Archive for January, 2013


Davy’s professional career began in the 1960’s as a professional fly tyer from his home in Canterbury, Kent, United Kingdom. From that he progressed into the mail-order business and in the 1970’s began to both develop and manufacture fly tying and fly fishing products and further the knowledge of fly fishing through written articles for publication.
Davy is most widely known for the world famed SLF Dubbing Blend Series. Individuals that Davy has produced custom dubbing blends for are Dave Whitlock, Paul Jorgenson, Oliver Edwards, and Toril Kolbu, just to name a few.
The company grew vigorously through-out the world and in the 1980’s Davy moved back to Wales where he leased a larger building. Distribution of U.S. products to the European market he then began to promote as well as bridging the British market to the U.S. in fly fishing materials and products.
In addition to managing daily functions in his factory, Davy also found time to accept bookings for fly fishing event around the world which also provided him the opportunity to fish many trout waters that he otherwise would not have had the chance to do as well as guiding fly fishers in the pursuit of Trout and Salmon in many countries.
One thing that Davy is not so widely known for, but, carries a soft spot in his life was his love of bluegrass music for which he also traveled as a professional musician accomplished in both banjo and guitar.
Over the years Davy has consulted for many of the worlds varied fly fishing product manufacturers and was contracted to design fly patterns which are now commercially produced and marketed both in the USA and world markets still today.
Davy has worked for many national television networks featuring fly fishing and tying in conjunction with Fly Fish TV and Mr. Gene Herring and also has produced his own Davy Wotton “How To” Fly Fish and Tying DVD’s.
Other major interest for Davy were competitive fly fishing where he won many national and international events and subsequently became the International Team Coach for the Youth Team USA which resulted in their first year of competitive fishing in Wales bringing home both Gold and Silver Medals.
The ones he considers personal best achievements are winning a Gold Medal at Loch Leven and the National Championships in the United Kingdom.
Tournament fly and surf casting in both distance and accuracy also won Davy awards in the U.K and still holds the accuracy record to this day at the Edenbridge Gamefair, U.K.
During his career he has represented both as an officer and board member of many different fly fishing organizations in the pursuit of conservation and fisheries management policies.
Currently he serves locally as the President of the Friends of the Norfork National Fish Hatchery and as 2009 Chairman of the National Fisheries Friends Partnership seated in Arlington, Virginia.
In 2008, Davy was given an award signifying his outstanding service toward fisheries and conservation by Regional Director, Sam Hamilton of Atlanta, GA. which is the home office of Region 4 of the U. S. Fisheries Division and the Norfork National Fish Hatchery.
Davy first visited the United States in the 1970’s and more frequent visits took place attending various fly fishing event through-out the country. He realized that there was to some extent a far greater opportunity given the resources in the United States in comparison to the U.K.; his visits too many of the trout streams in the west and here in Arkansas furthered his desire to move from his homeland in Wales to the United States which he did in the 1990’s.
In 2001, Davy came to a satisfactory agreement that WAPSI Fly Company of Mountain Home, AR. purchase the SLF Dubbing Company which they continue to produce.
Home now to Davy finds him near the pristine waters of the White River System which was first introduced to him by his longtime friend, Dave Whitlock.
Davy engaged now more than ever in the world of fly fishing as the Managing Director of the American International School of Fly Fishing.

Davy is a member of many national and international organizations that further issues of conservation and fly fishing education such as FFF, TU, APGAI, STANIC, NAC, AOGA, FWNR and NAFF.

(This Bio was Dictated from Davy Wotton to Teresa “TBird” VanWinkle, for publication.)

 

Davy releases a beautiful Gunnison River trout in CO - August 2012- TBird Photo

Davy releases a beautiful Gunnison River trout in CO – August 2012- TBird Photo

Davy Wotton Clinic May 18 & 19,  2013

(Thank you Torrey for providing us with your intro and details of contact for this events at the Housatonic River outfitter. TBird)

We are bringing Davy back  for another of his sell-out two-day clinics at HRO, this one will feature one  day of Midge fishing, and one day of Wet Flies. While Davy Wotton is most famous  for being the modern champion of Wet Fly fishing, he is equally passionate &  skilled at Midge fishing. He just released 2 DVD’s on the subject Midge Magic  Fishing, and Midge Magic Tying. Don’t think that Midges means all #26 dries  fished on the surface on 7x tippet, the way Davy does it includes a lot of  subsurface fishing with patterns in #14-18 also, and the flies, rigging &  techniques he uses will work on any trout stream in the world (Midges hatch 12  months a year in 100% of all trout streams). He has some rather unique rigging & leaders he uses to increase success with Midges, and some deadly patterns  for it.

