Mending on the Fly

Brian Smith_Opus
===

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: [00:00:00] Grateful to have the opportunity to chat with Brian Smith today. Brian is known on social media as

TiesFlies or underscore TiesFlies underscore, and you've likely seen his online website, TheFliesmith, at TheFliesmith.

co. Over the past year, Brian has not just built a following, but a community.

His online presence in the fly fishing and fly time communities is nothing short of juggernaut. With about 100, 000 followers on each of his social media platforms, he continues to create incredible content that enriches our community.

His fly tying videos are second to none. I particularly love the cadence and the way he walks me through the history of the fly pattern, its designer, and every element of the fly tying process. His videos are constantly replayed when I sit at my tying desk and I'm honored that Brian is here with us tonight.

Brian, welcome to Mending on the Fly. Thanks so much for taking the time to [00:01:00] talk to me and for creating such great content for the community.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Yeah, great to be here. I'm glad that you sent me over an invite.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Yeah, man. Well, I, I, I appreciate you, uh, appreciate you saying yes. I, uh, I've found myself immersed in your blue backgrounded, uh, fly tying videos for like, uh, you know, sadly hours at a time probably. Uh, but, uh, They are so helpful, man.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: I'm glad. I'm glad I can do that.

So I've only been tying for like a year or about a year and a half and about two weeks in I started recording and you know the videos were like they were god awful and then I just decided that this is What?

I really want to do. So you know I bought all the professional.

I used my phone for a long time. And then it just wasn't enough, so then I [00:02:00] invested in some, like, professional camera equipment and completely taught myself how to tie flies, completely taught myself how to record and all that. It's all completely just self taught.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: That's awesome, dude. Well, you're, you're, you're doing a great job. What is like, what's your, what, what's your background? I think you are correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe you're a tattoo artist by trade.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Yes, I've been tattooing for almost, almost 18 years.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Oh, wow.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Yeah, it's been, it's been a long time.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: So were you like, tell me about, uh,

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: years.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: 19 years.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Since I was 15.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Dude.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: I started tattooing professionally, you know, several years after I started. But,

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Okay.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: and then, you know, one day, my neighbor, we went out fishing for bluegill, and it was the first time I went fly fishing. And, uh, [00:03:00] he was showing me the ropes or whatever. And, he kept talking about the sneaky Pete Popper. Like, oh man, we used to be able to get these sneaky Pete sliders, and we can't get them anymore. And I was like, well, how much does it cost to tie flies, you know? And we went on and went on, and I just bought the stuff.

And I'm like, I can do this, you know, cause I'm a tattoo artist, that's what he brought up. Like, you're artistic, I know you can do it.

And that's the whole reason that I started, was for, like, Little Bluegill. And then I just became infatuated with it.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Yeah. It's easy, man. The it's like there is a draw to the sport or to this hobby or lifestyle or whatever you want to call it. So

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: is.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: did you, grow up in Virginia?

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: I did, yeah, I've lived here pretty much my whole life. I did go out to Indiana for a couple years and a couple other places that, but yeah, I was in Indiana in Evansville, well Booneville,

which is like 30 minutes from Evansville, Indiana. And then [00:04:00] I came back here.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Okay. And, uh, so were you growing up, were you just kind of more like an arts, uh, or science or like, what was your background growing up to get you into, uh, I met, my guess is art. A skater punk. All right. So like blink 182 and

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: yeah, and

I was really good at like drawing and stuff and,

and, you know, skateboarding and tattoos, at least back in the early 2000s, they went hand in hand.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Hell yeah.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: like, Hey, dude, tattoo this on me, tattoo that on me. And next thing you know, I'm like tattooing full time at like 16. Yeah,

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: school and then you're just grinding away doing tattoo.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: I did a couple, like, restaurant management jobs. I ended up actually becoming a chef, and I got all my certifications and all that, and [00:05:00] that's how I met my wife that I'm with now, but I ended up doing that, and, you know, that's alright, but I get worn out of stuff like that really easily, and I just decided that I didn't want to do it anymore, so I went back to tattooing full time.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: And how much of your art is, I mean, are you designing all of the, the art for the tattoos when you're doing that?

