Presenters, Tiers & Authors
Tim Cammisa, the force behind "Trout and Feather," has dedicated over a decade to producing educational fly-tying and fly-fishing videos, enriching enthusiasts worldwide. With a background as a seasoned fly-fishing guide and teacher, Tim is a sought-after presenter and tier at prestigious events like The Fly Fishing Show and International Fly Tying Symposium, as well as club gatherings nationwide.
His passion for angling transcends borders, leading fly fishing trips to coveted destinations like Iceland and Alaska. Tim’s first book, Fly Tying for Everyone, covers a wide range of topics essential for mastering the art of fly tying, including materials, tools, techniques, and patterns. Tim’s second book, Tying Euro Nymphs and Other Competition Favorites, is due out January 2025. The book is a pioneering project that focuses on the most popular patterns in Euro nymphing. Tim resides in Harmony, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Heather, and their children, Angelo and Fina.
Bart Lombardo's love for fly fishing and fly tying spans almost five decades. His pursuit of trout and salmon takes him across the country, but his heart lies in the thrill of fly fishing for panfish, bass, and other warm-water species.
Bart enjoys teaching others about fly fishing and the art of fly tying. He is a fly fishing guide for South Branch Outfitters in Califon, NJ, and is on staff as a fly fishing and fly tying instructor for Orvis in Princeton, NJ. He regularly conducts fly-tying classes and presentations for fly fishing clubs and organizations like Trout Unlimited and participates in various fly-tying shows on the East Coast.
Bart is a respected figure in the fly-tying industry, constantly pushing the boundaries of the craft. His innovative patterns for panfish, bass, and other warm-water species are a testament to his creativity. As a member of several pro-staffs, including Regal Vise, Semperfli, Solarez, Renomed Scissors and Ewing Hackle, he has earned recognition for his contributions.
Bart is also an outdoor writer whose work appears in print and online. He has had several articles published in Fly Fisherman Magazine and is currently writing a book titled Panfish On The Fly: The Definitive Guide To Fly Fishing For America's Favorite Fish.
He can be found on all social media platforms @PanfishOnTheFly, including a Facebook group with the same name with over 58,000 members. His website is www.panfishonthefly.com, and he can be contacted via email at [email protected].
Chuck Farneth is a guide and nationally recognized caster and tyer. He is an ESPN Great Outdoors Games Fly Fishing Gold Medalist.
Chuck has been married to his bride, Sherry, for 45 years. Together, they have two grown children and five grandchildren. They live in Cookeville, TN where he has semi-retired to build their house and invest in their grandchildren. He manages the fly fishing department at The Outdoor Experience in Cookeville, TN. Chuck is still a part time fly fishing guide on the tailwaters in TN, and AR where he lived for the past 30 years. Originally from PA, Chuck and Sherry moved to AR to serve with CRU, formerly known as Campus Crusade for Christ, in their family ministry. After 10 years with CRU, Chuck was called to provide an environment for fathers, through Outdoor Legacy, to invest in their sons through ceremonies and teach them the biblical definition of manhood. As a former Certified Casting Instructor for the FFF, Chuck has instructed hundreds of individuals on the mechanics of casting a fly line using a flexible lever. He has also participated in countless clinics, television and radio broadcasts, and speaking opportunities across the country. His 58 years of experience has been used in publications for decades to grow the sport of fly fishing and enhance the knowledge of the most avid fly angler. Chuck has also been blessed to compete in fly fishing competitions around the World.
- ESPN Great Outdoor Games 2000-2004 garnering 3 medals in the fly fishing competition (gold in 2001).
- NE Regional winner in the Fly Fishing Masters 2004
- Representative for 2014 Team USA in Chile where he finished 4th in the world.
- Won the “King of the Mountain” one fly competition in Gatlinburg, TN in 2023.
