'Lord of the Flies' popularizes sport of fly-fishing

DALLAS — Bernard Victor "Lefty" Kreh is a small man who casts a long shadow. Ask him what he does for a living and he'll probably says he's an outdoor writer, but he's really more of a teacher. His insatiable desire to acquire and pass along knowledge has done more to popularize fly-fishing in America than any other factor.

In Dallas recently to promote a new book, Kreh, 83, stood for four hours in sweltering heat, giving fly casting lessons to a local fly-fishing group. He walked with a limp and a crutch, the result of a fall that separated his kneecap from his knee, but he'd been on two fishing trips since the accident.

Dubbed "Lefty" as a youth baseball player, Lefty is really ambidextrous. He does most of his casting with his right hand these days. "I kind of wore my left elbow out," he admits with a snorting laugh. He once joked that he played sports left-handed so he wouldn't have to go through life as Bernard Victor Kreh.

The book, "All the Best, Celebrating Lefty Kreh," is an anomaly for Lefty because he didn't write this one. Friends wrote most of it. His friends are the Who's Who of fly-fishing, from Flip Pallot and Bob Clouser to John Randolph and Nick Lyons.

Kreh has written about 30 books, mostly on the art of fly casting and fly-fishing. Always eager to embrace technology, he's wrapping up a lavishly illustrated photo book on how to cast a fly line. Hundreds of sequenced images illustrate the mechanics of a cast like no book has done before.

Here are excerpts from a conversation with the "Lord of the Flies":

Question: What do you want people to know about fly-fishing?

Of all the kinds of fishing I've done — and I've done them all — fly-fishing is the most fun, but only when the conditions are right. When the wind is blowing and it's miserable out, it's a whole lot more practical to use casting or spinning gear. Despite the impression that I'm only a fly fisherman, I use all kinds of tackle — whatever the situation dictates. Most of the time, flies better represent baitfish than do lures with treble hooks. There are many times when fly-fishing will work better than anything. When other lures spook fish in shallow water, the fly lands as quiet as a mouse walking on cotton. Also, the casting is fun, even when you're not catching fish.

Question: Do you see fly-fishing as a growing sport?