About Caleb
I am eighteen years old and have lived in North Carolina all my life. My introduction to flyfishing came when I was twelve--a man in our church invited me on a camping trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park where he and his brother went flyfishing on parts of the Little River. I never caught a fish on that trip, but my eagerness grew from the frustrating beginnings. I began to learn everything I could about flyfishing and flytying and eventually read every book on the two subjects in my local library. I loved the challenge flyfishing gave me as I always tried to tie the best fly and catch the biggest fish. There are a few people that have helped me develop my fishing techniques, Steve Yates being the primary. Steve has helped me become a better technical fisherman and also is completely responsible for my interest in aquatic entomology.
I fish primarily for trout in the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee, and occasionally for warm-water species in local lakes and ponds. Many winters I set up an aquarium filled with aquatic insects that I seine from local trout streams. I then get to observe all the common hatches of the streams that I frequent, as well as some uncommon ones like a mayfly from the genus Neoephemera.
I have taken great strides in my flytying with the help of Robert Schreiner who has answered all of my numerous questions and encouraged me to enter flytying competitions to hone my skill. He is the absolute best dry-fly tier that I know of and he frequently takes gold medals in Flytying Ireland and the MSO (Mustad Scandinavian Open)—the two largest flytying competitions in the world.
In 2004 I was voted “Flytyer of the Year” on flytyingforum.com. In 2007 I won a gold medal and in 2008 I won a silver medal, both in the senior dry fly category of the Mustad Scandinavian Open. I was also featured in the article “Flytying Young Guns” in the summer ’07 issue of FlyTyer magazine.
In addition to flyfishing and flytying, I enjoy orienteering with the Carolina Orienteering Klubb, bow hunting, playing the cello, and writing.