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Oh, Yeah.

If you see behind me there on my wall,

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Yeah.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: I'm setting in my I actually have a private in home studio, like a fully legal, like

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: perfect for any Virginia state troopers out there listening.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: My wife is a cop, so that's

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Oh, perfect.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: She's a deputy. But, you know, I'm setting, like, over here you've got the tattoo stuff, and then right here you've got the fly tying, and I have a curtain that goes all the way around and it blocks it all. So when you come in here for a tattoo, you think that this is just another sooty, uh, tattoo chair back here, but it's not.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Right. It is [00:06:00] an absolute disaster

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: It is a disaster.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: partridge feathers and, uh,

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Marabou.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Semper, fly. Yeah. Peacock hurl.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Believe it or not, I left Simperflot.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Oh, did you really?

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: I

did.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: had to be recent.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: It was just within the last, like, couple weeks.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Oh,

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: It was just,

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: amicable breakup?

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: um, I was just at my end with it. I felt like things were getting watered down a little bit.

They have been good to me. I'm not going to say they weren't good to me. I just, I just wanted to go on to a new venture.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Sure. Okay. What was your, so. Going back a little bit, give me a little bit more history on, on kind of how, cause you obviously have the, the kind of like 10 pound artistic brain,

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Yeah.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: from, You know, tattoo art [00:07:00] and culinary stuff, uh, to now fly time. What, how did we, how did you beyond just going out fly fishing with your neighbor?

How did you make the leap from, from tattoo artists to kind of where you are now? And I know you're still doing tattoo artists.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: I don't even know.

It

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: well, how, how.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: fast.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: What, what was the, like, what was the first tie or what was the first fly? And, and kind of like, was

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: started off like,

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: that unlocked the door?

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Yeah, I did a bluegill popper. I actually have it sitting right beside me here. I did my popper. And, uh, it's actually, you know, a slider. And,

and I'm like, you know, this actually looks really good. I could actually do this.

So then I started tying and I just, I just, I literally, I dove in head first.

I, I spent around 10k in the first six months on flat tying stuff.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Holy shit. That's too much money to be [00:08:00] spending.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Yeah, I've amassed well over 100k in materials.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Oh my God.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Yeah,

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: So what, what,

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: quite a hobby.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: so how, wait, how, how do you, how do you go, but like, how, how does that happen? How do you, um, at what year was this? When, like, when did you start

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: I started in September of 2022. Uh,

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: worth of stuff.

Like, where, where did you start? Were you online

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: yeah,

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: about stuff or ordering books or what?

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: well I went to Etsy and I bought like this old, cheap, uh, It was like a 1960s fly tying kit

that had like a vise that didn't move or anything and I bought that and I just watched like Davey McPhail [00:09:00] and Barry

Ord Clark, Charlie Craven. I was watching them online and, uh, and I decided like, hey, I'm going to tie everything that I can with these materials instead of, because, you know, you can't tie anything. The little kits you get come with garbage.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Right.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: So I used those materials, and I actually tied flies with them, and it just, it escalated so quick. And then after I caught my first fish on a fly, I, I, it's like I just become infatuated with it instantly. I just wanted to tie and tie and tie and tie. And then I started going live on TikTok. So I go live on TikTok every single night now, around 10 p. m. Eastern Time. And some nights I'll have a million people come through.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: No kidding.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Yeah.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: That's insane. So that's an

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: couple hundred grand. Oh yeah, it's people watching in Indonesia, everywhere.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: [00:10:00] Wow, dude. Congratulations. That is really cool.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: I appreciate it.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: That is incredible. Um, well, I think there's something to be said for like the way you do it too. Uh, cause there's a lot of videos out there and there's a lot of other channels that I really enjoy as well. I'm not saying that.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Yeah.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: you know, they're anybody's bad out there, but, um, uh, there's like, uh, one, I think is like just your voice and your cadence as you kind of go through everything it's, straightforward, very easy to understand.

