Main Line Fly-Tyers

Philadelphia's Oldest Fly Tying Club

Established 1971

Oct 21, 2021:

Sam Vigorita - Fishing the Upper Delaware

Sam Vigorita is one of the area's most successful Trout anglers and has logged literally thousands of hours fishing and instructing on The Upper Delaware River and many East Coast trout and salmon waters.


Sam is a life time member of the Main Line Fly-Tyers Club, and for the past 30 plus years has been a significant reason for the success of the club.  


He is a true Master when it comes to fly tying and fly fishing tactics. He knows the local fisheries and the Upper Delaware River system better than most of us know the marks on the back of our hands.  

He is known for his enthusiasm of fly tying, fly fishing, casting, and his willingness to share his knowledge and teach others those techniques. Over the years he has taught hundreds, if not thousands, of men and women how to tie fly’s that catch fish!  


Most all of his special fly patterns, secrets, and techniques have finally been put in to print and can now be found in his book, "Fly Patterns - An Edge Above the Rest".  Each year he teaches four classes, and also demonstrates his at our monthly club meetings

Sep 16, 2021:

Aaron Jasper- Nine Months of Steelhead: The Steelhead Season Start to Finish Fishing

This presentation will cover the Salmon River and other Lake Ontario tributary streams. We will focus on how to catch them, where to catch them. The presentation is logic in nature as is all fishing. When I’m done the whole fishery and approach needed to be successful will make sense.


About the presenter:


Aaron Jasper was an elementary school teacher in Paterson, New Jersey. His teaching experience gives him an edge when conveying complex topics. This fall he will be starting his second career in finance. He has traveled all over the United States and Europe and has been fly fishing since age 6. He is a contributing writer for American Angler and Fly Tyer. Lifelong learning, sharing his knowledge of fly fishing and teaching are all his greatest passions.

2021 - 2022 Meeting Schedule and Speakers

Aaron Jasper

Dec 16, 2022: Annual Auction & Christmass Party

This year we will celebrate the club's 50th Anniversary at Sandy Run Country Club. There will be a sit down buffett dinner and open bar (pay as your drink, the dinner is free) before the auction. The event starts at 6pm.

Feb 17, 2022

John Shaner presents:  Catskill Classics, The Beaverkill and Willowemoc


John Shaner has been an avid angler for as long as he can remember catching his first trout on a self-tied fly in 1965. He grew up on the shores of Skaneateles Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York State and was fishing the Catskill Rivers as soon as he could drive.


The gift of a fly-tying kit when he was 8 set him on the road to becoming an avid fly tier. Although primarily self-taught, he has studied many different fly dressing techniques and have been privileged to have sat at the elbow of many famous fly tiers.

While I dress many different fly styles to suit the rivers he fishes, he especially enjoys reproducing and using traditional trout patterns. Following his passion for Catskill style dry flies came a focus on British wet flies in the past 25 years. His profound interest in “Spiders”, (Americans call them “Soft Hackles”) has resulted in his tying and fishing these simple, elegant, and deadly flies, a topic on which he has presented over the years at national and international fly fishing and tying shows. While he enjoys experimentation with new patterns, he identifies as a bit of a traditionalist in his use of materials and seldom incorporate synthetics into his flies, preferring to use natural silk, fur, and feathers.


Over the years he has fished for trout across the US from Maine to Oregon, Michigan to New Mexico, and has made several trips to England to fish the famous Chalk Streams and other rivers. He holds a special love for Montana John Shaner has been an avid angler for as long as he can remember catching his first trout on a self-tied fly in 1965. He grew up on the shores of Skaneateles Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York State and was fishing the Catskill Rivers as soon as he could drive.

The Main Line Fly-Tyers are pleased to announce that live meetings will resume at the Greater Plymouth Community Center for the 2021-2022 season.

Special Notice.  Due to the Covid situation the Plymouth Center is closing at 9 Pm. Until further notice our meeting times will be 6:30 pm to 9 pm.