When it comes to Wet Flies,  Davy is the undisputed champion, I would say he is probably the most  knowledgeable living Wet Fly man in the world. He is old enough to have been  taught by some of the old masters when he grew up in Wales (where there is a  400+ year tradition of wet fly fishing), and for close to 20 years now he and  his guide clients have been catching untold thousands of trout on wet flies in  the United States, both in the East & West. You will love his simple,  easy-to-make Wet Fly leader system, and he will show you all different ways of  fishing them, far beyond the old down & across swing most anglers think of  in the USA . Remember, Europeans developed  wet flies hundreds of years ago, fishing them over wild brown trout on some very  difficult fisheries. What works there will work anywhere in the world.

The White River system in  Arkansas has been his base of operations for a while now, it’s one of the top  trout river systems in the world, having produced an all-tackle world record  brown trout over 40 pounds. Students attending a Wotton clinic with us are  always amazed at how much they learn, Davy has some unique & very efficient  ways of rigging and fishing. Davy is a true fly fishing professional guide, fly  designer, writer, inventor of the SLF range of dubbing, video/DVD star, and  purveyor of fly tying materials. Clinic will run two days, Saturday & Sunday  5/18 & 5/19, 9AM-5PM, lunch is included. There will be one full day of Midge  Fishing, and one full day of Wet Flies. Cost is $300, paid in full in advance,  and there are no refunds, clinic runs rain or shine. Call shop at 860-672-1010  to book a spot, we fill it every year and have to turn people  away.

Davy has been ask to be one of the many presenters at the SowBug RoundUp March 14th, 15th, and

16th, 2013.

                     Davy’s Program will be on Saturday, at 10:00AM- topic will be “Midge Fishing”. 

Behind the scene of the filming of the Midge Magic Video- TBird Photo June 2012

Behind the scene of the filming of the Midge Magic Video- Gene Hering,  Fly Fish TV, captures Davy landing a trout. TBird Photo June 2012

Besides his program, Davy also will have a booth during the event with his latest copies of the newly released “Midge Magic” DVD and if your collection is missing one of Davy’s Instructional DVD’s he will also have them on hand as well as flies and will be happy to sign your purchases where for yourself or as a gift for your fly fishing family or friends.

 

 

Details for Sowbug:

Baxter County Fairgrounds

1524 Fairgrounds Blvd. Mountain Home, Arkansas (Cross streets Wade & Hwy 62B – or- College and Wade)

Hours: 9:00am to 4:00pm Each Day

Admission: adults $5.00 all three days –  Under 12 years FREE with Parent

For more details about the event see: www.northarkansasflyfishers.org  or

Email: sowbug@northarkansasflyfishers.org

See you all there!

TBird and Davy

Wanna get an overdose of Streamer Info:

http://ozarkflyfisherjournal.wordpress.com/2013/01/05/streamer-lovefestjanuary-25/

Davy Wotton Midge Dry/Emerger- Tied by TBird (photo by TBird)January 19th, 2013

Davy Wotton Midge Dry/Emerger- Tied by TBird (photo by TBird)
January 19th, 2013

Did you ever reply to a blog or make a suggestion or send a question and wonder if it ever got read…well, I do and I know I cannot be that unique.

Davy and I check on our feedback daily for all of our social and media networking.  We encourage you to feel free to contact us and we will be happy to get back to you.

Since the convienence of the internet works 24/7,  it makes it so easy for us to communicate, we are hoping that you capitalize on our willingness to respond.

It is our goal that the 2013 year brings many more followers to our blog and hope that you will help us to make that happen.

So next time you are reading our media outreach, send the link to your club for its newsletter,  fishing buddies, or family that you believe would also want to follow along.

I look forward to hearing from you real soon (even if it just says “this is my favorite article”; at least we would know how you feel about it.

For those of you that have sent in comments, Thank you! Keep up the good work!

For the rest of you, now get busy-

TBird 🙂

Unique touch by...the Brown Trout God?

This past weekend afforded us great weather for anything that you might have wanted to do outdoors so I set out on a walk with the two Jack Russels and to see how the fishing was going.

Watching from up atop an embankment at the State Park, I spotted Davy. I watched as Davys’ drift passed near shoreline of the river with client, Bill, who had a well bent rod and was in the throws of landing this winter White River Brown; once netted I motioned them in for a “Kodak moment”…the colors on this fish were bold and the spots very pronounced.
A good solid healthy fish for sure, not that this is a rare sight for the White River, water temps that day were 45F degrees, with a nice light breeze and warm sun.

The reason this is such a cool picture, as you can see, is that this beam comes straight down to rest on the back and illuminating the adipose fin of the little beauty…right in front of Davy.
Funny thing it did not appear visible to my eye as I snapped the photo but obviously capture here in the photo.

I will take it as a very good sign that the recently spawned browns of the White River have been blessed for the 2013 fly fishing season.

Keep a hook in the vise-

TBird