Dusty Wissmath grew up in Missouri, started fly fishing when he was eight years old, and spent his formative years highly distracted by the sport. He began guiding and teaching fly fishing in the early seventies while working on a degree in Wildlife Biology at the University of Wyoming. Living in Jackson after dropping out of law school, he tied commercially for High Country Flies and guided the Snake, Green and New Fork Rivers and in Yellowstone National Park.
In 1996 he founded the Dusty Wissmath Fly Fishing School & Guide Service in the hills near Mercersburg, PA where it quickly earned a reputation as a professional, yet easygoing fly fishing school. As well as directing his own school, he heads the Orvis Fly Fishing School in Boiling Springs, PA, is an instructor at the Wulff School of Fly Fishing and served as the lead instructor at L.L. Bean’s Fly Fishing School in Virginia. He guides in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Montana and hosts trips to fly fishing destinations worldwide. Dusty is a Simms and Costa Guide Ambassador and a Pro Staff member of Scott Fly Rods, Hatch Reels, Hyde Drift Boats, ARC Fishing and a royalty tier for Holly Flies. His writing and photography can be found in several fly fishing publications. When not on or near the water, Dusty can be found chasing grouse and woodcock with Jim the Wonder Dog.
Ann Miller, while teaching beginning/intermediate fly fishing schools, became frustrated with the lack of information on insect hatches, taxonomy, behavior, and flies to match them. She decided to tackle the world of bugs head on and the result was the Hatch Guide for Upper Midwest Streams (Amato Publications). She recently published a new guide that is enhanced and more user friendly, Pocketguide for Upper Midwest Hatches (Stackpole Books).
In addition to her love of insects, Ann is a co-founder and current president of Flygirls, an organization whose purpose is to help women become involved in fly fishing. She has served on the board and as an officer of the St. Joseph River Valley Fly Fishers and is on the board of Tie-a-thon, an organization that distributes donated flies to non-profit groups involved with teaching youth, cancer survivors, veterans, and more.
Ann’s presentation “Tackling Mayflies” will provide anglers with useful tools and tips for identification of Michigan mayflies.
Kevin Feenstra started Feenstra Guide Service LLC in 1997. He has spent countless hours on the Muskegon River, and still fishes the river system and surrounding waterways every chance he can. His passion is swinging flies for steelhead, but loves to fish for any predator fish that is willing to eat a fly. Year after year, Kevin guides the Muskegon River for hundreds of days and still loves it. He is a licensed USCG captain.
In addition to guiding, Kevin is an active writer and fly tier. His most recent project is a book, Matching Baitfish, which was published in November 2020. He has also published several fly fishing DVDS, including Searching for Steelhead, Striking Steel and Big Appetite, Small Mouth. He has authored many magazine articles, and his flies are published in fly tying manuals and magazines. Kevin frequently speaks at fishing shows and clubs throughout the Midwest.
Kevin has one other passion, outdoor photography, where he hopes to capture the beauty and majesty of West Michigan both above and below the water. He resides in Newaygo, Michigan, with his lovely wife and three children.
William T. Mangan has been fly fishing since 1980 with over 30 years experience operating a Drift Boat. After retiring as a Lieutenant after 28 ½ years with the Macomb County Sheriff's Office he pursued his passion of Fly Fishing full-time! He is the owner/operator of Mangan’s Cast a Fly and a Pro Staffer for Ausable River Outfitters in Mio, MI where he guides and teaches fly casting. Bill is an (FFI) Fly Fishers International Certified Fly Casting Iinstructor and Michigan DNR Certified Fly Fishing Guide. He also does private Fly Casting lessons.
Bill is truly passionate in what he does, and loves to teach and bring people up in the sport of Fly-Fishing, especially the art of Fly Casting. Each year he does Fly Casting Seminars/Demonstrations for several Organizations and Venues, throughout Michigan, Montana and Minnesota. He is a stage hardliner for Michigan’s Ultimate Fishing Show, Ultimate Sport Show and Woods-N-Water Outdoor Weekend Show, to name a few. Bill has written Fly Casting articles for the Woods-N-Water Magazine and has been featured several times on Michigan Out of Doors TV.
