Original Artwork

  Both the sport of fly fishing and the gear that is used have always intrigued me, and being an avid fly tyer and fly designer I have spent many long hours at the vise tying and designing feathered creations for my own use and also to sell commercially to customers, fly shops, and other guides.   Combine that with a lifelong interest in art and drawing and you have what has been a lifelong "hobby" for me.  I love all types of art but my favorite medium is pen and ink.  Flies have so many neat textures, lines, and features that they may be captured wonderfully in images like these.  These are examples of my work, I do sketches and drawings per customer request and would be happy to provide you with a quote on an original pen and ink rendition of your favorite fly.  Call me at (336) 644-7775 or email me here with your request. 

August Sketch of the Month:

                                          

  This month's sketch of a bead head nymph is in the spirit of the season, that is the time of the year folks go West to the Rockies, and with I must admit that while sketching these is a lot of fun, its no way like the fun of sticking a 20 inch trout on one of them....they are killer flies.


 Some of My Other "Favorites"
 
  Dahlberg Diver - when I started fly tying the idea of spinning deer hair intrigued me, but as with many fly tyers I grew frustrated trying to tie hair bugs.  After much practice and spending time with my good friend Anthony Hipps of Lexington, NC, I was on my way.  After I discovered how to tie a diver I was ruined!  I think I must have tied a few hundred of them in the next week or two....just because I was so fired up that I could now tie one.


  

    Harrop Biot Parachute - Anyone who knows the name Harrop knows the beautiful flies that renowned fly tyer and artist Rene' Harrop produces.  This St Anthony, Idaho fly tying artist ties some of the most delicate and precise imitations you will see anywhere.  The amount of detail in his flies is what you'd expect of someone of his ability.  I remember fishing a week one summer in the Sun Valley, ID area and using his wonderful biot bodied imitations.  His biot PMD pattern worked wonders on the highly selective rainbows of Picabo's world famous Silver Creek.


   Bullhead Brown - a sketch of a large brown I caught on Bullhead Creek, section #7 back in the early 90's.  Those were the days.  The fish was almost 28" long and looked to weight maybe 7 or 8lbs.  The best part of it all was that it took a dry fly.....a beetle as you might have guessed, and represents the largest dry fly fish of my fishing career caught exactly the way I love and on my favorite dry fly.  In fact, the fish took a foam beetle of my design, and at that time foam was just becoming popular for those types of flies.   I can still remember creeping up to the tail of that pool, making one false cast and laying down the fly.  The fly plopped, the fish bolted over, and lifted his whole head above water to sip the fly.


    Deerhair Emerger- A fantastic fly, and one of my standby and bread and butter patterns for matching many of the mayfly hatches on area tailwater streams and other rivers and streams.  Though originally an Al Caucci pattern, the pattern is now tied in many forms and variations and is also tied as an 'X' caddis too.  Don't be fooled by its simplicity, it works!  and since I use so many of these naturally it came to mind one evening when I sat down to do some sketching.


   
  Henryville Special - this is one of the best multi-purpose, utilitarian fly patterns you will ever find.  A great caddis imitation, and equally as good when BWO's are on the water, and great as a midge pattern when tied small- - - this fly was first shown to me by a mentor Jim Sellers, the best dry fly fisherman I have ever known.  It quickly became a favorite pattern of mine, so naturally it ended up in the sketchbook.


  AP Nymph - a fly pattern conceived by one of the true masters of the art, Andre' Puyans of Walnut Creek, CA.  Because of its simplicity, widespread application, and effectiveness I used them much in the early days of my fly fishing career.  Just tie a light, medium, and dark one and you had one pattern to cover all the bases.  And because it worked it found its way on the the pages of my sketchbook easily.




  Scott G Series Rod and an Orvis CFO - "the" trout bum outfit if you like to fish light tippets and small flies.  For  many years there just weren't many quality bar stock reels like today.  The CFO line was the choice of many anglers, me included, because of its great looks, weight, functionality, and traditional design.  The fact that it stands as one of my favorite combos of all time is the major reason I was "drawn" (pun intended) to sketching it.


  The Royal Trude -  one of my favorite flies in the beginning and still one today, mainly because it works!  It dons the center of our logo, our stationary, and more and is the fly in the JWFF Circle logo.  A beautiful fly, that catches fish, and one that is quite fun to draw as well.  Very versatile in that it can be drifted as a dry, then allowed to submerge, and stripped back like a streamer.




  A Salmon Fly -  I just couldn't attempt other flies and not at least try one....they are tough!  Few flies can match a traditional featherwing salmon pattern in terms of technical beauty.  Even the simplest of designs are a sight to behold.  What pattern is this?  Who knows, like a lot of artists I started drawing and just let it come through the pen.  Maybe the "Jeff Special?"



    X-Caddis - one of the principal staples of Yellowstone, this Craig Mathew's pattern is simple, yet deadly.  With a trailing shuck, thin body, and Elk wing it passes for a number of insects, caddis and mayflies alike.  With that much going for it, it was bound to be a deadly fly.....and it has been.  A simple sketch of a great fly pattern.





Fly Selections

  One of my favorite sketches of all is a group or family of flies drawn together and brought together around some common theme.  My favorite sketches are usually groups of flies that one might use at a particular piece of water, or maybe a group of favorites from a particular type of fly patterns.  This particular sketch, called "Favorite Beadheads" , I put together of some of my favorite nymph patterns.  Above each fly is a one line statement or phrase about the fly.

                                                                  
                                                                


                                                            Jeffrey Wilkins Fly Fishing
                                                    3703 Windspray Court   Summerfield, NC 27358  (336) 644-7775   
                                  jeff@jeffreywilkinsflyfishing.com      www.jeffreywilkinsflyfishing.com