Rick Takahashi
Rick Takahashi: Daiichi Pro Staff
Rick Takahashi
I love to tie and design fly patterns for the waters I fish. I have been tying flies since I was eight years of age. After taking apart my first fly (Royal Coachman) and seeing the hackle unwind, I knew that I wanted to learn how to tie flies. I didn’t have the slightest idea what a fly was but knew it was for fishing because of the hook. A couple of years later, my uncle bought me my first fly tying kit and I have been tying flies ever since. My first attempts at tying flies was purely creative in nature, they did not represent anything known to man, I just enjoyed tying on the materials to the hook. I didn’t know in the beginning that the flies where supposed to represent some sort of food stuff for trout thus my creation were pretty artistic and colorful. I have been tying flies for over 60 years. I remember seeing my first fly fisherman on the South Platte River near the town of Decker’s Colorado. I followed that fly fisherman around for a couple of hours and eventually got up the nerves to ask him what he was doing…he told me he was “fly fishing.” This connected the flies I was tying with the actual act of fly fishing. I love to bring others into the realm of fly fishing. I am a demonstration fly tier and have tied at local and regional venues such as the Denver Fly Show, West Denver Trout Unlimited Fly Tying Clinic, International Sportsmen Exhibition, Federation of Fly Fisherman Conclave and at various regional fly shops near Denver. I am an illustrator and contributor to Fly Fisherman Magazine. My art has been used for the Federation of Fly Fisherman Conclave. I have had several articles published in Fly Fisherman Magazine as well as some illustrations. My fly patterns have appeared in Randall Kaufmann’s book Fly Patterns, Fly Fishing Rocky Mountain National Park by Steve Schwitzer, Todd Hosman’s book Colorado Flies, and Chris Santella’s Hatch is On. I am a fly designer for Umpqua Feather Merchants. I wrote my first book with Jerry Hubka (co-author), our book is titled Modern Midges, Tying and Fishing the World’s Most Effective Pattern, Stackpole/Headwater Books. Our book has been doing well, we are into our third printing. Our goal has always been to share with others all of the various aspects of fly fishing and fly tying “it’s the teacher in me that wants to share knowledge.” Our book was written to share what we’ve learned with other fly fishermen. I am on the Pro Staff of Daiichi (Angler Sport Group), Whiting Farms, Clear Cure Goo, Fishpond and Togen Enterprises; I have done some consulting work with C and F Designs in Japan. I have presented a program on Midge Fly Fishing to various conclaves and TU organizations in New Mexico, Texas and Wisconsin. I did a podcast on Ask About Fly Fishing on the subject of Midge Fly Fishing (http://www.askaboutflyfishing.com/speakers/rick-takahashi/midge-secrets.cfm). I am a retired art educator and former Art Department Chairperson for Rocky Mountain High School, Fort Collins, Colorado. I teach private fly tying courses and make my home in Fort Collins, Colorado with my wife Susan, daughter Haley and son Josh.
