Personality Profile

BOB POPOVICS

By Frank Abbate and Betty Anne Timmermann

This is the second part of the interview with Bob Popovics. His presence in the sport, as well as his support for conservation efforts, make Bob one of the "local" stars that contribute to our club.

 

Fly-Fishing has become a multi million dollar business. While more and more people are entering the sport some critics say that such a commercial influence on the sport especially geared to the novice will hurt the purity of salt water fly fishing.

We know that both are needed for the sport to grow, do you see this relationship between both as a good thing or as something that could eventually hurt the sport?

  1. I think the sport is doing just fine. I think the new guys coming into the sport are finding it easy to learn, through seminars, sports shows, books, videos, TV and the Internet. It’s all there; the industry is listening to their needs. Progress is constantly being made, with better fly lines, better rods, easier knots and easier flies, all the needs are starting to be met. We have breathable waders now---that’s progress! Salt-water fly fishing as a sport is ever promising; it’s on the way up. We’re coming into the first generation where the new salt water fly fishermen are going to be taught by their parents, notice I said parents not just fathers. Now hopefully by their mothers, by aunts and cousins. Myself and most of the guys I know were taught to fish by their parents or by their fathers, but were not taught to fly fish by a father or uncle. Now I think we’re coming into a time where our base of fly fishermen is getting broader. That they’ve had children that they not only teach to fish but include fly-fishing in the process. I don’t think that’s ever happened before, all new, yet to come.

  1. If you had one place in the world that you could go fishing where would that be, and what species would it be?

  1. It would be the Northeast; I like it right where I am. I’ve been around- through Florida, Canada, Mexico and the Islands. I think from North Carolina to Maine is probably the best. The variety of species, the easy access to fish. If I had to choose one species it would be a 15 to 20 lb. bluefish. Catching them on a fly is the most exciting fly-fishing that I’ve ever done.

  1. Do you ever see the sport of salt-water fly-fishing as becoming a predominant player in the sports fishing arena?

  1. No, I don’t think it will become a predominant player. I don’t think the numbers will ever be heavy on salt-water fly-fishing. I think it will still be a specialized sport. It will always be a portion of the whole scene. It’s not going to seem so strange anymore, but I don’t think it will become the type of fishing that fishermen are going to do first. You’ll still see bait fishermen, guys with conventional gear—deep jigging, etc: predominantly. However, I think fly-fishing will be ever growing.

  1. Do you think that the Internet will be a good tool in furthering the growth of the sport?

  1. Again, communication, that’s the key. People want to learn people want to know where to go to get the answers. The Internet is probably the ultimate in communication nowadays. It’s communication par excellence; it’s the way to go. I think it’s the place everyone will be going for answers.

  1. What are your plans for doing a video or a book?

  1. I have done two videos, one called POP-FLEYES and one was Masters of Fly-Tying volume #3. They’re out there and they pretty much cover my flies to date. I’d really like to get into videos, not just fly tying, but videos in combination with teaching techniques. Using my own videos to communicate and entertain. As far as a book is concerned, we’re working on one. It’s almost done, it’s called POP-FLEYES and it will be a book on only my flies. I’m doing it with Ed Jaworowski. The book will be step by step on all the patterns. One step at a time so you can learn how to tie the flies with it. There will be a chapter on the use of epoxy and silicone. It will give some fly tying theory. Because, believe me, a good fly designer has a reason for everything he or she does in the construction of a fly. There’s a reason for the choice of hook, choice of material, how much and where it goes. How to meet your objectives, i.e. not using a floating type material on a hook when you know you’re going to use the fly for fishing deep water situations, so you choose something that’s going to go down easy.

I think the fly tier will find the book enjoyable reading in so much as to tickle his mind a little, make him think. I think they’ll be entertained. I want this book to happen very much, and it will.

  1. How long has the book been in process?

  1. The book has been in the making for some three years and I had hoped to have it out for the year 2000, but that couldn’t be, so it will be out for the year 2001.

This interviewer will end by saying that due to equipment failure, Bob had to sit through this interview twice. Thank you, Bob, from me and the "Salties" for being so understanding.

 

 wice. Thank you, Bob, from me and the "Salties" for being so understanding.