The Online Journal of A Fly Shop & its Inhabitants on the White River, AR
2023 LOVEFEST TYERS
The Lovefest tyers are the heart blood of the event, coming together every year for the chance to hang out with the Lovefest crowd on January 28, 2023.
Gatherings like this of serious articulated streamer types are rare, and for the tyers the chance to mingle with their peers, and tie for the crowd of devotees who come along is what makes it special.
Every year we hear from tyers about how remarkable the attendees are, with their own level of committment, passion and knowlege. Cotter becomes streamer central at this time every year, which is what brings the tyers back.
Getting Swedish streamer artisan Andreas Andersson to the Lovefest has been a while coming. WE were one of the first stores importing Andreas’ flies to the US back in 2015, and he has fished the White twice since. Legendary deer hair work, and a very funny, laid back dude to boot
Unfortunately Kelly will not be able to join us this year, building new fly shop in Ennis has fallen behind schedule. He will be swinging a hammer not a bobbin Saturday.
The Godfather of Modern Streamer fishing, Kelly has lost none of his hunger for trophy trout and radical streamer design. Sixteen years after Modern Streamer Fishing was release Galloup has a new wave of patterns being released by Montana Fly Co and his lines with Airflo.
When we met Brita Fordice last spring, we discovered another tyer with the skills and chutzpah to belong at the Lovefest.
Brita has been a key figure in the development of RIO Flies brand. A native to Washington state and learned to fly fish at the age of 8 and taught herself to tie flies at the age of 10. She spent a few years in Idaho and Alaska before returning to Seattle in 2004 to begin guiding and working in a fly shop just north of the city where she worked for 12 yrs. She has also extensively fished the waters of the Bahamas for bonefish, as well as Florida for migratory tarpon.
Brita ties flies and is a virtual encyclopedia when it comes to recognizing and procuring tying materials for both classic and modern flies. Fishing Puget Sound beaches, tropical saltwater, and rivers for steelhead are her passion these days. She shares her work time between guiding and designing flies for RIO Products nowadays and is located in Washington state.
The Tasmanian born dry fly addict would have rather curled up in the bottom of a boat for a nap than pull a bugger. But big brownS, big flies and big rods took the place of Steve’s dry fly jones. He loves rowing people into trophy fish, and the photography of big brown trout, as much as swinging the rod. Steve is a fly designer for Rainy’s, his streamers and other patterns available here and a Sage Elite Guide.
Chris Franzen has been a Fly Fishing Guide since he was 16 years old. He has guided from Alaska to Patagonia, Chile and many places in between, most famously was his stint as a Dally’s shop rat. We still consider him one of our own all grown up. Chris actually grew up in Lenoir, NC and thanks his dad for sparking his passion of Fly Fishing. Chris has been with Headwaters for 8 years, and when he’s not out on the river with clients, you can find him tying flies and spending time with his 6 year old son, who also loves to catch fish. Welcome back!
“Mississippi” Johnson has been a huge part of the development of the Fly Shop and our streamer passion and with Alex, and Steve one of the key figures in the growth of White River streamer fishing.
His talents as a guide and fly tyer has been recognised widely: he is an Montana Fly Co fly designer and guide ambassador for Simms and Rio. Shop Chad’s Flies Here.
Kris Keller is a Quality Control supervisor, Product Developer, and Fly Designer at Montana Fly Company. Growing up in Dillon, Montana, he started guiding, working in fly shops, and RL Winston Rods. At 25 he packed up and moved to MFC’s fly tying operations in SE Asia.
There he began working with tiers and designers to produce the highest quality flies and materials. Now with over 15 years’ experience in the industry and passionate about fly fishing and fly tying, he strives to get more people into the sport.
Shortly after moving back to Montana, he married his hometown sweetheart Katie. They have recently welcomed their first son Krue. If KK isn’t tying flies or fishing, you will find him in the field chasing upland birds, big game, and traveling.
Look out for his Humdinger in the Lovefest Schwag bags.
The spiritual leader of our unholy alliance of streamer guides, Alex sparked the White River streamer game in 2010. His incessant curiosity, and refusal to accept conventional wisdom as good enough, has driven a lot of the White River innovation.
And he’s damn fun to spend a day in a boat with. Alex’s patterns are sold by Catch Flies. He is also a Sage Elite Guide. Shop Alex’s Streamers Here.
Steve Maldonado
Umpqua fly designer Steve Maldonado returns to Lovefest for his second outing on the tying tables
My home waters are the Eagle, Blue, Frying Pan and Colorado Rivers. I am a streamer junkie for sure.
I am a Streamer Junkie for sure. I provide tying Demos all over Colorado and tying at major fly fishing shows all over the US including the Sowbug Roundup. I like to teach my craft to anyone interested.
I have fished all over the US, Canada, Brazil, Argentine, Mexico, and Belize. Florida tarpon are my number one target, without a doubt.
We had known Missouri based fly tyer Jarrod as a serious streamer junkie going back a decade or so. In fact he pops up in the crowd photos from Lovefests past
We reconnected in the last couple of years when he and wife Jessi started turning up at fly tying events with their custom flies and feathers.
Jarrod has been popping out some pretty spectacular musky ties and trout streamers, so welcome him aboard
Jeff is the owner/head guide of Ozark Sweetwater, based in central Missouri but a regular on the tailwaters in search of a large predatory brown trout or chasing smallmouth on the smaller streams in the Ozarks. He has tied at all the Lovefest events. Jeff is a member of the Sage Elite Pro Staff, a certified casting instructor through the FFF and the sales rep for Sage Rio & Redington, and Towee Boats in Arkansas and Missouri.
Brian is another nationally known tier who has been around since the beginning. Brian put streamer fishing the North Fork of the White just across the border on the map and has had a huge influence on the popularity of streamer tying globally with what is undoubtedly the best streamer tying videos anywhere.
Brian’s Streamer Chronicles series filmed in and around the Lovefest and it’s participants is not to be missed.
The Ozark Fly Fisher Journal 
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