We will also be live streaming the meetings (for paid members only) for those still uncomfortable to be in large pulic situations. Be sure to pay your dues to recieve the online meeting invitations.


Pay your dues on-line: Join the MLFT Club


Nov 18, 2021

Son Tao - Fly Tying Demo/Presentation


Son Tao is an active duty Army First Sergeant based out of Colorado, award winning fly tier and accomplished angler. He's been tying for 5 years and on the pro team/ambassador for prestigious organizations like Whiting Farm, Semperfli, Fishpond, Abel Reels, Simms Fishing, Ahrex Hooks, Douglas Fly Fishing and Solarez USA.


Son won the 5th annual Project Healing Waters International Fly Tying Competition in 2017; one year after he started his tying journey and has since become one of the most well known fly fishing figures on social media due to his meticulous attention to detail, photography skills and tendency to catch big fish.

Son enjoys tying a variety of patterns but has a special fondness for classic dry flies. He will be tying several patterns, including a Classic Catskill's pattern, a Stimulator, Steelhead Wetfly, and a Flymph. He's very active with numerous veteran organizations and can be found on Instagram @son_tao and Facebook at “The Tao of Flies.”


Sam Vigorita

Remember the January meeting is not the 3rd Thursday, it is Jan. 27, 2022


Steve Culton presents "The Little Things".


If you want to catch more fish pay attention to the little things. We all understand that fly-fishing basics such as casting are important, but it is also attention to the small details of fishing like stream current, insects, and tackle that can determine success of failure. Steve will share his insights with us.


Steve Culton lives in Connecticut.  He is  a fly fishing guide and instructor, fly tyer, and freelance writer. His work has appeared in Field & Stream, American Angler, The Flyfish Journal, The Drake, Flyfishing & Tying Journal, Eastern Fly Fishing, Fly Rod & Reel Online, and the Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide.  He also writes a website called Currentseams.


Most of all, he is just a guy who loves fly fishing.  His passions include trout, striped bass, steelhead, smallmouth bass, and small streams with wild brook trout populations. He occasionally teaches out of

UpCountry Sportfishing in New Hartford, CT.


Currentstreams.com is a library of Steve’s articles, stories, fly tying, fishing reports, videos, his guide service The Fisherman LLC, and more. The site gets regular updates, so be sure to check it out every few days. If you like what you see here, help me out and tell a friend. Feel free to ask questions if you have them. Leave a comment on his writing.  Or just say hi.

Steve Culton

Mar 17, 2022

Tim Flagler -Fishing After Dark


We are extremely pleased to announce the return of the great Tim Flagler of Tightline Productions!You know Tim from his many online tying videos.  Some of the best in the industry! Tim will be providing us a presentation on fishing after dark. At certain times of the year, fishing after the sun goes down can be spectacular and the chances of hooking into a monster are better than any other part of the day.


Fishing in the dark does take some getting used to, but with a few tricks, some basic equipment, and minor modifications to technique, it can be an absolute blast. The presentation will include a wealth of video shot recently and over the last couple of years and yes, it includes plenty of big fish.

John Shaner

Apr 21, 2022

Rick Kustich - Muskies on the Fly


Muskies?   Big, Ugly and mean. Muskies are what is known as an apex predator.  That means that they are on the top of the food chain and fear nothing.   Very exciting to fish for, but are there any around here?  The surprising answer is yes.   The Pa. fish commission has been stocking Pa.  rivers and  lakes with Muskies  for years and it appears they do quite well.  Several lakes in our area have good Muskie populations and I have heard from several sources that there are many good size muskies in the Schuykill River.  Want a break from trout?  Rick Kustich will be here to explain how to catch Muskies.


Rick Kustich is a fly-fishing writer, instructor and guide.  He is author of Hunting Musky with a  Fly and Advanced fly fishing for Great Lakes Steelhead.  Rick's work has appeared in numerous national and regional publications. He has also spent time as a fly shope owner and fly-fishing book publisher


Rick began fly -fishing nearly fifty years ago on the lakes and streams of uptate New York.  He has since traveled extensively to experience the finest fly-fishing throughout North America, but continues to find some of the best fishing often exists in your own backyard.


