My name is Robert Verkerk. I live in Trondheim, Norway, just 5 minutes from the river Nid, 10 minutes from the river Gaula and 30 minutes from the river Orkla. I am originally from Amsterdam, but have been living in Norway for as long as I can remember. I was captivated by fly fishing, early on.
Commercial flies soon bored me. I had envisioned a fly design, based on my experience in the river. But whatever I found in stores or online, nothing looked even remotely close to what I wanted to use. So I bought a few materials and tied a few very simple, yet elegant flies that would prove to be very successful. Looking for tutorials to improve my tying, I discovered classic salmon flies.
Digging through decades of history, I soon learned that Victorian and Edwardian instructions on fishing for salmon, were a close match to many of the approaches and methods that I had learned and adapted myself. I became obsessed with research, trying to improve my fishing through the exploration of traditional knowledge, in our time hidden away under a dusty blanket of commercial jibberish.
Nowadays, I fish classic salmon flies exclusively, and with much success and enjoyment.
With the internet clogged with information that confuses opinion with fact, I started ClassicFlyTying.net, to provide one space on the net, where historically correct information would be available, not only for personal use, but to preserve the legacy, the heritage of traditional salmon fly tying and fishing.
Ever lost in research, I kept on building, until it grew to what it is today: the Reference Guide for Traditional Salmon Fly Tying.
Commercial flies soon bored me. I had envisioned a fly design, based on my experience in the river. But whatever I found in stores or online, nothing looked even remotely close to what I wanted to use. So I bought a few materials and tied a few very simple, yet elegant flies that would prove to be very successful. Looking for tutorials to improve my tying, I discovered classic salmon flies.
Digging through decades of history, I soon learned that Victorian and Edwardian instructions on fishing for salmon, were a close match to many of the approaches and methods that I had learned and adapted myself. I became obsessed with research, trying to improve my fishing through the exploration of traditional knowledge, in our time hidden away under a dusty blanket of commercial jibberish.
Nowadays, I fish classic salmon flies exclusively, and with much success and enjoyment.
With the internet clogged with information that confuses opinion with fact, I started ClassicFlyTying.net, to provide one space on the net, where historically correct information would be available, not only for personal use, but to preserve the legacy, the heritage of traditional salmon fly tying and fishing.
Ever lost in research, I kept on building, until it grew to what it is today: the Reference Guide for Traditional Salmon Fly Tying.