Bob Smith Bob Smith is General Manager at The Essential Fly. Born in 1964, he began trout fishing at the age of eight, being taken to many of the freestone river running through the Yorkshire Dales by his Father.
Bob's fly fishing heritage and knowledge is second to none due to introductions by his father who personally knew some of the country’s most famous fishermen of the day including Arthur Oglesby, Hugh Falkus, Peter Mackenzie-Philps and Eric Horsfall Turner to name but a few. These were regular visitors and passed great knowledge down to Bob. As a boy he was often given the benefit of some free casting and fishing lessons from these great men. Bob began tying his own flies at the age of 12 when he was presented with a fly tying kit by his Geography Master at school. Bob was the only boy regularly taking a fly rod and waders on to school field trips into the Dales! His tying is masterful now producing incredible flies. Bob tied flies professionally for over 5 years and still revels in the thrill of fishing his favourite North Country Patterns on the same beats as fished by Pritt, Edmonds & Lees as well as other great Fishermen and Fly Tyers of the past. Show Bob old silks without the labels and he can identify them, "no that is not Persalls silk that is Edmonds and Lees colours" you will hear him say. When not slaving over a hot computer and talking to customers Bob can regularly be found teasing Trout and Grayling from some of the North’s famous rivers. | 