Todd A. Schotts is a custom production fly tier through Grizzly Flies by Schottsie located Southeastern Michigan. He is an active member of the Michigan Fly Fishing Club & Huron River Fishing Association. In 2015 he was awarded the Michigan Fly Fishing Clubs highest honor “Volunteer of the Year”. He is a past President with the Huron River Fishing Association. With his fly tying 2 of his own designed flies appeared in 2 different articles in Eastern Fly-Fishing Magazine in 2015. In 2017 five of his patterns appeared in the spring issue of Fly Fusion Magazine. He is the founder of “Michigan Bobbin Slingers (fly tyers) page on Facebook that is dedicated to the Art and Craft of Fly Tying.
His passion is creating new amazing flies, being a Bass Bum, chasing Panfish in ponds & lakes, and chasing trout in spring creeks or headwaters of amazing waterways. He is on the Pro Staff with Anadromous Fly Company; Team Member (Pro Team) for Nor-vise, Pro Team for TFO Rods, and Ambassador for UV Craft. You can contact Todd at [email protected] or at Grizzly Flies by Schottsie on Facebook or Instagram.
Dennis Potter started tying over 30 years ago before fishing on the Ausable River in Northern Michigan. He has spent 4 seasons at the Gates Ausable Lodge as a Fly-Fishing Instructor and he still enjoys teaching fly tying instruction. His fly designs are fished extensively and with great success throughout the country. Dennis has various Fly-Tying Videos on the market and he is the owner of Riverhouse Fly Company. You will be able to find him tying at the show, with his well-known high-resolution video tying Demo show. Dennis’s web site is: www.riverhouseflyco.com.
Matt Zudweg aka “Zuddy” is from Newaygo, Michigan. He is a USCG Captain and has been guiding on the Muskegon River since 2003 for Feenstra Guide Service. Matt is best known in the industry for his bass fly “Zudbubbler”, a modern version of the vintage Gerbubble Bug. When not on the water, he can usually be found in his studio creating artful balsa poppers. Matt’s website is www.boneyardflygear.com
Lance Kekel a Michigan native who now calls Rootstown, Ohio his home. He has been fly tying over 45 years ago. Today he ties commercially for shops in Ohio & Michigan. He was a Semi-Finalist in the 2020 Norvise Fly Tying Competition, and an invited tyer at the International Fly-Tying Symposium in 2023 & 2024. He is a self-proclaimed dry fly junkie with an obsession for Michigan Hex and eastern limestone waters harboring Green Drakes. This is almost matched by his fascination with catching toothy fish on the fly. Lance continues to enjoy sharing his passion for tying and fishing through community and club involvement; to enjoy the local waters of Northeast Ohio.
J.R. Bass is from Sparta, Michigan and is originally from Rockford, Michigan. He has been in the sport of fly fishing for 25 years. His fly tying started about 8 years ago with tying nymphs, then he went to dries, to streamers, and then to wet flies. You can see his amazing and talented flies on various Facebook fishing and fly-tying pages.
Steve Wascher caught his first Trout at the age of 3½ on a DRY FLY!! Steve is a third-generation tier from Greenhurst, NY and received basic tying instructions and guidance from his father and his grandmother. Steve is a well-rounded tier; he enjoys all aspects of the art of fly tying from creating a unique nymph, wet flies for steelhead, or his famed deer hair bugs for those Warmwater surprises. Besides tying, Steve guides during the summer months for a wide range of Warmwater species. He also enjoys writing articles, they have been published (along with his flies) in Hatches Magazine, American Angler and Mid-Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide. Steve is on the Pro Staff of Dyna King Vises and many others.
