Davy Wotton first hooked into a trout in the early 1950s on the family farm in Canterbury, Kent, UK. While at school, he was given fly tying material which further spurned his interest, not to mention the availability of fur and feather that he obtained from the creatures that frequented the local countryside, obtained via his interest in hunting. Fly fishing since the 1960s has been the means by which he has made a living. Having achieved fly tying skills, he started to produce flies for a local fishing tackle store, which led to being asked to write regular fly fishing articles for a fly fishing publication and encouraged him to set up a mail order business selling flies, fly tying materials, and fly fishing products. In the early 1980s, he started to process fly tying materials, learning how to take care of raw materials and dying materials. He spent time developing new ranges of dyed material, using at that time natural fur. The first of which was the Davy Wotton Hare Fur Dubbings in 12 colors. He has spent many years manufacturing and selling fly fishing products, while being booked to give both fly tying, fly fishing lessons, and guide services for rivers and still waters in the UK and other countries. Davy has represented both as an officer and board member of many different fly fishing organizations in the pursuit of conservation and fisheries management policies. He serves locally as the President of the Friends of the Norfork National Fish Hatchery and as the 2009 Chairman of the National Fisheries Friends Partnership, seated in Arlington, Virginia. In 2008, Davy was given an award signifying his outstanding service toward fisheries and conservation by Regional Director, Sam Hamilton of Atlanta, GA., which is the home office of Region 4 of the U. S. Fisheries Division and the Norfork National Fish Hatchery.
Davy has won many national and international competitive fly fishing events and subsequently became the International Team Coach for the Youth Team USA, which resulted in their first year of competitive fishing in Wales, bringing home both Gold and Silver Medals. His personal best achievements are winning a Gold Medal at Loch Leven and the National Championships in the United Kingdom. Tournament fly and surf casting in both distance and accuracy, also won Davy awards in the UK, and still holds the accuracy record at the Edenbridge Gamefair, UK. During the 1980s, his world-famous SLF Dubbing Blend Series was introduced into the world market. Davy’s company expanded rapidly to be able to support the international demand. In 2001, WAPSI Fly Company of Mountain Home, AR., purchased the SLF Dubbing Company, which they continue to produce. He has fished every State in the US, guided anglers at many destinations around the world, worked for and produced many fly fishing shows for national TV networks, alongside his own Fly Tying and Fly fishing video and DVD programs, and over 300 articles published in International fly fishing publications and fly fishing forums. It was his good friend of many years, Dave Whitlock, who first introduced Davy to the White River system. To say the least, he was hooked by the resources of the South in Arkansas, and in consequence decided he would move from what was at that time his home both in Wales and Chicago. The first time they fished together, Davy caught the White River Grand Slam in 4 consecutive casts – that is a brown, cutthroat, rainbow, and a brook trout. He now lives near the White River in Arkansas, where he guides over 200 days each season. Davy has been tying for 40 years, and many of his flies have been publicized and marketed worldwide.
The fly patterns illustrated in his video are his “Go To” creations, spawned from decades on the water and at the bench – Davy’s Sculper, Wotton Bugger, “SLF” Transparent Caddis Emerger, Wotton Shad, and Black & Silver Spider. Davy is a master angler who is engaged now more than ever in the world of fly fishing as the Managing Director of the American International School of Fly Fishing. Davy is a member of many national and international organizations that further issues of conservation and fly fishing education, such as FFI, TU, APGAI, STANIC, NAC, AOGA, FWNR, and NAFF. One thing that Davy is not so widely known for, but carries a soft spot in his life, was his love of bluegrass music, for which he also traveled as a professional musician accomplished in both banjo and guitar.
Davy was inducted into the Crafts category in 2021 for his many contributions to fly fishing as an angler, guide, fly tyer, fly fishing professional, fly fishing competitor, writer, and public speaker.