Chuck Tryon Dies

Author, fly tier and wildland hydrologist Chuck Tryon died on February 7 in California. Gary Soucie sent us this tribute to Chuck, which describes his many accomplishments:
“Chuck (Charles) Tryon had been a career wildland hydrologist with the U. S. Forest Service, mainly in Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri. He and his late wife Sharon founded Ozark Fly Fishers and co-authored such books as Figuring Out Flies: A Practical Guide; Fly Fishing for Trout in Missouri; and All About Flies: Everything the Flyfisher Knows About Flies. A few years after Sharon succumbed prematurely to cancer, Chuck wrote 200 Missouri Smallmouth Adventures.
Chuck Tryon was the originator of the BUBfly, a weighted fly with rubberleg tails and antennae and a palmered hackle, which is a great fly for trout, bass, and good-sized panfish. I’ve even used it successfully in salt water. Originally black, with a grizzly hackle (BUB originally stood for Big Ugly Black), Chuck started tying the fly in many other versions, as long as its new name began with the letter B (Blue, Bloody, Brindled, Banana, etc., in front of BUBfly). The BUBfly was featured in an article by Chuck (“The Big, Ugly, Bodacious BUBfly”) in the September/October 1997 issue of American Angler. For a few years, Chuck tied BUBflies for Ed Storey’s Feather-Craft Fly Fishing in St. Louis, MO, until he decided he’s rather spend his spare time fly fishing.
In addition to stalking trout and smallmouth bass in Missouri waters, Chuck also enjoyed such annual forays as gar fishing with friends in Illinois. Along with Sharon, Chuck was actively involved for many years with the local chapters of Trout Unlimited and the Federation of Fly Fishers.
Among Chuck Tryon’s many other attributes, he was a great fishing companion. As I, Joel Vance, Gary LaFontaine, Spence Turner, and many others knew, fishing with Chuck Tryon really made a fishing trip in Missouri. I shall miss him.” — Gary Soucie