Um, and I love the, like history aspect that you, you talk through the designer

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Yeah, yeah,

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: was trying to create and, um, Yeah. I just think you're really onto something, which is

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: yeah, I hope. I saw Matt O'Neill, if you know who that is, Savage Flies,

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Yeah.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: and you know, he did it in long [00:11:00] form, and he would give like his little history, and I'm like, you know what, there's nowhere else out there that does this short form. And I started doing it. Now I see like a couple people here and there trying it or whatever.

That's fine, you know. People are gonna, they're gonna try what works and that's, that's fine, you know.

And it's also became, um, one of my trademarks now is I, use some random weird thing to put the hook in the vise.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: I, okay. I, I was like the other day I saw like, um, it was like the small hand, uh,

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Oh, yeah.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: that it was the, the, the dubbing twister. Yeah. Um, that's funny. Okay. I didn't realize now I'm going to start really looking for that.

No, it's okay. Well, I mean, but there's gonna be, I, I feel like too, with every aspect of, maybe we will leave it in there 'cause it's worth talking about. Um, I mean, every fly that's out there [00:12:00] is, I mean, there's very few new like.

Brand new designs that come out, you know, there's, uh, everything's been passed out. I mean, like I've got Lee Wolfe's trout on a fly book sitting over here and I've got new books sitting back on my little desk. And I mean, they're really more or less the same flies. Yeah. They're just variations. yeah. And, and one thing that's, I mean, if anybody's copying you now, Or at least your, your delivery of the lessons and kind of everything that you've learned.

Um, I mean, it's like, gotta be, it, it, it's showing you that it works, man.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: It does work, yeah. And I don't mind that people, you know, it's good because then I get to learn too, but. I had a guy on [00:13:00] TikTok who literally copied me word for word

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Oh,

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: three or four videos and when it gets to that point, that's that's a little unacceptable, you know, but

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: yeah,

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Because I do a lot of research man like hours a day researching on this stuff And this isn't just something that takes me 10 minutes a day, you know I spend the greater half of my day doing this every single day.

I've never missed a day of upload never

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: well, I guess, um, heavyweights, the crown, you know, I mean, you're, uh, it's like, I guess when you get that big in a certain, especially in this, I mean, this is niche to

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Yeah, it

is. to, to be getting the draw that you're getting is, um, well, it says a lot and, uh, you know, there's just going to be the, uh, The 1 percent or the 10 percent that annoy you.

Yeah. it happens, you know. I don't like let it, I don't let it like aggravate [00:14:00] me or like piss me off. It's just like, wow, really?

Really? So what, um,

know.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: cause you, you tie a lot of unique flies every day, you've got videos coming out. Um, how often are you tying, you know, for your own fly box, just like a set of six or a dozen nymphs, right? Or a midges or something like that.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: I throw them in there, like, I get a lot of orders, so I'll tie, if I have like, I'll have to tie 50 of one fly, I'll tie like 10, tie one of mine. 10, one of mine. Unless I have to crank them out like, they have to go out tomorrow, then of course, you know, I'm gonna concentrate on just that.

but

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Yeah.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: I like to break it up a little bit, I don't, you know, I'm not a production tier.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Are you tying though for local shops at all, or is it all, uh, just ordering [00:15:00]

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: It's just all me.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: all through all through your website?

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Yeah, I've had a couple local shops, uh, or not local, I've had a couple of shops reach out to me and You know, I just don't feel like they're, you know, they have to make money too But I'm not, you know, I guess I'm a little spoiled as far as my pricing goes, you know I'm not gonna just I'm not gonna tie flies for 50 cent a fly

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Well, and it's going to, that, that becomes the new job too. I mean, they're going to say we need 250 of these. You know, all of Dunn's and, uh, that is going to take some time.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: yeah. You know, I, I do a lot of donating too, so it's not like I'm greedy, but I, it's not greed. It's, I know what my time.

is worth, and either you're gonna pay me that or I'm not gonna do it.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Yeah. Well, and I mean, you, you've got discounts for law enforcement and military on there. I saw the, I think up until May 1st. So [00:16:00] get your orders in, uh, this'll air after look for it next time.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: I'll add it in again another month.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Okay. Um, you know, well that's, I mean, those are really good discounts too, but, because I don't just do flies, I have materials too.

well, I was about to ask, talk to me about latex.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Oh man, I love latex. It's just, it's just the gummiest, buggiest thing. You can use latex to tie any type of realistic bug. Any type. There's not a type that you can't use latex to tie, because I've tried it?

on every single bug there is that I know of. And it's just It's just an incredible, incredible material.

