One of his famous caddisflies. Often consider breaking the glass and using…
John Betts is the the number one most under-recognized and under-appreciated fly designer. Eveybody seems to know his name and that he had something to do with “popularizing synthetic materials.”
But his patterns are not known and they are not for sale in the shops. Fishing marketing revolves around manufacturers and magazine editors who use celebrity status to sell us what they think we need. John didn’t become a sellebrity. He probably didn’t want to. So the marketing forces have ignored him.
They should all be cut from our budgets. John is a far better Betts than the pompous magazine editors who think they know what we should know. Most of those guys are journalists who know a wee bit about fishing. A few of the current crop of magazine editors (only a few) are both good journalists and good fishermen. But even they are still married to a celebrity-based marketing system. And that’s a fatal flaw in my book.
That’s not a good basis for market making. Not in my fly book.
I have seen Mr. Betts tie flies several times each time without a vise. I was always impressed with the show case quality salmon flies that he tied. I was even more impressed with the feathers he sold. Feathers that he pounded gold flakes and silver flakes into. They were of course pretty feathers before adding the metal just added more beauty and dimension to them. I bet it is too expensive to do much of that any more. It would have been nice to watch the process of embossing the precious metals on those feathers.
It’s funny this thread came up. I’ve been looking for info on John Betts fly pattern’s lately. I thought I would find ton’s of stuff but for such an innovative guy’s there’s not much info out there. Maybe Like pittendrigh said , they market peoples name more than there talent which just seems a shame. If anyone has any info on his pattern’s please share it with us.
I have an old issue of “FlyFisherman” with his article on the “zing wing caddis”- as displayed by Byron. PM me if you want more info.
Chuck
Byron,
I used to live about two blocks from John here in Denver. Now I live about 2 miles. Due to the ugliness of divorce I had to move from the neighborhood and had only a casual relationship meeting him at our closest fly shop “The Flyfisher” and throwing some bull. John was definitely an outside the box thinker…eg.: He was fishing these hook-less flies at the time and was content with the momentarily pull he got at the rise of a trout.He considered that a caught trout.A trend that really never caught on, as you can tell. Albeit there was a bunch of guys at the time tying the synthetic materials.The sport was gaining popularity and the natural materials weren’t able to keep up with ever increasing fly tyers demand. I see his esoteric memorabilia on the internet sometimes goes for blinking sums of cash! Good for him.
He still lived at the same address in our old neighborhood as of last year. We had a brief chit-chat at the Denver Show. Interestingly enough was that Eldridge Hardie lived within walking distance of us both. I always thought his paintings were top of the line and would have liked to have met him and hung a print of his on the wall but never got around to it.
Ken Walthers, Betts, Dick O’Connor, Mike Gula, Ed Sisty and a host of others were all from Jersey along with myself fishing out of Denver at the time. My ear was always tuned to the eastern accent and I could pick it out after a casual conversation. Myself I practiced ordering “coffee” instead of “cawfee”. Denverites have always had a hang-up about being “Native”. I always felt sorry for Bill Logan Jr., Co. Denver Native, who now resides close to where It all started for me in Jersey. That kid can tie a fly!
But anyway…Looks like from your previous posts you are a collector.
I can’t say that I recall seeing his flies in print, although I’m sure I have. I do know that I read, maybe in one of the original FLY TYER magazines, about ‘zing’ as a material. As I recall, Betts got some out of the dumpster at the back of a PIER 1 store. About 16 years ago I was helping the Boy Scouts with their Christmas Toy Give-away. We were unpacking cartons of toys made in China and the contents of the boxes were tied with ‘zing’. Needless to say I gobbled up more than I can ever use of that stuff.
He was/is a very innovative tyer.
Allan
Yup, John was my best friend and boy do I miss him. My wife still quotes him to me as my memory fades. I have one of his wood rods/reel/ and hand made line on the wall above me. That’s next to my 20+ rods I made as well. John said I made a better rod than him, he made better flies. And over the years John would be proud that I mastered the design and process. I can make a rod balnk inless than 2 hours.
Hi Peter Welcome to FAOL. I’m curious about your wooden rods, never having seen one. Could you tell us a bit more about them?