Dave Whitlock is a native to Oklahoma but lived in Tennessee for a few years when he was very young. Dave has been casting a fly since he was 9-years old. Although he is from a family of fishermen, they were more comfortable using crude tackle and cane poles. Dave wanted to try fly fishing so his dad bought him a 9-foot, 7-weight bamboo fly rod. From that first fly rod and that moment on, Dave was hooked as evidenced by the day of his “grand slam” when he caught 17 varieties of fish in one day on the Illinois River below the Tenkiller reservoir where close to 8-miles of cold water fishing is home to all kinds of species. His wife and fly fishing buddy, Emily, was born in northern Arkansas. She is an accomplished fly-fishing instructor, passionate about getting more women into fly fishing, an excellent lecturer, a photographer, editor for all of Dave’s work and is truly his partner in all his projects since 1991. They are devoted to the world of fly fishing and conservation, both professionally and personally. Dave attended college in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. He resigned his position as a research chemist, more than 40 years ago, and pooled his talents in painting, illustrating, writing, photography, fly fishing, fly tying and lecturing to embark on a new career as a full-time professional in the art of fly fishing. Dave’s art and writing appear regularly in many fly-fishing and sport publications such as Fly Fisherman Magazine, Fly Fishing and Tying Journal, Trout Magazine and others. He’s written five books: Dave Whitlock’s Guide to Aquatic Trout Foods, two L.L. Bean Fly Fishing Handbooks, Imitating and Fishing Natural Fish Foods for Lefty’s Little Library and Trout – A Compact Guide for Fly Fishers. He’s also co-authored or contributed to many other books, including two Flytyer’s Almanacs, Art Flick’s Master Fly Tying Guide, McClane’s Fishing Encyclopedia, Migel’s Stream Conservation Book and Masters on the Nymph, and many others. He’s illustrated over 20 books including Steve Raymond’s Year of the Angler and Year of the Trout plus President Carter’s Outdoor Journal. Dave demonstrates his fly-fishing and teaching skills in several videos and through guest appearances on televised fly-fishing programs. Dave’s experience and creative outlook on the whole spectrum of fly fishing have earned him the reputation of being one of the top professional fly fishers in the sport. He has been the recipient of many awards for his fly-fishing and fly-tying contributions, including induction into the National Fresh Water Hall of Fame, the Trout Hall of Fame, the Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum Hall of Fame and the Arkansas Game & Fish Hall of Fame. Other honors include the Federation of Fly Fishers’ Conservation Man of the Year Award, three other FFI awards, the Max Ander’s Wild Trout Award for his work on propagation of wild trout, the Lifetime Contribution Award from the National American Fly Tackle Trade Association and most recently a TU National award. He has always been a champion of cool and warm, as well as cold water fisheries and is known internationally for his innovative and effective fly-tying designs, including the popular Dave’s Hopper. All of Dave’s work, especially his art, reflects the realism of nature and related fly-fishing subjects through the eyes of a true sportsman. One of Dave’s most notable contributions to wild trout management and preservation is his seven years of research and development of the Whitlock-Vibert Box System and WV Box Handbook — a unique and efficient in-stream salmonid egg incubator and nursery devise. Under the sponsorship of Fly Fishers International, this WV Box program is used throughout the world for introduction or enhancement of wild trout, char and salmon stocks.
Dave Whitlock – Inducted in the Recreation category for his many contributions to fly fishing as a conservationist, innovator, fly fisher, fly tier, writer and artist.