It's my favorite material.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: So I saw online that you sell, uh, both like strips and like, can I, I can just go on there and buy a sheet of latex,

right? And like a little cutting table. Is that right?

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Yeah, well, if you buy the sheet, [00:17:00] if you go to Walmart, you can get a rotary cutter for like five bucks, seven bucks, and a ruler. You just, you know, you slice it with that. You can't really use scissors. You can, but you won't get a good cut.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Okay. Right. Cause it's so stretchy and

malleable.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: And I charge 10 more for the cut stuff because, you know, it takes me a while to cut it because I try to cut it perfect.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Yeah.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: At 10, you could just go buy the stuff and anytime you buy it in the future, you get 10 off each time.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: So are you just sourcing your, are you, are you looking to get more into latex and different colors and all that sort of stuff? Are Yeah, well I have been. I've been, I've got double sided latex and stuff now,

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: but saw that in a couple of videos. Yeah.

Yeah, I'm working directly with a manufacturer. So when I tell them that I want something, or a certain color, or a certain thickness, like, they can cut it to the exact parameters. I need to [00:18:00] just have them cut it into strips for me, but we're getting to that.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Right. Throw it through like a pasta grinder.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Yeah.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: What? So, but like, how, how did you, why did you start? Actually distributing the latex. I mean, I think it's an awesome idea

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Well, because, nothing really like it on the market,

well, there's something, there's something called nymph skin and Kylie's nymph skin, and those are good products, and I would always buy them and I would run out so fast. And then, because you know, I would tie hundreds of these little wax worms and grubs. And I, I just got tired of, you know, buying small amounts.

So I started buying it from like big manufacturers, you know, and you you had to buy a lot at one time, but for the price of just a couple of packs of Kylie's, I mean, and I can get a hundred feet of [00:19:00] it.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: right?

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: It's not really 100 feet, but you know, I'm being a

little A lot more.

You get a lot more and I never run out.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Well, I mean, it's crazy too. Like I I'll, I'll go to join fabrics a lot more now that I'm into fly tying, but just some of them, I mean, I know there's a difference with. Like fly tying threads and stuff like that. You like,

I love using wax thread. I really do. I know you're no longer with Semper fly, but I really love their, um, nano silk.

Um, and, uh, and a bunch of the like fly tying specific stuff is really good. Um, normal thread just sometimes doesn't work that well and it Yeah, it's mostly cotton base.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Coats and Clarks are alright.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Yeah. I've got a lot of coats and Clarks. Um, but. A lot of the stuff when you go through the stores is like so much cheaper than if you go to a fly shop, I mean, uh, from scissors to [00:20:00] a bunch of other stuff.

There's, um, it's kind of crazy how much the price goes up when you, when you write the word fly tying on it.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Yeah, welcome to fly tying where the feathers cost more than the entire bird. Yeah.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Some squirrel tail.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Yeah, speaking of, uh, NanoSilk, so, I'm not trying to promote any products or whatever, but, um, TechStream has this, their power thread, and it's, it's like a gel spun thread, but it's not. So it's like a polymer, and it doesn't, like, fray when You nick it. And it's suuuper strong, and it goes all the way down to 10 deniers. So, yeah, T E X T R E M E. Textream.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Got it. Okay. I see it.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: And it goes all the way down to 10 denier. And you know how small 30 denier is. 18

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Yep.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: [00:21:00] 10 denier is

something else. Tiny. But it's super, super strong. Um,

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: like size 26 is

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: no, I tie size 30s realistically. Like, I do realistic

kataslarvas. I do, yep.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Good Lord, man.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: I have a realistic, I mean, I have a couple size 30 parachutes.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Look at that little guy.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: So I like to tie with them, you know, quite often.

