Matt Winkler
Signature Tyer
Growing up on a lake in the woods of northern New Jersey, I’ve been on the water fishing as long as I can remember. Some of my fondest memories are from a very young age, spending hours upon hours on the water fishing with both my father and grandfather. Together they instilled in me a passion and a deep respect for the outdoors, especially fishing. My first exposure to fly fishing was an old rod and reel I found in the basement that belonged to my great grandfather. Upon finding that, my interest in fishing quickly evolved and set in motion my passion (borderline obsession) with catching fish on a fly. My interest in all things fly fishing grew over the years, but was always a hobby. That all changed when I graduated college, got a real job and had to sit at a desk 5 days a week. That scared the hell out of me and before long; I was packed up and on my way to Colorado to turn my hobby into a way of life.
Since moving to Colorado I’ve dedicated myself to becoming the best fly fisherman and fly tier I can be; in as many disciplines as I can. Nowadays my passions include throwing streamers in moving water on heavy sink lines, sight fishing shallow mud flats for big carp, hunting stillwaters for over sized trout, chucking giant flies for pike & musky and pursuing schools of ravenous wipers.
I currently work at Charlie’s Flybox in Arvada, Colorado and am a signature fly designer for Umpqua Feather Merchants. I tie every fly that ends up in my boxes and most of the flies I fish are my original patterns. I’ve been a demonstration fly tier for many years at fly shops in Colorado and several of my patterns have been featured in various fly fishing books and magazines.
Growing up on a lake in the woods of northern New Jersey, I’ve been on the water fishing as long as I can remember. Some of my fondest memories are from a very young age, spending hours upon hours on the water fishing with both my father and grandfather. Together they instilled in me a passion and a deep respect for the outdoors, especially fishing. My first exposure to fly fishing was an old rod and reel I found in the basement that belonged to my great grandfather. Upon finding that, my interest in fishing quickly evolved and set in motion my passion (borderline obsession) with catching fish on a fly. My interest in all things fly fishing grew over the years, but was always a hobby. That all changed when I graduated college, got a real job and had to sit at a desk 5 days a week. That scared the hell out of me and before long; I was packed up and on my way to Colorado to turn my hobby into a way of life.
Since moving to Colorado I’ve dedicated myself to becoming the best fly fisherman and fly tier I can be; in as many disciplines as I can. Nowadays my passions include throwing streamers in moving water on heavy sink lines, sight fishing shallow mud flats for big carp, hunting stillwaters for over sized trout, chucking giant flies for pike & musky and pursuing schools of ravenous wipers.
I currently work at Charlie’s Flybox in Arvada, Colorado and am a signature fly designer for Umpqua Feather Merchants. I tie every fly that ends up in my boxes and most of the flies I fish are my original patterns. I’ve been a demonstration fly tier for many years at fly shops in Colorado and several of my patterns have been featured in various fly fishing books and magazines.