Chuck Kraft was considered by many of his clients a “life coach.”
Tying up some flies my friend Angie wanted for a forthcoming revisit trip to New Zealand gave pause for fond remembrance.
Nice is not enough to say about Mr. Kraft
Charles Alexander Kraft Jr. passed away at age 77 (May 22, 1942 – March 9, 2020). His legacy is one of dedication to fly fishing in all of its manifestations: fly designer and fly tyer, fly fisher of notable merit, fly casting teacher and fly rod designer, and dedicated conservationist.
He was well known by his angling peers:
Bob Clouser called Chuck Kraft ‘one of the best smallmouth bass guides in the country,’ Flip Pallot said he is the ‘definition of a smallmouth bass expert.’ Lefty Kreh was a regular, and Kelly Galloup was a noted fan.
A long list of regular clients matches the geography of North America’s boundaries. They unanimously commented that Chuck was among the nicest people they had ever met, including bank presidents, DC politicians, and local tradesmen.
Tying up some flies that my friend Angie wanted for an upcoming revisit trip to New Zealand gave pause of fond remembrance.
For many, the Kreelex fly, Angie’s favorite, is unknown to most ‘troutsters.’ However, it has an impressive record of employment in trout destinations and places harboring smallmouth bass.
Chuck Kraft was one of the most impactful fly fishing guides, rod designers, and fly pattern innovators in the U. S. that you probably never heard of
Skip Clement, New Zealand.
By Skip Clement
In a local fly shop, we followed the crowd to the flies with the same bounce in our ancient steps as the younger lads and lassies to see what might be new for the Blue Ridge trouts this season. A young woman poked a laughing finger at the dozens of Kreelex flies and said, “What fish would eat Christmas tree decorations?” Before I could offer any advice, my fly fishing side-kick and still prickly but retired prosecuting attorney jumped in and yelled, “Any one of those ‘Christmas Trees’ will catch trouts before that handful of ‘gummy flies’ you’re carrying will find a tree.” A laugh gathered speed, and the young lady, calm, said, “Are you shittin’ me?” Angie said, “No, the Kreelex’ in anything from a #4 to #10 will set you free young lady.”
After we stepped away from the fly section and perused the fly-tying materials, I noticed all the standbys who witnessed Angie’s rebuff of the Kreelex fly were secretly picking up Kreelex by the dozens.
Image of Chuck Kraft [1942-2020] provided by Reilly Rod Crafters.
Chuck Kraft, fly fishing guide and mentor, rod designer, and fly designer
Chuck Kraft, who passed away in 2020, is most underappreciated as a fly fishing legend. Lefty Kreh, who always fished Chuck when he wanted to catch smallies and a few shots at big muskies, said that Chuck wouldn’t say a word if somebody had a shout-out about the Kreelex Fly in his presence. Adding,“He would never self-promote, and he was okay with that.”
Chuck also designed the now-famous Reilly Rod Crafters fly rod company. The Chuck Kraft Series is widespread, and the five and eight are both Angie and my favorite fly rods.
The Kreelex hit the market in 1996 and went from Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania to Montana’s Madison River, SlideInn with Kelly Galloup, where it became an overnight sensation. Most who fished the Kreelex have found almost every gamefish a willing consumer, like peacock bass, snook, musky, tarpon, largemouth bass, and many more. Never leave home without some.