I enjoy doing anything realistic or anything small. I just like to, I just like to do challenging things, you know.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Yeah.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Because flat tying is easy. And it is once you get the hang of it. It really is very simple. Yeah.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: your videos for, uh, beginners is to just not worry [00:22:00] about like tying a fly and just start, just start. Tying stuff onto hooks and getting used to the materials and the way the tools work and how the materials feel and all that. I thought that was great advice.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Yeah, I wish that I would have had that advice when I first started. Because, you know, I started tying woolly buggers.

Well, I started tying poppers. But then I got on to woolly buggers. And somebody come into my life, like, can you tie a prince sniff? And I was like, uh, ha ha ha. I don't think so.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Got, got copper.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: it. Yeah.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Yeah.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: So I scrapped all that, my idea, and I just started, like, I started making stuff up. So if you go through my TikTok and look at all my old stuff, it was just a bunch of made up flies that were garbage. But I learned a lot in that. And you can, like, see if you go ahead every couple months, you'll see, like, the transition of my flies.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Yeah. It's awesome. Um, how do you do your research [00:23:00] and cause I, I really do love that, that aspect of it. Uh,

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: I do, you know, books.

I go into a lot of forums in foreign countries.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Hmm. Mm

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: And you have to have a VPN to do it. And you're able to, you're able to actually, like, translate the page to English, you know. So, um,

And it's a lot of piecing things together, but over in another country they'll dig deeper for a pattern in the United States than any American will because it's harder to find the information.

So they really dig deep and they bring a lot of new things to light, you know, like a lot, I can research a pattern for an hour and find a couple things out and then I could go into a forum for five minutes and I can see a hundred different things about the same pattern. That I'd never saw anywhere else. So that's a good one.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: [00:24:00] Yeah. That's awesome.

Yeah.

Cause there's like, there's a ton of info that you put out there that, um, it's just like new. You know, new to me, at least, um, it's very cool. I, I like, I love the, the history aspect of it. Have you been doing much, uh, like traveling and do you go to different fly shows and all Uh, I do, well I went to the uh, Pennsylvania one, the Lancaster show. I actually was on Tyers Row in that, I tied. And then, I go to like little small events and stuff. I try to teach people and things like that?

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: But I'm trying to set up like a guild. I don't know if they have a fly fishing guild in Virginia, I haven't even checked, but. Maybe like a local guild, get kids active with it,

or adults, seniors, you know? Cause

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: That'd be awesome.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: yeah, it's really a, it's really a relaxing thing, you know? And there's a lot of kids, like there's a kid, William, [00:25:00] That comes on my TikTok, and he's from Canada. And he's only like 10 something like that. I think he's like 12, actually. You know, he was on there tying flies, and he, he was getting frustrated because his, you know, his thread wasn't any good, you know, materials not good, but he was doing it. That's, and he was concentrated on it, so I sent him up a wealth of stuff. I kind of took him under my wing there, and he's gotten way better.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: That is cool, man.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: So kids, when I see kids doing it, I really try to help, you know.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Yeah. I mean, I was definitely one of those kids. Like my parents brought me to an Orvis shop, uh, when I was nine up in New York and it was for a fly time. And that started it and I did exactly what you did and just get materials and just start

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Yeah.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: making like crazy things, monsters on the hook and, uh,

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Yep.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: and so it's, [00:26:00] it's awesome now, especially that you're using tick tock to access.

I mean, then kind of the next generation Yeah. of people tying the whole reason I started on there. Because I knew that you could blow up on TikTok and I knew it would get me to the right people.

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, we'll see if tick tock gets banned, but

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: it is what it is.

And I've, I've, I've, been there, done that. There for a while I had the biggest flat iron account on TikTok. Yeah.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: I bet man.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: And I just, you know, I've kind of got burned out of it. It happens. I still go live on there, but Just a lot of Just TikTok is just not a, a full time gig, you know what I mean? There's a lot of people that make a lot of money on there. And if you're not one of those people, then you don't, you know, good luck.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Right, you're doing it for you, really.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Yeah.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Um, what ab I mean, do you have [00:27:00] plans to kind of, uh, get out more in person?

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: I do, yeah. Sorry.

