Richard Formato

Richard Formato is an avid catch-and-release fly-fisherman from Wytheville, Va. When not on the water, he operates a small business there. Formato loves to fly-fish in his native Southwest Virginia because of the great water and wonderful people. He also loves to fish the flats and shallows of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic whenever work and weather permit. He is on the Department of Conservation and Recreation's board of directors and is a trustee of the Shenandoah National Forest and Skyline Drive.

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• Notes from the Charlotte Fly Show
• A chance meeting
• A wish for Jack
• Not so Rusty

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Bruce Wankel recently had an open house at his Virginia Creeper Fly Shop in Abingdon. His guest was Bob Clouser.

In fly fishing, you will be hard pressed to find someone more iconic than Bob Clouser. He is to fly fishing what Rapala is to spin fishing.

Clouser invented the Clouser Minnow – a universal fly pattern that hooks brim to bonefish. This fly can be tied in just about any color combination you can think of to match the specific baitfish you’re trying to imitate.

Clouser created the Clouser Minnow in 1984 by attaching some metallic dumbbells to turn the fly upside down. This minimized snagging.

Deer hair is used to give the minnow its shape, while flash material was added in the center of the fly to add luster and life to the pattern.

During the retrieve the fly never stops moving… up and down, side to side, imitating the movement of a panicking baitfish. Tied in various sizes and colors, the Clouser can be used just about anywhere in the world.

Lefty Kreh, the patron saint of fly fishing and good friend of Clouser’s, has caught 86 species of fish on the Clouser minnow.

The Clouser name is so universal that when you ask someone what they used on a particular day, you are likely to hear, “Oh, they were hitting Clousers.”

Having Clouser in for a day of fly tying, casting instruction and casual conversation for local anglers is like having Michael Vick show up for a day of gabbing and pitch and catch with a bunch of Tech fans.

Bruce Wankel has the clout, though, to bring Clouser in. He is one of the best tailrace fisherman in the entire country and is hands down the best guide on the Tennessee Tailwaters.

The last time I saw Clouser was more than a year ago in Sarasota, Fla. That night, he spoke in front of hundreds of people and gave a speech and presentation on his half century as a fly-fisherman.

That balmy night on the gulf, I sensed some people were unnaturally intimidated by him, although after the dinner, Clouser and I chatted and he good naturedly signed my St. Croix (his main sponsor) rod tube by writing, “Don’t break this one.”

Richard Formato

Bob Clouser (far right) teaches a fly tying class at the Virginia Creeper Fly Shop.

At the Virginia Creeper event, with Wankel’s cabin and lawn as the setting, the mood was light and friendly with anglers of all ages milling and meeting each other. Between fly tying classes, Clouser spoke to everyone, and then went on Bruce’s lawn and gave some incredible casting demonstrations.

He took individuals aside and helped them with the basics, to the more sublime elements of effective casting. Big hint: use your body, not your arm, for motion, fluidity, accuracy and distance.

His eyes struck me more than anything. Glinting through his glasses were eyes that have seen almost every type of water in the world, but they had the sparkle of a neighborhood kid who had just caught his first big fish.

His whole style is straightforward: Efficient casting, simply tied flies, common sense…with none of the bravado and boorishness you could find in a lesser angler.

With Clouser heading to Waynesboro as the featured speaker at the upcoming Virginia Fly Fishing Festival, it was fitting that Wankel had Clouser to Abingdon as an “up close and personal” guest of his shop.

In one of those moments, I asked Clouser what he saw as the major challenge to fly fishing.

“More fish to catch,” he replied.

Clouser related how his home waters have been decimated by over fishing, pollution and development. He said to look at the little creeks. "When I was young," he said, "they were filled with suckers in the springtime. Now, these (streams) are dead."

The kids today play sports, but they are all team sports, scheduled and structured.

“When I was a teenager, we would head out on this little johnboat and drift the Susquehanna for a few days at a time… and Mom never worried about us… not in the way Moms do now.”

Here’s to Bob Clouser, and to Bruce Wankel who had the moxie to bring a legend on his own terms to this corner of the Commonwealth.

After spending an afternoon with Clouser, I understand why he is a legend in our world of fly fishing, and it has a lot more to do than the just the fly that bears his name.