Tom Wendlelburg died sometime in May. None of us know any details because he died in his apartment sometime before his death was discovered.

Tom was one of the most memorable characters in SWTU’s history and in the last 50 years of Wisconsin inland trout fishing. He battled demons in his life and finally fought them to at least a draw by the end of his life. He could be challenging to be around.

He loved fish and fsihing, especially trout. Essentially, Tom dedicated most of his life to fly fishing for trout in Wisconsin, in particular in our area. He could be joyful, exuberant and generous in spirit, especially on the stream. He fished beautifully and was a genuine expert in fly fishing for trout. For some time he wrote fly-fishing articles for some of the leading magazines. Not the normal run of the mill stuff, they did not have a breezy, accessible style. They were dense, packed with information, presented compactly and directly. Jeff Mayer immeasurably helped Tom gather some of this and other material into a book: Catching Big Fish on Light Fly Tackle. Well worth the read for someone serious about improving their fishing techniques.

Tom tied unique and extremely effective flies. I’ve never seen anything quite like his caddis. I don’t have many left. When earlier this spring a big brown broke off one of Tom’s caddis, I was as sorry to lose the fly as the fish.

Some of the most skilled and experienced anglers in this Chapter will tell you they learned a lot from Tom.

For those of us fortunate enough to know Tom, we hope he has found peace.

Topf Wells