Workshop Instructors

Keynote Instructor

Rick Hafele

I started fly fishing over 50 years ago, 40 of which have been focused on fishing for trout in streams and lakes throughout the west. My fishing life however began in north central Illinois, far from trout or trout streams, but close to farm ponds full of bass and bluegill.

Fortunately, when I was 12, my family vacationed in Missouri and a relative took me to Bennett Springs State Park, put a fly rod in my hand, and showed me how to get the fly somewhere near the water. Luck smiled on me because after about an hour a trout actually picked up my fly. And that, as they say, was that.

I finally made it West – Bellingham, Washington in this case, which is about as far west as one can go without getting wet – in 1969 to attend college at Western Washington University. Bellingham is a beautiful town hemmed in by the North Cascade mountains on one side and Puget Sound on the other, with lots of rivers and streams and lakes in between. A great place to learn about trout.

In 1974, I moved to Corvallis, Oregon to attend Oregon State University where I completed a Masters degree in aquatic entomology with a minor in fisheries biology. If learning about aquatic insects while fishing the streams of Oregon wasn’t lucky enough, after finishing my degree I actually got a job in Oregon as an aquatic biologist focusing on water quality issues, first with a private consulting firm and then with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. For over 40 years I’ve been able to watch and study fish and the insects they eat, both professionally and with a fly rod in my hand, throughout Oregon and many other states and provinces.

In 1981 The Complete Book of Western Hatches, my first book, co-authored with Dave Hughes, was published. Since then I have co-authored or authored several other books including Western Mayfly Hatches, An Angler’s Guide to Aquatic Insects and Their Imitations, Nymph Fishing Rivers and Streams, and more. In 1983 I completed the instructional video, Anatomy of a Trout Stream, produced by Scientific Anglers. This has been followed more recently by six other instructional DVDs: Fly Fishing Large Western Rivers (a four volume set), Nymph Fishing Basics, Advanced Nymph Fishing and most recently Advanced Tactics for Emergers & Dries.

For many years I have tried to share my knowledge about the world in which trout live with anglers through books, articles, slide shows and seminars. I hope this website provides one more avenue to help you enjoy fly fishing as much as I have.

