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Rick Hafele

Rick Hafele
Understanding Emergers

Presentation Date:  November 7, 2018



Emerger Talk


In November we are delighted to welcome back Oregon author, fly tier and entomologist Rick Hafele with a brand-new program on the tricky topic of emergers. When they won’t take a dry fly, nymph or streamer, you can bet that an emerger will do the trick. It sounds easy enough, but it is probably the least understood of the standard techniques we use. Rick’s program will cover fly choice, presentation and hooking techniques.

Rick Hafele has been called many things, among them “the bug man.” He caught his first trout on a fly at the age of 12 on a spring creek in Missouri, which is when he got hooked – and not just figuratively. Trout streams were few and far between, however, near the small farm town in Illinois he called home, so bluegills and bass provided his early fly-fishing education. In 1969 Rick left Illinois and flew west to attend college in Bellingham, Washington, to see for himself what all the hoopla was over salmon and trout and, oh yes, attend college as well. Since then he has traveled throughout the West and beyond fishing for wild native trout, and collecting and studying the insects upon which they feed.

Rick’s love of bugs led to a Master of Science degree in aquatic entomology from Oregon State University in 1979, and he worked as a professional aquatic biologist for over 30 years, specializing in water quality assessment and the study aquatic insects. In the course of both his professional work and his fly fishing, Rick has spent more than 40 years observing aquatic insects and fish communities in creeks, streams, rivers, and lakes.

Rick has written articles for scientific journals, and penned the Aquatic Entomology column for American Angler magazine for over 30 years. Books to his credit include An Angler’s Guide to Aquatic Insects and Their Imitations (with Scott Roederer, Johnson Books, 1995), The Complete Book of Western Hatches (with Dave Hughes, Amato Pub., 1981), Western Mayfly Hatches (with Dave Hughes, Amato Pub. 2005), Nymph Fishing Rivers and Streams (Stackpole Books, 2006), and most recently Tactics for Trout and Seasons for Trout (with Dave Hughes and Skip Morris, Stackpole Books, 2014).

Rick has also instructed in eight fly fishing DVDs starting with the 1983 Scientific Angler release of Anatomy of a Trout Stream. His most recent DVD, Advanced Tactics for Emergers & Dries, was released by Laughing River Productions in October, 2011. Other DVDs include Nymph Fishing Basics and Advanced Nymph Fishing, and the four-volume set titled Fly Fishing Large Western Rivers.

Rick is currently a member of the Freshwater Trust, the Native Fish Society of Oregon, the Xerces Society, the Western River Conservancy, Trout Unlimited, and Water Watch. He has also been awarded life membership to the Federation of Fly Fishers and the Flyfisher's Club of Oregon for his contributions to fly fishing literature. He lives in Wilsonville, Oregon with his wife Carol. For more information checkout Rick’s website at: www.rickhafele.com.