Tim Flager

May 19, 2022

Ed Jaworowski - Analyze your Casts ... Fix your Problems.


Join us for the special opportunity to hear a presentation by Ed Jaworowski on the application and principles of fly casting.  He is not only a legend in fly fishing, but also an original founding member and past President of Main Line Fly-Tyers.  Ed is one of the finest fly-casters in the world and a pioneer in salt-water fly fishing.  Ed's first book on fly casting, The Cast: Theories and Applications for more effective techniques, was published in 1992 and has become a classic in the field.


His latest book, "Perfecting the Cast: Adapting Casting Principles for Any Fly-Fishing Situation", just published last year!  Ed will discuss the principles of fly casting he has mastered and how these can be applied the many casting challenges we face on the water.


He will give an in-depth analysis of casting and teaching casting. His presentation explores the fundamentals of casting, examining the mechanical principles that determine all casts, as opposed to traditional, selective rules. Not a different way of casting, but a different way of thinking about casting. This comprehensive program teaches anglers how to identify and correct their problems, based on four simple principles. Using graphics, still photos, and video clips, this talk challenges anglers to question time-honored ideas about casting strokes, rod loading, loop control, distance, roll casting, slack line casts, curve casting, and much more. New approaches to analyzing the double haul, and correcting problems such as shock waves and tailing loops.

Rick Kustich

Jun 16, 2022

Tim Cammisa - Articulated Streamer Fly Tying Demonstration


Tim Cammisa of “Trout and Feather” has been addicted to fly fishing and fly tying for about as long as anyone can remember. Although he and his wife Heather live in western Pennsylvania, fly fishing has taken him all over the country, with his fly fishing "home base" being the State College area. Some of Tim's favorite waters include the mighty Delaware (where he has guided) and Missouri Rivers; though discovering small streams with wild trout continues to excite him; his five-year old son Angelo especially likes this, as he has also caught the fly fishing "bug."


From years guiding on the Delaware River to fooling technical fish on the Missouri River, Tim has spent years chasing trout all around the world! He is one of the new generations of fly fishers who have taken to social media to promote and teach the sport, starring in over 300 YouTube videos with four million video views. In 2021, he released a book on fly tying: Fly Tying for Everyone. You can view Tim’s fly tying and fly fishing videos on his website: Trout and Feather


His tying demonstration:

Articulated Streamers: Be ready to catch larger trout today!

Tim will show us his techniques utilized in tying articulated streamers, a type of pattern that is known for producing some of the largest fish on the water. This style of tying can appear difficult to learn, but Tim breaks the fly design and steps down into easy-to-digest information, while giving a better understanding of today’s materials to use when tying effective streamers. Time will also be spent discussing rigging and fishing articulated streamers, and when this demo is finished, you’ll immediately want to find some water to catch those larger fish

Ed Jaworowski
Tim Cammisa
Son Tao

He is a collector of classic fly tackle and angling books. His interest in tackle reflects his pursuit of free-rising trout and a love for fishing wet flies near the surface. His angling library is primarily focused on books detailing the development of trout flies and tying techniques but branches into many other aspects of fly fishing as well, especially the history and literature of the sport.


John has been in the fly-fishing business since 1985 and has managed fly shops, guided, and worked as a sales representative for The Orvis Co. and Cortland Line. From 2008 until 2021 was associated with Hardy of Alnwick, England.

Now retired, he devotes his time to fishing, travel, and his book and tackle collections.


He is a member of The Anglers' Club of New York, The Fly Fishers' Club of London, The Theodore Gordon Fly Fishers, The Fly Fishers' Club of Harrisburg, and the IFFF. He serves as a Trustee of the Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum.

He now resides in Deposit, NY in the Western Catskills, just 2 minutes from one of his favorite pools on the West Branch of the Delaware.