By Ted Waddell
ROSCOE — The Catskill Fly Tyers Guild (CFTG) held its seventh annual Fly Tyers Rendezvous on Saturday at the Rockland House.
In 1993, Floyd Franke and Matthew Vinciguerra formed the CFTG to “preserve, protect and enhance the Catskill fly tying heritage; work cooperatively to promote the work of future Catskill tyers; provide a forum for the sharing of information and promote the development of future generations of Catskill fly tyers.”
This year’s “cast” of tyers included Bill Newcomb, who dressed as “The Reel Cowboy,” a character right out of the Wild West, and Robert H. Boyle, a special contributor to Sports Illustrated.
Boyle, a former senior writer and editor of Sports Illustrated, is the author of several fishing books, including “Dappling, the Exciting Way of Fishing Flies…”, “Bass Boss: The Inspiring Story of Ray Scott and the Sportfishing Industry He Created”, “The Second Fly-Tyers Almanac” with Dave Whitlock, and “Stoneflies for the Angler” with Eric Leiser.
Boyle, who resides in Cooperstown with his photographer wife, Kathryn Belous-Boyle, founded the Riverkeeper and Hudson River Foundation for Science & Environmental Research.
He was recently named one of the 100 Champions of Conservation for the 20th Century by Audubon Magazine.
For more information about the CFTG, write to them at P. O. Box 663, Roscoe, NY 12776 or send an e-mail to CFTG Secretary/Treasurer Judie D.V. Smith at darbee1@juno.com.