Workshop Instructors


Chester Allen	Lifelong fly angler, journalist and author, was the outdoor columnist for The Olympian newspaper in Olympia, WA, for many years. His latest book is “Yellowstone Runners.” Allen also is the author of “Fly-Fishing for Sea-Run Cutthroat.” Allen splits his time between Portland, Oregon and Hood River, Oregon, with plenty of trips to Puget Sound and Yellowstone National Park.
Dave Allison	Long-time fly tyer and instructor from the intermountain west.
Eli Bjorkland	Watershed Fly Shop has been serving the Corvallis area for close to 10 years now. In that time we have become experts on the local waters and how to fish them most effectively. We specialize in fishing around the Willamette Valley, one of the most overlooked trout fisheries left in the Western US. Our passion for fishing goes beyond catching fish, we love to teach, guide, tie flies, and show people the missed opportunities that have been in their back yards this whole time. We are your one stop shop for everything fly fishing related, we have an excellent inventory of spey rods, single hand rods, reels, waders and boots, flies, as well as a full service guide team. Eli has been part of the shop for almost 6 years now. He runs most of our guided trips and teaches our intro to fly fishing, on the water classes, and fly tying classes. He focuses most of his time on finding the biggest trout he can around the Willamette Valley.
Mike Brooks	Mike lives in Coburg, Oregon and has been tying classic dry flys for many years.
Candice Bell	Presenter for FFI Women Connect encourages female leadership in FFI Clubs and the fly fishing industry as a whole by creating a platform where women can develop fly fishing skills and build confidence.
Will Conable	Owner of Willamette Valley Fishing Guides, proud member of the McKenzie River Guides Association, and a registered guide with the National Forest Service. When not guiding, I split my time between tying flies, reading, writing, advocating for rivers, chasing fish in the surf, chasing steelhead in our rivers, and serving as an emotional support human for my dog, Charlie.
Jerry Criss	Has been fly fishing and fly tying since the early 80’s. I retired to Central Oregon to be closer to greater fishing possibilities. I teach fly tying using the classic techniques that made fly tying the craft that it is today. In 2009 I was named “ORCFFI” Fly Tyer of Year” for my teaching and dedication to the craft. I have received numerous other awards here in the US and in the UK, for my ability to be creative, and forward thinking, but never forgetting those who have tyed before us.
Luis Hernandez	Expert in understanding the principles of Spanish fly design, allowing pattern customization to match specific hatch conditions and regional insect variations. Encourage creativity and innovation in fly tying, empowering experimentation with variations that can give you an edge on the water
Hann Lee	Hann has been fly fishing for over 40 years. His wide range of fishing experience has been in both salt water and freshwater. In the last six years, his focus has been back to trout and steelhead utilizing the euro nymphing technique . This focus led him to start a new project developing a new euro nymphing rod with Steve Godshall of Flywerks. Last year, he started participating in competitive fly fishing. The involvement in competitive fly fishing has led to meeting many new people and fishing opportunities. It has also helped improve his fishing immensely as well as create a love and curiosity for innovation in our sport. Hann is self employed as a licensed civil engineer and lives in Southwest Washington with his loving and supportive wife, Maribiel.
Ryan Morgan	Expert in Classic Dry and Wet Fly Techniques
John Kreft	John has been tying flies for over 50 years and lives in Sisters, OR close to his home waters, the Metolius. He received the Stan Walter Memorial Fly Tyer of the Year in 2017. John started his RiverKeeper Flies website in March 2014 where his weekly posts include fly fishing, fly tying, and fly fishing road trips. He was the 2016 & 2017 NW Expo Chair.
Jeff Perin	Jeff is the owner of the Fly Fisher’s Place and guide service. He has been guiding Central Oregon since 1988 and has built his career fishing and guiding the Cascade Lakes and the Fall River.
Dick Rohrbaugh	Retired college professor (Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon) and have fished the waters of Oregon for many years. But I grew up fly fishing the fabled waters of southwestern Montana where I started tying flies when I was eleven years old. Over the years I have dabbled in commercial tying (tedious, not especially lucrative), taught fly tying and done demonstration tying both online and at a variety of fishing shows, including the Oregon Expo. Being a dry fly enthusiast, I have concentrated most of my tying and innovations in that direction, with one major exception. Having gotten thoroughly hooked on fly fishing for summer steelhead on the Deschutes, I got into traditional steelhead patterns, then spey flies, and finally – not for fishing, but as an art form – into full dress Atlantic salmon flies.
Dick Sagara	Dick is the owner/operator of Sagara Outdoor Products, an independent sales representative business focusing primarily on fly fishing-related products. His company is based in Portland, Oregon, representing outdoor products in OR, WA, AK, MT, ID, & WY. He has operated his sales business for 19 years.
Steve Schuttpelz	Past president of the Linn Benton Family Flyfishers, maintains that some of the best fishing and the most beautiful scenery in the world are located right here in the Willamette Valley. He should know! He has fished North America from Puget Sound to Florida, from California to the Great Lakes. He has even fished in Europe.
Jeff Smith	Caught my first rainbow trout on my father's bamboo fly rod when I was seven years old. I guess that's when my love affair with bamboo fly rods began. When I got older, I always wanted a fine bamboo fly rod, but they were always just more expensive than I could afford. Then in 2003, Keith Burkhart told me that he had some bamboo rod making equipment that he had acquired while working for Bellinger's in Salem, Oregon. After talking it over with my wife, I purchased it. I registered the name North Fork Bamboo Rods and was in business. Mentors during this journey were Daryll Whitehead, Al Bellinger, Jim Loucks, Chet Croco, and all my friends that I met at the Metolius River Fly Fishing and Bamboo Rod Fair.
R.L. Stewart	Lives in Shingletown, CA, FFI Life Member, Awarded Charles Brooks Award 2004, and likes fishing lakes and reservoirs
Luong Tam	After graduating from UC Berkeley with a master’s degree in architecture, Luong Tam worked for architectural firms for a while, then decided to go into industrial design. He designed lighting systems for Peerless Lighting in Berkeley, CA. He worked as a designer under the tutelage of Henry and Peter Ng, two of the most respected lighting designers in the industry. At Peerless Lighting, Luong acquired passion for simplicity and restraint of Japanese design principles from Henry. He taught Luong to exert discipline in design, which he practices to this day. He also taught him perseverance to keep working until one is happy with the results.
Edmund Wadeson	Excerpt from Edmund, Oregon Outdoor Summer 2021 - There is no way for me to know if I am the only one to know about that huge black trout. Perhaps he has spurned others as readily as he has me, but either way I am better off for knowing about him, for having had my chances so far, and certainly for testing of myself against a genuine trophy.