Q&A with Tom Rosenbauer

Tom Rosenbauer needs no real introduction. He has made everlasting contributions to the world of fly fishing. Tom has been with The Orvis Company for 45 years where he has been a key part of product development and marketing. Not only that, but he’s a highly regarded author who has published over 25 books and scores of magazine articles. Tom was awarded Angler of the Year by Fly Rod & Reel in 2011 and in 2019 received the Izaak Walton award from the American Museum of Fly Fishing. To say that Tom has accomplished a lot within his lifetime in the industry would be an understatement! We are proud to have him as a Signature Tier at Fulling Mill.

Tom, it’s great to get to do this with you! I must admit, I’m not sure where to start as you’ve done countless Q&A’s over the years. I’ll try to ask some questions that haven’t been touched on, though.

Q: You’ve seen a bit over the years within the fishing world. The good, and the not so good. What’s one of the most surprising advancements that still hold weight today?

A: There are just so many. Better and stronger tippet materials. Fly lines that really float and last much longer. Breathable waders that are more durable. Wading shoes that feel like hiking shoes. And, fly tying materials that just get more interesting every year.  Especially the new hook styles.

Q: In the same vein as the above, what would you like to see happen in the fishing world?

A: I’d like to see more people branching out from trout fishing to spread the pressure around.  There are so many fascinating fish to catch on a fly rod, but there is still a great percentage of fly fishers that can’t seem to get beyond trout.  We all love trout fishing—there is something magical about it and a lot of our traditions stem from it—but fly fishing is so much more.  I’d at least like to see more people realize that trout fishing is more than sitting in a drift boat all day long.  Most of the uncomfortable crowding we see on rivers is on rivers that you can float.

Q: You’ve been credited with introducing the bead into American fly-tying. With the explosion in nymphing over the past years, this must be one of those things you look back on and say, “Yep, I did that!” Tell us the story behind introducing the bead.

A: It’s pretty straightforward.  Back in the 1980s someone sent me a video of Roman Moser fishing these caddis imitations with brass beads at the head.  It was all in German, which I don’t speak despite my last name, but I could figure out what he was doing.  I found some brass beads and tied up a bunch of caddis imitations.  Then, I gave a few to some friends and promptly forgot about the flies until people came back to me raving about how well those flies worked. I was not even smart enough to realize how deadly the flies were. 

One summer I was at Firehole Ranch in Montana fishing and there was another guest there named Ron Kurtz.  I asked him what he did for a living and he told me he owned a factory that made tungsten products like darts and machine tools.  I asked him if tungsten was non-toxic.  He said yes, it’s inert.  I asked him if it was heavier than brass.  Much heavier, he replied.  He said it was almost as heavy as lead with an atomic weight of 183 (lead is 207).  I asked him if he could make beads.  He said sure.  So we made the first tungsten beads and for a while Orvis had the exclusive on them.

Q: I know you are a dyed-in-the-wool brook trout guy. I can’t blame you, they’re gorgeous. Care to share some insight on your favorite patterns and methods when chasing them?

A: I love all trout as each species has its own charms but brook trout, being the native species of char in the streams where I live, are a big part of my fishing when I’m close to home.  I don’t fish any special patterns for brook trout because they eat the same stuff as all trout.  I mostly fish Stimulators or my version of the Chubby Chernobyl that someone dubbed the Rosenhopper and hang a small lightly weighted nymph from the visible dry.  But in styreams where brookies coexist with wild browns and rainbows I use the same flies.

Q: Outside of trout, what’s your favorite species to target on the fly and why?

A: In freshwater, it’s carp.  I find them endlessly fascinating and sometimes tough.  In saltwater it’s bonefish.  Both species appeal to me because it’s all stalking and sight fishing.  You do everything yourself (even bonefishing I prefer not to fish with a guide from a boat unless I have to) and your success is entirely dependent on what you do.

Q: Your patterns that will be appearing in this year’s catalog are excellent. I’m a big advocate of them. I wanted to ask you about some of them and get the story behind their design. First, tell us about the Sneaky Spinner. Where did this idea come from, and what makes it unique?

A: I got the idea of using a bent hook for a spinner form a friend of mine, Bill Reed.  Bill said he got the idea from a Kelly Gallup pattern.  I just modified the concept by using a floating translucent yarn combined with a few strands of flash and added a white foam bump for better visibility.  I made the body synthetic quill for more realism, and honestly added the orange egg sack because it helps me split the tails.  This pattern is deadly in heavily fished waters, I think because trout see lots of fake spinners with straight bodies but are a little less wary of one that is curled like some of the naturals are.  I think Bill uses a single wing just on one side to imitate a knocked-down spinner but I like the double wing for better visibility and flotation.

Q: Another pattern you added this year is your Wire Mayfly Nymph. This fly is quite different than your natural looking dries. What’s the story behind it?

A: Ultra wire is just so durable and it comes in great colors.  I started using multiple colors of it because most nymphs are not monotone but a mixture of colors.  Most of the ones I see are a mixture of yellow, brown, and olive so I just mixed the wire colors.  (I had never seen anyone else do this but I am sure I am not the first one.)  You don’t need to add any epoxy to this body for strength, so it gives you that thin profile for a better sink rate without adding to the diameter of the fly.

Q: Lastly, the Deep Caddis Pupa. What makes this fly a stand-out performer?

A: I have always been a fan of Gary Lafontaine’s Deep Pupa and this is just a variation.  I think the wire body adds a nice sparkle, and the wing pads on a caddis pupa are so prominent that I added reverse-tied hackle stems, which I had seen used years ago and are just a killer imitation of emerging wing pads. This fly has produced most of my 20-inch plus brown trout this year.

Q: Reading your books over the years I’ve come to realize that you repeatedly emphasize the importance of casting. Could you explain why this is so important to both the beginner and experienced angler? Are there other things that you’d say are just as important?

A: If you can’t place the fly where you want it you’re not in the game. Fly fishing is a game of inches. The best fly rod in the world with a lousy cast is a recipe for mediocrity.  Simple as that.  But not so simple to accomplish as we all know. 

After doing this for more than a half century my casting is still nowhere near good enough on many days, and I can’t believe it’s any different for most people.  I learn some new casting tricks every year from people like Pete Kutzer.  The other thing that is just as important is paying attention to your leader.  I constantly tinker with my leader based on what I am doing.  Longer tippets, longer butt sections.  Knotless leaders as they come from the package are awesome but you need to continue to tweak them throughout a day of fishing.  I believe having the right leader is often more important than the fly pattern you use.

Q: When you’re not fishing and tying, how do you spend your free time?

A: I spend a lot of time in the woods hiking with my family.  We love hunting for wild mushrooms And my 17-year-old, Brett, is an amazing botanist so we now do a lot of foraging for other wild edibles other than mushrooms.  I make chocolate from scratch, starting with raw cocoa beans and roasting, cracking, grinding, and tempering.  It takes about 4 days per batch but it’s only an hour of labor each day.  I do a lot of reading and listening to music and also working out with my wife, which I loathe but it keeps me doing what I want to do in life.

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