Bill Catherwood “The Giant Killer”
Bill Catherwood’s Pogy Fly
A couple of days back I did a post on the tragic passing of Bobby Popovics – the finest saltwater fly tyer ever to grace a vise. And that got me thinking about another great saltwater tyer -the late Bill Catherwood. Bill is gone about 12 years at this point, but in the fly tying world his flies are still talked about. Look on You Tube and you’ll see his fabulous work. He was often referred to as the “Giant Killer” for his large flies designed for large striped bass. Yeah, Bill was decades ahead of his time. I only have one; it’s the menhaden pictured above. He had a couple versions of this fly. But it has Bill’s signature use of spun deer hair. Perhaps Bill’s most interesting creation was his lobster fly. Occasionally Bill would bring one to the Fly Fishing Shows. Everyone wanted a chance to see it. Wish I had one to show you. Yes, it imitated a small lobster. How cool is that?