Tim Jacobs, a native of Michigan, is a fly fisherman and fly tyer from the Roaring Fork Valley.He has guided in the Steamboat Springs area and the Roaring Fork Valley. Additionally, he was a Federation of Fly Fishers certified casting instructor who taught the Sage Casting Clinics during the 1990’s. He works as an instructor at the Michigan Youth Trout Camp each summer and is a casting instructor for Project Healing Waters in western Colorado. Tim has published numerous articles and has authored 2 books “Tying and Fishing Deer Hair Flies” (2018, Stackpole Books) and his new book “Tactics for Bass and other Warmwater Species” in 2023. Tim appears at numerous fly-fishing shows and fly shops as a demonstration fly tyer for Whiting Farms Pro Team, Regal Vise Pro Staff and Nature’s Spirit Pro Staff.
Glenn R. Weisner has been tying flies since a 7th grade science fair project. For the first 10 years he was self taught and fished predominately for warm water fish. Glenn was a personal friend of the late Chris Helm for over 20 years. Glenn attributes most of his tying capabilities to the information he has “Stolen” from Chris’s warehouse of knowledge and experience. He is a tireless fisherman and often can be found fishing for trout on the cold streams of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan. He has created or improved several patterns he finds invaluable for small stream trout fishing and enjoys tying most all trout flies, especially Terrestrials and Midges. Glenn, from Sylvania, Ohio, is the owner of Glenn River Fly Co. Ltd where they specialize in “Tying Kits” His website is www.glennriver.com.
John Satkowski resides in Toledo, Ohio, where he fishes for all fish that swim in the rivers and lakes of southeastern Michigan and northwest Ohio. An artist, fly tying demonstrator, and fly-tying instructor, John shares his love of fly tying and fishing as often as he can. John is an accomplished realistic tier and always tries to add a little realistic flare to his patterns. John is a pro tier for Flymen Fishing Company and a commercial tier for Rainy's flies with patterns ranging from dry flies, nymphs, steelhead, streamers, and flies for the salt. And he is on the Pro Staff with Anadromous Fly Company. John’s patterns often use creative fly materials and unconventional tying styles. You can find him at River Raisin Fly Company.
Alan “Al” Ritt grew up here in Michigan where his passion for fishing was born. In the early 80’s while living in Northern California, just after he started tying flies, he started fly fishing. In 1989 he moved to Northern Front Range of Colorado. In 2022 he got the highest honor a fly tyer can receive, he received the “FFI Buz Buszek Memorial Fly-Tying Award”. He is currently on the Pro-staff of Whiting Farms, PEAK Fishing, Flymen Fishing Company, Performance Flies, Clear Goo Glue, Fishing for a Cause, Performance Flies, Daiichi Hooks, and a fly designer for Montana Fly Company. Al is on the board of IFFF Fly Tying Governors and is also a guide on Colorado and Sylvan Dale Ranch just outside of Loveland. Besides with everything above, along with his articles in various magazines, he also published a book, “25 Best Most Versatile Flies”. Alan’s web site is: www.alrittflies.com
Bruce Derington took his first tying class in 1978 through a local high school evening course instructed by Hollis Holiday, and later through Challenge Chapter of Trout Unlimited. Bruce always been a Bass Guy, and one day while reading a Rod and Reel article written on Tim England (1985), on deer hair flies and the rest is history. He also became intrigued in Classic Atlantic flies in the mid 90’s and have enjoyed sitting at the vise for many hours it takes in construction of the Classic Atlantic flies. For Bruce it has been an endless road in search of the next pattern to tie.
Cheryl Scherf a school teacher in Cleveland, Ohio has been fly tying and fly fishing for 17 years. Cheryl particularly enjoys tying striped bass flies, which she uses fishing the beaches of Cape Cod. She also ties trout flies and enjoys stream fishing for trout whenever she can. She has tied at several fly shows over the past several years
Kevin Ramsey, from Bellevue, Ohio, is a retired State of Ohio Wildlife Officer. Kevin is an avid fly tyer and fly fisher. He fishes for trout across the country and enjoys fishing for stripers on the beaches of Cape Cod. Kevin volunteers for Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing and Trout Unlimited projects. He has been tying flies for 43 years, tying both trout and saltwater flies. Kevin ties and donates flies to several organizations for their fund-raising campaigns.