Lefty Kreh

Early years

Kreh was born February 26, 1925, in Frederick, Maryland. His parents were Theodore (aka "Whitey"), who died when Kreh was eight by a basketball accident, and Helen M. Purdy. His father taught him about fishing and after he died Lefty would bring fish home for his mother and three siblings, Eileen, Dick and Teddy. He began fly-fishing in 1947 while serving as a guide for the famous fly fisherman Joe Brooks. In 1965 he moved to Miami, Florida, and became the Director of the Metropolitan Fishing Tournament. He wrote for various fishing magazines. He is known throughout to always throw his fish back, keeping the flow in the waters for more fish.He began to fish for salt water species in the Florida Keys. It was during this time that Kreh, Joe Brooks, Al Pflueger, Tom McNally, George Hommel, Stu Apte and Bob Stearn's pioneered the techniques, deviating from the classic "Ten to Two" casting technique, that modern salt water a use to pursue fish with fly fishing gear.

Career

In addition to his fishing accomplishments, Kreh has been an active outdoor writer for more than forty-five years. He has written for most major outdoor magazines. He is the retired outdoor editor of The Baltimore Sun and holds a staff position on several outdoor magazines. Kreh is also an accomplished photographer.

Creation of Lefty's Deceiver

Lefty's Deceiver is an artificial fly commonly categorized as a streamer fly which is fished under the water's surface. It is a popular and widely used pattern for both predacious freshwater and saltwater game fish. It is generally considered one of the top patterns to have in any fly box. Kreh invented the Deceiver fly in the late 1950s as a streamer that would be easy to cast in wind and would not "foul" (or wrap around the bend of the hook) a common problem for older streamer patterns. The original Lefty's Deceiver was tied in an all white pattern, but fly tiers have recreated the pattern in a variety of colors. A darker colored top with a lighter bottom (mimicking the various forage fishes that larger fishes feed upon) is the most popular design. The Deceiver is arguably the best known saltwater fly pattern in the world and in 1991 the U.S. Postal Service honored Kreh’s creation with a postage stamp.

Instruction

In 2010, the first "Lefty Kreh Flyfishing Challenge Course" was created as the centerpiece of instruction at HomeWaters University, which is located in Spruce Creek, Pennsylvania. Kreh designed the course himself, incorporating dry land, still water and moving water into various casting stations. He calls it a “challenge” course, as opposed to a “casting” course, because he included real-world fly-fishing conditions. Scenarios include the need for long casts, short and precise presentations, casting into the wind, casting with no room for a back cast, and dealing with boulders, rapidly moving water, logs and other floating debris.

Awards and honors

Kreh received the prestigious "Lifetime Achievement Award" by the American Sportfishing Association, has been honored with the "Lifetime Contribution Award" by the North American Fly Tackle Trade Association and is also in the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. In 1997 he was named "Angler of the Year" by Fly Rod and Reel Magazine. In 2003 Kreh was inducted to the International Game Fish Association Hall of Fame. Kreh has served a number of years as Senior Advisor to Trout Unlimited, the Federation of Fly Fishers.

Media appearances

Video Games: The iPad games Chuckin' Bugs 101 and Olive the Woolly Bugger pay homage to Kreh. One of the main characters, "Lefty Crayfish", is an anthropomorphised crayfish named after the famous fisherman. Beginning in 2010, Lefty has co-hosted the Outdoor Channel fishing show, Buccaneers & Bones along with host/narrator, retired news anchor Tom Brokaw, several other outdoor professionals and entertainment personalities. The show is shot on location on the coast of Belize and the Bahamas and features the cast teaming up with local guides. The focus of the show is to draw attention to the efforts of The Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, a conservation and research organization dedicated to the preservation of the two warm climate saltwater gamefish species.

Legacy

Much of Lefty Kreh's personal collection of angling memorabilia, tackle, literature and original fly patterns are held by the American Museum of Fly Fishing in Manchester, Vermont.