by John Dowd
For one independent fly tyer, who has been doing it for 45 years, fly fishing has become a life’s passion. Having flung flies for so long, he has come to learn a thing or to. For his circle of friends, the man is a wealth of knowledge, especially regarding the flies themself. They stand behind his flies so much that they sit with him outside a local Stevensville business, and recommend anyone with an interest in fly fishing stop by, visit and talk fishing. Also, a good cigar or two will not be turned away.
Rick Lester’s Elite Flies have been catching fish across the state, and much of the West for years, and according to him and others, he has tied tens of thousands of them. Lester and a few friends gather in front of Burnt Fork Market every Friday through spring and then again in fall, to sell Lester’s flies. For them, it is a chance to hang out, smoke good cigars and talk to anyone passing by with an interest in the sport.
“We’re just a bunch of guys that like to talk fly fishing,” said one of Lester’s friends, Tim Field.
Their crew is joined by “Soft Hackle” Mark Fischer, Bill Looser and occasionally the establishment owner, Jim Edwards. According to Edwards, the bunch likes to say, “You can’t smoke ‘em all day if you don’t start early!” This mantra relates to fishing, as one of their favorite parts of fishing is getting out on the water early to spend the day casting away.
Lester got his start tying when he was living in Great Falls and was fishing the Missouri. He started with a simple fly known there as the Missouri River Special, which was a take on what is often called the Platte River Special. Lester found it was simple to tie, and cheap to get the materials for. He bought an affordable fly tyer’s vice from a local store and started tying his own. Eventually, he got so good with those, and tried so many more than he could ever use, that he started asking around the shops if they would purchase his work.
Once he got his flies into the shops, he started becoming known for his skill and he branched out, eventually, to tie hundreds of patterns. According to Field, when speaking about Lester’s work, he said, “His flies are absolutely phenomenal!” According to Field, a lot of Lester’s skill can be seen in the small details, like the way the hackle is wrapped, or the hair is trimmed. Lester’s colors are sharp, and the lines are clean. It is also evident through the pure consistency throughout every single fly that Lester ties that his flies are a cut above. Field’s personal favorite of Lester’s flies is the Brindle Chute in olive.
In fact, that same fly is one that Lester has a lot of history with. Most of Lester’s patterns are fresh water trout stuff, though he has dabbled a bit in things like salt water and large streamers. According to Lester, in most of western Montana, and the Bitterroot, the dry fly is often the way to go. Lester eventually moved to the Bitterroot and even tied flies for Chuck Stranahan’s shop. Stranahan currently writes a column in the Bitterroot Star and remains active in trout conservation in the area. According to Lester, in his time working for Stranahan, he learned the pattern he credits Stranahan with inventing, called the Brindle Chute. Lester believes he must have tied over 45,000 in a dozen years, while working with Stranahan. Lester, and others in the group, highly recommend this fly, especially for the Bitterroot area. Lester said that its effectiveness comes down to the body color mix.
Lester was drawn to fly fishing, in his words, because, “A lot of good people fly fish.” Lester was a teacher for 35 years, teaching both English and history. He was also a “spillover guide” on the Missouri for a number of years. In that time, Lester touts the great many lifelong friends he has made. Several of these friends sit with him now, recounting old fishing tales and adventures, most Fridays. The group welcomes passers by, and sometimes even sells a couple of Lester’s renowned flies.
Starting in March, the “Vagabond Fly and Cigar Social Club” sits in front of the grocery store, and they do so every Friday until early July. They then take a break for the summer and return in September and go until late October. The group contends that, for those interested in fly fishing, there are few better places to go.
Stop by on a Friday soon, or for more information about Lester’s Elite Flies, interested parties can contact him by calling (406) 549-3477, or by emailing him at rick.b.lester@gmail.com.