Longtime Editor of Fly Tyer, Dave Klausmeyer, Passes Away

David Klausmeyer (1958-2025). Picture through Fly Tyer.

I used to be saddened to be taught of the passing of my outdated good friend, Dave Klausmeyer, who served because the editor of Fly Tyer journal from 1994-2023. He died on November 24, after a protracted battle with a uncommon type of lymphoma. In response to a Fb put up by his spouse, Diane, Dave remained optimistic the whole time, which makes good sense to these of us who knew him.

I first met Dave in the summertime of 1998, after I arrived in Vermont to take the helm of American Angler, which was revealed by the identical firm as Fly Tyer. He was extremely welcoming and took me on my first journey into the Inexperienced Mountains to catch wild, native brook trout. A terrific bear of a person—I used to consult with him as Dave “The Man-Mountain” Klausmeyer—he had a loud, infectious snigger and was at all times out there to shoot the breeze about such various matters as blues guitarists, bamboo rods, and William Shakespeare.



On the time, Dave was residing in Steuben, within the distant Downeast area of Maine. He’d spend the work week in Bennington, after which drive 7 hours house for the weekend. One time, at a shopper present, Dave spent a very long time speaking to one in all his many followers. As the person walked  away, Dave turned to me laughing and mentioned, “That man lives in Portland, however thinks he’s from Maine.”

Though I wouldn’t say that Dave had no ego, he didn’t care a jot for self-promotion. Between modifying Fly Tyer for nearly 30 years and writing greater than a dozen books on the topic, he was clearly among the many extra influential figures in fly tying over that interval. He taught so many individuals to develop into higher tiers and anglers, and he did it with none airs or pretentiousness. That may be a uncommon hen, certainly.

Only a few of Dave’s many glorious books on tying.

We labored collectively for a decade and stayed in contact sporadically through the years since. Our final lengthy textual content dialog was in February, the place I urged that we meet within the center and fish someplace, and he responded by saying, “Let’s look to the autumn. We at all times had a good time collectively.” We positive did, Dave, and and I’m sorry we gained’t get the possibility to do it once more.

Click here to read David Klausmeyer’s obituary in The Ellsworth American