Fountains of Youth – Classic trout flies that have withstood the test of time … flies that remain “forever young”

by Rusty Dunn

A 12 year old boy named Walt moves with his family to Roscoe, NY in 1919 and meets a friend named Harry on the first day of seventh grade.  Walt and Har­ry shared an interest in fishing, and they became fast friends.  Roscoe lies in the heart of the Catskill Moun­tains, with famous trout streams but minutes away.  The area is a paradise for two outdoorsy twelve year olds, and this chance encounter led to a lifelong friendship.  The two boys and their future wives even­tually became legendary fig­ures of the “second gen­eration” of the Cat­skill school of fly tying.  They fol­lowed a decade or two after the Cats­kill style was fully refined, but they set the standard for quality of Catskill tying through much of the 20^th century.  If Amer­ican fly fish­ing were to have a royal family, the two couples – Walt & Winnie Dette and Harry & Elsie Darbee – would surely be the kings and queens. Read More