Uh, I do have plans on doing that. I, you know, I, I want to set up a, I want to get like a, a transit bus. And I've thought about going to different events. And, you know, I'm not going to pull up to like a fly fishing show and do it, but, You know different like when they do tournaments trout tournaments and stuff like that and like have a couple vices set up like hey You know You didn't bring up the fly that you needed.

Well here come tie one real quick Go back out and catch your fish and stuff like that. So I thought about doing that

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Okay.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: But obviously that's you know monetarily that's

expensive Yeah, you got to sell all your, uh, partridge feathers. I like it. Um, you should, you should, um, you should consider reaching out to the Maggie [00:28:00] Valley Fly Shop. I'm seeing about going down to the show there. I think it's in July. I gotta get there. I will, going down there. I've got a booth. I don't know what I'm going to be doing at it, but, uh, I'll be hanging out.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: So it'll be should just interview people.

Yeah, it's kind of what I'm thinking. Just kind of talk to people and,

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: yeah, at

the tie some flies.

they had a booth set up there, and it was nothing but two bar stools and, you know, a microphone.

And they were interviewing people.

Yeah. Oh, that's okay. Well,

It was like a podcast. They were just doing it.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: I'm your huckleberry.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Yeah.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: That'll be it. So what got you into this?

Uh, the podcast. Well, um,

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Yeah.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: so much out of fly fishing and fly tying, um, like for mental health, really, like [00:29:00] you said, it's like the most relaxing thing you can do. And I've said it on here before, but this is like my fly tying station, but it's like a meditation station too.

It's, you know, you can just come clear your head and, uh, kind of get away from it all. Um, and I've got two little kids, a full time job.

And so I find that, um, I cannot get out. To go fly fishing is as often as I'd like, uh, but fly tying, I can do. And this I can do. I, I really enjoy talking to people and hearing their stories.

And, um, I just thought like, uh, why not just do a podcast? If, if, if anyone listens, then great. If no one does, then at least I get to have great conversations with really interesting people. And, um, so, you know, it's just been fun. This is actually number 10. So it's, you know, pretty new, but, um,

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: I'm surprised you were able to get, uh,

Ann [00:30:00] up there, because they're busy.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: They are, man. They're, they're good them out. Yeah, they're great. I mean, Anne was just, she's salt of the earth.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Yeah, I don't ever want them to think that, you know, I don't have any problem with them. I just, sometimes you just got to go on to the next Yeah.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: I know a lot of these companies do have pro teams, like different hook manufacturers and all that stuff. What, what does being on a pro team entail?

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: uh, there's a big misconception what pro team means.

And it means promotional team.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: hmm,

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: A lot of people think it's professional.

If you're on a pro team, you're a professional tire. That's not the case. Um, so basically, uh, some companies will just give you a discount.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: hmm. Most companies, well, you know, most companies give you a discount. See, you got people like Semperfly, which I'm not going to go over [00:31:00] too many details, but they'll, you know, you promote their products and they'll send you the products to promote them.

Mm

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: And, um, that's pretty much how it usually works. And some places, you know, you don't do anything. They're just like, here's our pro team, and you can say that you're a pro member, just promote our stuff, and we do nothing for you.

And to me, that is unacceptable.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: hmm. Mm hmm.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: But, you know. And then, others, you know, I've heard of other pro teams overseas that actually pay people. And, you know, that doesn't happen here, I can tell you that.

But you just, you know, you use their stuff, and they send you products.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Okay. Interesting. Yeah, I've always, I honestly have always wondered. I mean, I know, I imagine the fly tying niche is just so much smaller than like the actual fly fishing industry. So you get like pro team fly [00:32:00] anglers, fly fishers, they're, you know, You're going to

Patagonia and yeah,

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: I mean, I've had probably a hundred people tell me that they've started tying because of me. And you know, some people say it and I'm sure they don't actually mean it, but to hear that though, you know, it's uh, it's pretty awesome because I think everyone should do it.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: yeah, dude. It's so, I mean, that's awesome.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Yeah.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: awesome. I'm sure most of them did mean it, you know,

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: Yeah, but you know how some kids are. They just, you know, they wanna, they wanna feel close to ya.

