Dave Skok Flies
A few words about Dave Skok
By Nathaniel Linville
When I opened the Angling Company in 2009, Dave Skok was tasked with tying custom flies for the bins at the shop. I like to think that at that time, there was not a great history of one-off, truly custom flies tied for shops. Most flies in saltwater shops were mass produced, and the patterns were developed with the marketing and margin in mind instead of the fish they were intended to catch.
Over the years, Dave has become a part of this shop (and my own fishing) in a pretty indelible way. Nearly every tournament I’ve won, or world record I’ve caught, has been attended to throughout the preparation process by Dave’s flies. He and I are constantly chatting, still, about flies and fish and how the two can work together to get me where I want to be on the water.
*click for full size image
Dave is best known in the flats scene for his Skok’s Strong Arm Merkin, SSAM in shorthand in the shop, but his contributions to this shop and the fishing that we’re in the middle of extend much farther than the bend of that particular fly. If you’re interested in that story, however, the link to the article I wrote about that fly can be navigated to here Fly Fisherman.
Dave is a special person that occupies a particular place in the world of saltwater fly tying, and you can refer to a moment of honesty from me about this topic in the video here at the 9:45 mark if you Fly Fisherman.
The selection of flies that we have tied by Dave is constantly changing, and small batches and creativity prohibit us from having an online store option to purchase specific flies from Dave. We might be (occasionally) out of something, and often have other new things that haven’t been in before. The colors, shapes and sizes of the flies are always changing, and we often find ourselves playing the game of “close enough” when people return looking for a specific color and pattern they purchased a few months ago and want more of.
We are happy to answer any questions about Dave’s flies and what we have in stock, so feel free to drop us a line here. We can tell you about or text you pictures of what we have, put together a selection based on where you’re heading, or anything else that helps you get ahold of flies that are, quite simply, the best tool for the job.
