We were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of John Gribb, whose friendliness, caring and generosity made a deep mark on our community. You can learn more about John by reading his obituary here and consider leaving a note or remembrance on the memory wall.
Pat Hasburgh shared the following personal email with the Board and agreed it could be shared in Newscasts. It exemplifies the tremendous, positive difference John made in the lives of so many.
While John lived a long and fulfilling life, this is devastating to me.
John was literally the first person to welcome me to the Chapter at the first meeting I ever attended, asking me to sit at his table when I was a budding fly angler. Actually, everyone at the table was very welcoming and at the time I had no idea the heavy hitters I was sharing dinner with.
The second time I met John was at a workday. He was probably in his early 70s at the time and trying to start his piece of junk Poulan chainsaw. It was also my first ever SWTU workday and I had some experience with chainsaws so I took over and wound up felling many willows on German Valley with him and others that morning.
I learned that John was the creator of the Skitting Caddis, a fly I had been turned on to by the fine folks at On The Creek Fly Shop in Cross Plains. I was told “This fly is the Woolly Bugger of dry flies” and it really is a fantastic fly. I had just started taking the fly tying class and had somewhat naively asked if John would be willing to teach me how to tie the Skitting Caddis and the other flies he tied. I drove to John’s house every Tuesday evening for an entire winter and learned to tie all the flies in his catalog. Those sessions will always make me smile as our relationship then was much like that of an old Kung-Fu movie where the master is unusually hard on the apprentice…making me destroy any fly with even the slightest flaw until I got them right. My homework might be to tie a dozen of a certain pattern and I would show up proud of what I had accomplished and he would usually say something like, “Good job! Now take these 10 flies and axe them to save the hook. They’ll fish…and will probably catch fish, but when you look at all the other flies in your box, the shitty ones will be the last you choose.” and he was 100% correct. NEVER glue a fly until you know it’s perfect. Many traditionalists scoff at his innovative designs but if you’ve ever fished them you know that they’re hard to beat when it comes to catching fish.
We became good friends through those many cold nights in his basement and we started fishing together regularly. He showed me how to fish in the same way he taught me how to tie flies. He shared some of his favorite water with me and basically taught me everything I know about fly fishing. He was funny, patient and a wonderful teacher. To this day one of the best casters in the game.
I generally prefer fishing alone and John was one of the only people I fished with for many years and I have so many fond memories I will always cherish. John’s health started to fade a bit before Covid but we would still get out occasionally. I remember several times, driving 1.5 hrs to the Blue River to only fish for an hour before he would have to quit and we would drive back home. Some might be frustrated by such a trip but as I’m sure many of you know, the trip to, and from a stream with a good friend is often the best part of a day “on the water”. He always made me stop at a Culver’s so he could get ice cream…Marietta didn’t let him have ice cream.
I checked in with John occasionally during Covid but we didn’t fish out of an abundance of caution. When I saw him post-covid I actually thought he looked, and was doing better than ever. We talked about getting back on the water but with me buying the shop…and life generally getting in the way of fishing, it never happened. This is one of my greatest regrets. I will however have the many great times spent with him and the knowledge he imparted to me that I will cherish forever.
Memorial Service
A memorial service in John’s honor will be held at Gunderson Camacho Funeral and Cremation Care, 500 N. Eighth St., Mount Horeb, at 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 29, 2023. Visitation will be held at the funeral home from 1 p.m. until the time of the service on Saturday.
Donations in John’s honor may be made to the West Fork Sports Club (https://westforksportsclub.org/) or Wisconsin Council of Trout Unlimited (https://wicouncil.tu.org/donate-to-witu).
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Posted: July 25, 2023 by Drew Kasel
Chapter member John Gribb passes
Pat Hasburgh shared the following personal email with the Board and agreed it could be shared in Newscasts. It exemplifies the tremendous, positive difference John made in the lives of so many.
While John lived a long and fulfilling life, this is devastating to me.
John was literally the first person to welcome me to the Chapter at the first meeting I ever attended, asking me to sit at his table when I was a budding fly angler. Actually, everyone at the table was very welcoming and at the time I had no idea the heavy hitters I was sharing dinner with.
The second time I met John was at a workday. He was probably in his early 70s at the time and trying to start his piece of junk Poulan chainsaw. It was also my first ever SWTU workday and I had some experience with chainsaws so I took over and wound up felling many willows on German Valley with him and others that morning.
I learned that John was the creator of the Skitting Caddis, a fly I had been turned on to by the fine folks at On The Creek Fly Shop in Cross Plains. I was told “This fly is the Woolly Bugger of dry flies” and it really is a fantastic fly. I had just started taking the fly tying class and had somewhat naively asked if John would be willing to teach me how to tie the Skitting Caddis and the other flies he tied. I drove to John’s house every Tuesday evening for an entire winter and learned to tie all the flies in his catalog. Those sessions will always make me smile as our relationship then was much like that of an old Kung-Fu movie where the master is unusually hard on the apprentice…making me destroy any fly with even the slightest flaw until I got them right. My homework might be to tie a dozen of a certain pattern and I would show up proud of what I had accomplished and he would usually say something like, “Good job! Now take these 10 flies and axe them to save the hook. They’ll fish…and will probably catch fish, but when you look at all the other flies in your box, the shitty ones will be the last you choose.” and he was 100% correct. NEVER glue a fly until you know it’s perfect. Many traditionalists scoff at his innovative designs but if you’ve ever fished them you know that they’re hard to beat when it comes to catching fish.
We became good friends through those many cold nights in his basement and we started fishing together regularly. He showed me how to fish in the same way he taught me how to tie flies. He shared some of his favorite water with me and basically taught me everything I know about fly fishing. He was funny, patient and a wonderful teacher. To this day one of the best casters in the game.
I generally prefer fishing alone and John was one of the only people I fished with for many years and I have so many fond memories I will always cherish. John’s health started to fade a bit before Covid but we would still get out occasionally. I remember several times, driving 1.5 hrs to the Blue River to only fish for an hour before he would have to quit and we would drive back home. Some might be frustrated by such a trip but as I’m sure many of you know, the trip to, and from a stream with a good friend is often the best part of a day “on the water”. He always made me stop at a Culver’s so he could get ice cream…Marietta didn’t let him have ice cream.
I checked in with John occasionally during Covid but we didn’t fish out of an abundance of caution. When I saw him post-covid I actually thought he looked, and was doing better than ever. We talked about getting back on the water but with me buying the shop…and life generally getting in the way of fishing, it never happened. This is one of my greatest regrets. I will however have the many great times spent with him and the knowledge he imparted to me that I will cherish forever.
Memorial Service
A memorial service in John’s honor will be held at Gunderson Camacho Funeral and Cremation Care, 500 N. Eighth St., Mount Horeb, at 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 29, 2023. Visitation will be held at the funeral home from 1 p.m. until the time of the service on Saturday.
Donations in John’s honor may be made to the West Fork Sports Club (https://westforksportsclub.org/) or Wisconsin Council of Trout Unlimited (https://wicouncil.tu.org/donate-to-witu).
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