We are proud to welcome Daniel Seaman to our family of Fulling Mill designers, read on to find out what got Dan hooked on fly tying and design.
“My name is Daniel Seaman and I own and operate Bug Wild out of eastern North Carolina. I have been fishing a little here and there my whole life, but really started fishing consistently while in college with some friends. After achieving some success in the tournament kayak fishing world I decided I needed a break and more of a challenge at the same time. That is why I picked up fly fishing.
After two years of slinging other people’s files—mostly from online value stores—I decided to give tying my own flies a shot. I have always been somewhat “artsy”, so this was a good way to incorporate that into a useable application.
I purchased my first vise in June 2014. Needless to say, it has been slowly downhill since then (in a good way). I have never been as addicted to anything in my entire life, as I am with tying flies.
I tie mostly warm water flies, specifically for targeting the larger species in my local waters, such as bass and carp. I really love when a big bucket mouth inhales a fly. I enjoy tying articulated flies and top water bugs. You can easily see who some of my major influences are in my flies. I would not be where I am today without help, advice, and ideas from the best fly tiers in the world.
More specifically, I’ve developed some ideas and fly patterns for my local waters with quite a lot of success. Take for instance the Sloppy Seconds pattern which will be available via Fulling Mill next year. Most articulated streamers you see today are pretty huge. I wanted a smaller articulated streamer pattern with a realistic profile, tons of action, and simple to tie for bass. I ended up with a size 4 stinger hook on the back of a shank as my end result. It’s compact in size and much more durable without the use of articulation wire and beads with a direct connection from section to section. Using a combination of natural and synthetic materials makes the action and durability that much greater. This fly has been successful in catching dozens of species around the world, which was not its original intention, but I’m glad it works. I prefer to fish these on my 6wt with an intermediate sinking line, however it works well early in the morning as a subsurface wake bait type streamer on a floating line.
I am not a large commercial fly tier; I really prefer small custom orders. I always believe in quality over quantity, in everything I do in life. I am probably much slower than some folks, but I believe if you take your time, you can accomplish anything.
I am very glad people are enjoying my work; it makes me extremely happy, and motivates me to continue doing what I do. I am also very thankful for certain companies for giving me professional opportunities along the way. Stay tuned for more to come!”
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