The Kingfisher Classic: Some of our 2024 Fly Tiers

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Amran Ahmad is on the staff of Indiana University’s Bradford Woods Outdoor Center as an Assistant Director in the Environmental Education Program.  He has worked at the center for over  20 years. 

Originally from Malaysia, where he worked as a campsite manager coordinating programs and adventure challenge activities. He has also worked at several camps in the US before joining the staff at Bradford Woods. 

Growing up in Malaysia as a kid, he treasured outdoor activities, most every weekend Amran and his childhood friends went to the backyard of his grandparent's house to cut some bamboo to make a fishing pole before heading to the rivers. Until he moved to Indiana in early 2000 where he learned about Fly Fishing.

Amran joined Indianapolis Fly Caster in 2020 and he was nominated and awarded as Everett Drake Fly Tying Award in 2022. As a fly tyer, he loves working with deer hair spinning, stacking, and packing. One of his favorite patterns is the articulate mouse and working with deer hair.

He has been invited to several Fly Fishing shows (International Fly Fishing Symposium NJ, Fly Tyers Reunion PA, Heartland Flyfishing Festival IN, FFI Kingfisher Classic TN, Sowbug Roundup AR). Amran also was part of the Solarez and Anadromous Fly Company team as a pro staff.

Catch is president of the Kisatchie Fly Fishers, and VP and Conservation Director for the FFI Gulf Coast Council. Over the past 38 years, he has served as president or officer of several fishing / flyfishing clubs and conservation organizations. 

For 20 years he was the fly fishing columnist for Louisiana Sportsman magazine, and for 4 years kayak fishing reporter for "Outdoors with Don Dubuc" weekly radio show.  He has been an FFI Certified Casting Instructor since 1994, and taught leisure classes on fly fishing and fly tying at LSU, and gives presentations across the country. He has kayak fished since 1988, competing in numerous kayak tournaments since 2010 and won or placed in 13 events using fly tackle.

Catch began his tying journey in 1987, and during the early 90s created several of his signature patterns - Coma Spoon, Coma Cocaho, Sanibel Special to name a few - as well as variations of classics such as the SR71 Seaducer and Pensacola Clouser. He ties a wide variety of flies, for species from trout to tarpon. His patterns have been featured in Gary Borger's "Long Flies", Angelo Peluso's "Flies of the South Atlantic and Gulf", in magazine articles and in blogs. His tying philosophy is to tie flies that catch fish, and not fishermen.  

Peggy Brenner resides in Florida, close to  some of the best saltwater and freshwater fly fishing. She has been tying for several decades  now; my specialty is flies that fish well . Starting  with the basic trout and  saltwater flies, progressing to Classic Maine Streamers at United Fly Tyers and now Classic Salmon flies with a one year apprenticeship through the NH Council for the Arts; Traditional Arts Program. Retired, I have my second apprentice through the same program for a year to pass on the skills. Awarded the Dick Nelson Teaching Award by FFI. She ties for a select group of customers, as well as giving instruction with a focus on Ladies and children’s classes, presentations, and demonstrations around the country for shops and clubs. 

Peggy was a feature fly tyer as part of the; “A Graceful Rise” exhibit featuring women of the past, present, and future influential to the world of fly fishing at the American Fly Fishing Museum. Peggy is a Board member Fly Tying Group and past Fly Tying Chair of the FFI Expo, past President of International Women’s Fly Fishers, Advisor to United Fly Tyers,. Peggy is also a member of several pro-staff teams including Whiting Farms, Partridge of Redditch, Regal and several others. Mostly I enjoy fly fishing with my husband Jerry  and we both like to share the sport with others. 

Avid fly angler Joe Jackson is a prolific fly tyer best known for his artistic masterpieces with deer hair, including his Baby Yoda, Hummingbird, Cardinal, and T-Rex. 

An Army vet, Jackson was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan; after being medically retired with 14 years of service, Jackson discovered fly tying through Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, where he found more therapeutic relief than he did in the therapist’s chair. Jackson began tying flies in November 2016; by May 2017 his unique style had already garnered attention at an annual Project Healing Waters fly-tying event. Jackson tied in public for the first time at the International Fly-Tying Symposium in November 2017; meanwhile, his quirky art flies were creating a buzz on social media. He’s on the pro-staff of numerous companies some of which include Patridge Hooks, Lidrig, Squimpish Flies, Nature’s Spirit, Solarez and Regal Vise. 

Today Jackson spends most of his time tying flies, fishing, and volunteering with various veteran-focused nonprofits like Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing and Guitars4Vets. .

I have been Fly Tying for about 30 years and just recently started to tie custom fly orders for sale. I am a past member of the New England Fly Tyers and United Fly Tyers. I am presently a member of the Sanibel Fly Fishers and this year started to appear at the Fly Fishing Show in Atlanta Ga.

 Steve Hudson has been tying flies since he was about nine years old, and he's...well, let's just say he's a little bit older than that now!  Today he especially enjoys tying for trout, for warm water species, and for saltwater, and his flies have been used from the hollers of Appalachia to the flats and reefs of the western Pacific.

Steve particularly enjoys sharing fly tying with others and has led tying workshops and clinics throughout the United States as well as live online.

An award-winning author and photographer, Steve has written a number of fly tying guides, including the acclaimed FLY TYING 101 course-in-a-book. He's also the author of A STRUCTURED COURSE IN FLY TYING, FLY TYING TOOLS YOU CAN BUILD, TYING FLIES FOR STOCKED TROUT, BREAM BUGS (a guide to top warm water flies), and CHATTAHOOCHEE FLIES, as well close to 20 fly-specific guides as part of the award-winning Tie It & Try It (tm) series of fly tying kits.

Steve and his wife Trisha live in Canton, Ga., and you'll often find them fishing together -- though Steve cheerfully admits that Trisha usually lands the biggest and the best!

Although I began fishing at the early age of 8, I  didn't begin fly fishing for trout until age 16 in 1959.  My fly tying tutelage began in 1984 at Jesse Brown's Outdoors in Charlotte, NC.  

Since then, as I became more proficient at tying flies, I began to tie at various venues which have included the Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum, or "The Holy of Holies" of Catskill Fly Tying.  I am also a member of the Catskill Fly Tying Guild.

Over the years I have tied at Carolina Fly Fishing Club's Lying and Tying events, and was one of the leading instructors at our Project Healing Waters classes.

I have also been very active at FFI fly tying events in Tennessee and North Carolina, and have participated at the FFI fly tying booth at the Fly Fishing Show for over 5 years in Atlanta.

I began tying flies in January 2019 with the Missouri Department of Conservation. Continued classes with the owner, Matt Sutton, at Rainbow Fly Shop in Independence Missouri.  After joining the Missouri Trout Fisherman’s Association I have lead Tying classes or assisted in classes. I have also led classes with the Frontline Fly Fishing group.  I have tied at the following shows/expos: Sowbug Roundup in AR, Tri-Lakes Fly Tying Expo in Clinton Mo,  Springfield/Branson MTFA Fly Tying Expo in Branson MO, and the Kingfisher Classic in Cleveland TN. 

I enjoy tying. I was once asked if I thought it was art or craft.  I think it depends on the person doing it and why they are doing it. For me it is an art. I enjoy the process and trying to find new ways of doing it. 

David has Been a Fly Tier for 65 years. He served as president and head of fly tying for Carolina Fly Fishing Club. 

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