980.  There are rods, reels, and accessories all purchased under his tutelage.

I still hear his quotes every time I tie a fly, even if I have finally succumbed to using a whip finishing tool instead of "the best whip finisher there is." (Middle and index fingers.) On wrapping hackle, "Don't worry about it, just wrap the damn thing and it'll be fine." "How many turns in a whip finish? As many as it takes to cover your mistakes."  His books chronicle his Gospel wisdom. He was my father of fly tying, always providing the right answer for every question and every problem. He was assertive but not pushy.  Authoritative and funny at the same time.  Always to the point, never ambiguous.  It was his Henry's Fork stories that got me packing to go there for the first time.  "Bug factory.  You cast downstream on the Henry's Fork."

At the vise he was buttery smooth and made it look so easy. Every wrap and cut was like watching a magician.  He'd make everyone smile and shake their heads in amazement.  Just wow.  He was the great influencer that shaped my life of fly tying.  First John, now A.K.  Both unforgettable.  I got to thank A.K. later in time at a trade show, but I wish I could have thanked him one more time more recently.  The fly tying world has a hole in it today.