He sure was one of a kind- dang i was just thinking about him today as i was tying up some Ausable Wulffs.
For those of you who may not have had the pleasure of meeting him, he was a very talented tyer that came up with several innovative patterns including the haystack (fore runner of comparaduns). the Usual (tied with snow shoe hare) the Ausable Wilff and the mini muddler-- all productive patterns for the fast water freestone streams that he fished in upstate NY.
If he took a liking to you he was very generous with his knowledge, but was always quite a character, cranking out flies at the counter while actively engaged at conversation. On my first trip up there to fish the Ausable he sold me a "specially formulated, secret recipe dry fly floatant specially made for the waters of the Ausable". It turned out to be a small bottle of kerosene and parafin and would float a brick. Light a cigar though and you'd go up like the Hindenburg.
Thoughts go out to his friends and family- he was truly one of the greats.
mark
