Dwight G. Howell (1937-1997) was born in Mitchell County in Spruce Pine, North Carolina. He lived in Brevard, North Carolina. Along with his partner and brother, Don Ray, they ran their fly fishing business and fly fished together from 1970 until 1997. When Dwight passed away, Don Ray arranged for Kevin Howell, his son, to take over the family business.
Dwight taught Business Education and Placement at both Rosman and Brevard High Schools until he retired in 1989. He started Dwight and Don’s Custom Tackle business along with his brother Don in 1970, specializing in handcrafted rods and custom-tied flies.
Dwight started tying with a Herter’s vise and scissors when he was 10 years old. He later became a nationally known fly tier and was known for the beauty and durability of his flies. His favorite flies include the Smoky Mountain Forked Tail, Thunderhead, Hot Creek Special, Sheep Fly, and Adams Variant. In the mid-1970s, Dwight held the state record for brown trout with one that weighed seven pounds, eight ounces. Two years later, Don Ray broke that record with a brown that weighed seven pounds,12 ounces.
The Howell Brothers were the first in the region to offer commercial fly-tying supplies. They started Dwight and Don’s Custom Tackle in 1970 and operated their custom rod building and fly tying business until Don’s Passing in 1998, when Kevin Howell took over the reins and combined Dwight and Don’s Tackle with Davidson River Outfitters. They penciled countless articles, were both founding directors of Pisgah Trout Unlimited, and the NC Council of Trout Unlimited. Their flies were some of the most sought-after in the nation. They tied for Orvis, Yellowstone Angler, Dan Bailey,s Blue ribbon Flies, and countless local shops as well as retail over the years. They even tied for the Prince of Wales.