Bill Heckel

Life Member of: Federation of Fly Fishers and Theodore Gordon Fly fishers.

I have been fly fishing since 1950 and tying flies very shortly there after. I became a member of the Federation shortly after it was founded, became member of the Northern Illinois Fly Tiers as a result of attending the second annual conclave of the Midwest Council, in Mountain Home Arkansas. In 1973 was the start of my fly tying for the Federation on the council level, a year or two later I was asked to assume the position of fly tying chairman for the council. 1976 was my first experience tying at the Federation’s National Conclave. It was for this conclave in Sun Valley, Idaho that I was asked to put together the first youth program for the Federation and as a result was appointed as National Youth Chairman. For the next five years my responsibilities included further development of the youth program as well as being the fly tying chairman for the National Conclave.

As a fly tier, my interest lies primarily with fresh water flies, coming from the Midwest part of the country. I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to tie with, share ideas and learn from many of the worlds finest fly tiers. The experience of tying for numerous conclaves and fly fishing shows, which has always seemed at the outset, to be a teaching a teaching responsibility, led me to start teaching fly tying classes thirty-five ago.

In the early 1970’s, while preparing for a trip to fish the Letort in the Cumberland Valley of Pennsylvania I developed a series of flies I refer to as the biot series which includes a nymph, dun and spinner. For me the series has proved quite effective. Primarily the series is a method of tying that can be tied to match mayfly species.

In the late 1980’s my good friend Ted Niemeyer showed me a technique that, as he described it, “ a technique that is limited only by you imagination “. From that I have developed what I call the Tape wing Caddis. This pattern has proved to be very successful. In the book coauthored by the late Carl Richards and Bob Braendle,” Caddis Super Hatches”, they acknowledge the tape wing caddis pattern had become the staple of their caddis dry fly fishing.