Flies by Royce Dam

[Byron haugh]

Here's what LOL is really LOL: A 5'8" guy with "massive hands". You must have thought he looked like he belonged in a circus!!!! LOL

I was wrong, Royce is still with us!

Here's what Gary Borger said about Royce the 5'8" fellow: "Hi Byron,
Royce is still around, although getting well up in years. He's probably 5' 11" and weight in at maybe 160. He operated steam powered hammer forge fro most of his life, so his hands are big and his fingers large and strong. He's a very creative tyer with expert skills. His 2002 book, The Practical Fly Tyer (Stackpole Books) clearly showcases his talents."

PS. I never knew how tall Ward Bond was from watching him on tv so many years ago, but I recall what he looked like

[EdD]

All this from guys who can tell a size 18 mayfly from a size 16 at 5 paces...

Ed

[Byron haugh]

Amazing, isn't it - or amazing aren't we?

[Silver Creek]

I've known Royce for over 30 years. He was one of the Gary Borger's assistants at the Gary's Fenwick Fly Fishing School. I can still remember him grabbing my rod hand to show me a hard stop.

Few people outside of Wisconsin know how great a fly tier Royce is. he has been invited to international fly tying expositions. He is a member of an invitation only group of tyers called the Phantom Fly Tiers. He has won the highest award of the FFF in fly tying - The Buz Buszek Award.

I have 3 of Royce's Shadow boxes. The following photos reveal the depth and breadth of his skill, not only in traditional trout flies but in full dress salmon flies and hair bass bugs. I know of no other fly tier who is accomplished as he is over the entire spectrum of fly tying.

The first is a shadow box I ordered from Royce with the USPS special issue commemorative stamps of flies. This was series of 5 stamps with a Royal Wulff, Jock Scott, Stu Apte Tarpon Fly, Lefty's Deceiver, and Muddler Minnow. The entire plate is shown then close ups of the Jock Scott and the Royal Wulff.








The photos below are of a deer hair bug. Notice the alternating green and yellow bands of deer hair that he has tied and how tight the hair is.



The photos below are of a stonefly nymph plate and a close up of one of the nymphs.

[JackMcGee]

This thread is pretty old, but I felt it needed some corrections and additions. When I first met Royce Dam, I had been camping in northern WI. At that time, he was around 6', weighed about 175, and was solid muscle. Currently--yep, he is still kickin' and tying--he is about 5'10" and down to about 150. His 87th birthday is approaching, and he would always love to hear from his fellow tiers. His phone number is (414) 476-4599. I talked to him yesterday, and he is alert and, as always, interesting. If you have his book, "The Practical Fly Tier," you can find the story of when we first met in Sarah Rodgers fly shop, near the Bois Brule river, on page 59. One last comment. In the Forward in Royce's book, Gary Borger talks about Royce's massive hands. Gary's comment to me was that Royce has "fingers the size of bratwurst." He still does have huge hands, and if there is truly magic in the world of fly tying, a lot of it is in Royce's hands.

[Hans Weilenmann]

I have tied with Royce at a number of shows - both in the US and in Europe.

Slight in build - and two totally different looks. At the tying table, with his signature Stetson on, or without the imposing hat

With or without the hat - excellent all-round tier.

I remember the evening of the day he received the Buszek award - he was over the moon, floated 6"off the ground with elation and offering up a fly of his to anyone interested

Good memories...

[bowfin47]

I to am lucky enough to have known Royce for many years,as he was a regular for many years at the Southern Council FFF Conclaves throughout the 80' and 90's...

Royce is undoubtedly one of the best tyers of all time...

He ties deerhair, nymphs, wets, dries, woolheads, and salmon flies with the very best! Very, very few tiers master such a wide range of skills. I still have a Rabbit Strip, Dalhberg Diver that Royce generously handed to me at the SOC Conclave in 1985, that is still the very best deerhair Dalberg that I have every seen... bar none and my friend Don N still has a number of Royce's salmon flies that are amazing...While he received the Buz Buszek in the early 90's, he should have received it years before that...

It was a honor to be able to tie next to to "the man in the cowboy hat" at a number of those shows.

I hope he's in good health.

Kyle M.

[Silver Creek]

Royce ties the Muddler Minnow without shaping the deer hair head after tying. He is able to stack and tie the head so that it has the proper shape without the need for trimming. Simply Amazing!!!