I get it. well, that's nice. I mean, given somebody something to do that's worthwhile with their time is incredible. And if it's especially even

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: even though they are sitting in front of their phone, at least they're like tying flies at the same time and not just like immersed in the game and they're creating something, you know, it's super cool.

brian-smith_1_04-29-2024_183909: They actually [00:33:00] have a flytrap.

devin_1_04-29-2024_183910: Do they really? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Oh God, that's got to be frustrating.

Is it?

It's on. Okay. I'll have to look it up. Okay. I'm going to have to check it out. That's hilarious. It's like farming simulator, but for flies.

Um, I saw on some of your videos that your wife also is a fly fisher. Was she, when you guys met, when you guys were, uh, like cooking together or is that, is that something she just does now? Okay. It's just, that is too much. Awesome.[00:34:00]

Yeah.

Yeah.

Mm hmm.[00:35:00]

Yeah. So speaking of that, so what, at what age did your neighbor take you out fly fishing that first time?

Oh, so like a real recent. How has your life changed? Um,

yeah,[00:36:00]

definitely.

Oh, it's cool, man. The, the, um, anxiety thing for me is huge. Both tying and fishing. Hmm.

I'm just worried about. No, it's not stupid. Yeah.

And does it, um, does it come back real quick for you or[00:37:00]

yeah.

Okay.

Hmm.

Really?[00:38:00]

Yeah. Now, like, um, [00:39:00] I think one of the cool things about fly fishing too, is just the number of and variety of organizations out there designed to help different people. So Cassie for recovery project healing waters. Um, There's one called, I think, Serenity on the water, which deals it's, it's for addiction.

I think, I think alcoholics and, but maybe also drug addiction, um, it for folks in recovery. And, uh, it's just, It just makes too much sense why this, this, um, sport and community can provide therapy at the same time. Um,

yeah, I'll, I'll, um,

dude, me too, man. It's, uh, [00:40:00] the, the, the sport has done a lot for me. Um,

yeah.

Do you, I'm usually just watching your videos, so I don't get much music. No, um, it's called, uh, reeling in serenity. [00:41:00] Uh, yeah, it's. Yeah, it's for, um, those in basically drug and alcohol recovery and the spiritual connection to life, you know, to the, to nature and all that and the higher power and all of that.

Um,

did you, okay, I gotta, I haven't watched it yet. I need to. Okay. Well, it's funny too, cause my podcast came out, um, like, Three weeks before that. And, uh, I was like blown away by the name. I was like, that's sweet. I'm going to get a million followers. Do nobody, but it's okay. Um, Oh, that's nice. That's nice, man.

Well, it, um, [00:42:00] it was, uh, it's, it's really nice to talk to you. I, um, I appreciate you, you sharing your story with me and, and, um, it, It's just, this is one of these things I love about this community is that there's people like you out there. Uh, there's all these people from different backgrounds and everyone's willing to talk and share their experience and their, their thoughts about it.

Um, and, uh, So thank you for that. Um, and

yeah, man, for, for sure.

Same here, dude. Well, I'd love to, uh, I'd love to tie some flies with you sometime. Uh, I'm, I'm slowly getting better. Uh, and I'd, I'd love to share the [00:43:00] stream one day as well. That would be, that would be a ball.

Just in Silver Spring right outside the right outside of DC.

Yeah. Yeah, so and maybe I'll see you down in Maggie Valley, too That'd be cool. I'll try to send you the Information there. Um, but here on the whip or excuse me here. I'm mending on the fly. We end with the whip finish And it's an opportunity for you to share any like closing thoughts or how people can follow you on social media Um And, and, uh, we'll wrap it up.[00:44:00]

That's great advice, man. Well, I will make sure to put all the links to your social media and your website in the descriptions and all that. And, um, just want to say thanks again, man. I really appreciate your time and, and, uh, want to congratulate you on, on all the success you've had over the past year.

It's just incredible to watch. And I look forward to, to, to, uh, looking up as the rocket just keeps going, man.

Dude, that's amazing. We gotta have like a fly fishing party somewhere. That'd be good man. All right, you too, man I appreciate it. We'll talk to you later

​[00:45:00]