DON DOUPLE
My Dad used to tell me Characters are the Spice of Life. If that’s true Don occupies the top of the spice rack.
An interesting guy, to say the least, Don attained his teaching certificate. When he found the classroom uncomfortable he pursued his passion Pennsylvania’s wild trout. Pursue is an understatement, obsess may still be understating his pursuit, understanding and love of wild Pennsylvania trout.
When not creating gorgeous fish pins…
…or art,
Don would be fishing or exploring Pennsylvania water.
He knew more about obscure Pennsylvania trout water than I did my home stream. I decided to try him out. I had one of my friends ask him about an obscure trickle in north western PA. Don not only knew about it, he knew where the public and private water was, if it held wild fish, its hatches and where to fish it.
Dons color coded his Pennsylvania Delormie to identify spring creeks, wild trout water, private property etc, it was incredible.
Don’s tying classes were incredible…
His on stream seminars a significant experience.
I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy.
I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy.
His fly patterns cerebrally designed, thoroughly tested and deadly. Don worked on one imitative pattern for over a week, tested it for over a week and scrapped it for being ineffective.
I plan to feature Douple patterns in future blogs.
I learned more from Don than from all the luminarys that graced our pastoral waters.
John Coxey Mike Ebner ... That green caterpillar (we called it the "Douple Bug" on the Little Lehigh), is pure sin on wild browns. Almost as effective as a bead headed pheasant tail (which is saying a lot
Mike Ebner Oh, BTW ... the last time I saw Don, he wasn't even fishing any longer. The effects of long term undiagnosed lyme disease took a toll on his body. He did say he still gets out a bit to photograph birds and wildlife. Parks his car and walks a short ways into the woods and sits down by a tree and waits for the 'photograph' to arrive
Don Baylor His wealth of knowledge needs to be made available.
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Mike Ebner Don was one of my first mentors some 40 years ago. He built my first 'quality' fly rod and used to take me around to some of his private honey holes on some streams not much wider than my new fly rod. What a wealth of knowledge he had back then and it only increased as time went on.
Mike Ebner Speaking of 'honey', a few years back I was with him in central PA. He wanted to preserve his expanded collection of the original honey bug. He presented me with a set of his 'tied' patterns, notes and instructions along with the proper yarn. He sure took this pattern to it's limits.
Email me, I'll send you a copy
FLIES
