Welcome to Jeffrey Wilkins FlyFishing! My name is Jeff Wilkins, and  I thank you for wanting to discover more about what I do here.   Fishing and I go way back, back to the days of being a young boy.  As a young boy, I have my first memories of fishing with my father.  It is he who took me fishing first.  Little did I know then that a 10 inch hatchery rainbow would kindle a fire of passion, one that has always burned and still burns passionately today.   Thanks Dad for taking me fishing. 

Fishing has been something I have enjoyed for 36 years now.  In addition, I have enjoyed flyfishing for the past 23 years.  You may ask "us?" When you pursue a passion in the fly fishing industry, or any outdoor industry for that matter, it takes the unwavering support of a whole lot of folks to make things work.   I am blessed to have two boys and a wife who also love the outdoors, and it is a part of our lives in a very special way.  Its one of our favorite places and ways to spend our free time.

 Without the support or encouragement of my wife Kathy, my sons Ben, 17, and Josh 15, my mom and dad, my mom and dad #2, and all the rest of our families---and most of all the Lord Jesus Christ who is my daily strength----and who saved my life 11 years ago through His Gospel ......thank you Lord and Praise to your Name!!!-----without you I could do nothing.  I am looking forward to spending Eternity with you.   I thank you for all the wonderful customers I have been blessed with and for this wonderful place that you created and the birds and wild game that give us feathers with which to tie flies to catch the wonderful fish you created.  As your word declares, you are more Majestic that mountains rich with game (Psalm 76:4).  May every visitor to this place know you and your wonderful Grace.

I attended both Forsyth Technical Community College and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.  I worked and attended school, and guided trips and tied flies on the side.  Since that time, I have been involved in four retail fly fishing operations, and traveled both locally and to different areas of the country fly fishing, guiding, tying flies, and teaching fly fishing and fly tying.

I am a Federation of Fly Fishers Certified Fly Casting Instructor,  and teach the fly fishing and fly tying curriculums at both the University of North Carolina Greensboro and Guilford Technical Community College.   Both schools for the past twelve  years  have offered a great medium in which to share skills with others.  In the past 22 years I have taught hundreds of people to cast a fly rod, and today it remains one of the most enjoyable things I do.

Fly tying is a passion of mine as well, as I believe that sometimes the fly is what makes the difference.  Frequently I tie commercially for sale or hire, and I do lots of special orders.  My specialty is flies for tough, selective trout, especially emergers and nymphs.  Some of my favorite patterns are published, most recently in Trout Flies of the East by Ted Leeson and Jim Schollmeyer.  I also tied the flies for the commemorative print of Charles Kuralt, painted by Bob Timberlake, entitled "Kuralt at White's Creek". 

Some of my local adventures have appeared on FOX 8 WGHP with Roy Ackland of the popular Roy's Folks Feature, and more recently with Shannon Smith.  When it comes to fishing locally, I like fly fishing wherever there's water----Trout, bass, panfish, any fish that will take a fly and give a good account of itself.  I have fished and guided the Southeastern and Rocky Mountain areas of the west and have extensive experience in fishing and tying flies for each.  As a part of my work, I am also an artist, and enjoy doing pen and ink renditions of my favorite flies.

I have also appeared on WFMY 2  and WXII Newschannel 12 doing various fly fishing and fly tying segments.  In 2007 and 2008 I got to know Newschannel 12 Meteorologist Austin Caviness and we did a couple of segments for his popular feature "Austin Outdoors."

                                          

     
 In the late summer of 2005 my longtime friend and video expert Tom Jackson of T5 Video in Lexington, NC and I started working on a fly tying and fishing video project.  We had talked about doing this for years and we finally were able to do it.  The video highlights favorite flies and techniques for rigging and fishing them.  We completed the project in the spring of 2006 and are looking forward to doing another project soon.  One of our ideas is a video of strictly techniques....hundreds of them.

 In addition to the above, I also maintain several websites, a fly tying site, a fly fishing site, a fly fishing blog, and an Online Store.  My flies, materials, and fly tying kits have sold all over....the UK, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, Japan, New Zealand, Iceland, Spain, France, Italy....even down under to Australia.

When not on the water, I enjoy camping, fishing with family and friends,  tying flies, hunting, shooting, landscaping and working outdoors, and spending time at home with my family, which includes my wife Kathy, our two boys Ben and Josh, one bird, three cats (Tom Tom, Angel, and Colt), and four dogs (Bailey, Carmel, Penny, and Chief- -the last whom I found abandoned last year on the banks of the Watauga River in TN and what a treasure he is!).

.....but Eternal Life is Better!

What is the Gospel?  A Great Short Video Below

      

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