Andy Dear | Monday, 6 March 2023
Wednesday, March the 8th marks the one year anniversary of the passing of my good friend, John B. Tebbetts. What better way to celebrate this accomplished angler than to take a look at another one of his creations, The Grizzly & White Tarpon fly.
Showcased in the vise this week is another one of the good doctor's Tarpon patterns...the Grizzly & White. This tie in particular holds a standard place in my fly box. Not just because it's a strikingly beautiful recipe, but also because it does a fantastic job of imitating a couple of local prey fish on the gulf coast known as the "piggy perch" and "pin fish". For Trout and Redfish, I normally tie these on smaller hooks than specified in the recipe, usually a Tiemco 600SP in size 1. Often I'll indulge myself in a bit of artistic license, and play with different colors of Krystal Flash and Flashabou, (usually yellow) in the wing and topping to even more closely represent the two aforementioned baitfish. Additionally, depending on the time of year, I usually add a monofilament weed guard as well.
It's hard for me to comprehend that my friend has been gone for a year now. To say that he was a monumental influence on my life would be an understatement. He was an incredible individual, with a multitude of interests that ranged from big game fly fishing to motorcycle racing to flower arranging. I have come to believe that what made John so successful at all of his varied pursuits was his unrelenting, disciplined approach to being productive in life. More than anything else, John knew the value of time, and that it is a very limited, and extremely precious commodity. He felt very strongly that we should maximize every second that we have on planet earth.
My hope is that in some small way, these Front Pages can be a subtle reminder of how important it is for all of us to maximize every second we have been given, both on and off the water.
Hope you all are having a great week,
Andy
