Topic: Fly Fishing for Bream
Bio:
Rob is a native Texan who grew up in middle Tennessee. He enjoys chasing any species of fish with a fly rod. His favorite species to target are big bream, earning him the title of bream bum. He has actually traveled over 1250 miles one-way to catch a species that only exists in a certain part of the country.
In college, he fished the waters of Appalachia in eastern Kentucky and northeastern Tennessee. After college, he spent many years fishing the fabled waters of Arkansas including the White, Norfork, and Little Red Rivers for big trout and smallmouth. He now fishes the waters of southeast Tennessee and north Georgia.
Rob has dedicated much of his time over the last 30 years to studying fly tying and fly fishing. During the summers, he continues to write articles for newsletters and magazines. He also teaches others the wonderful art of fly tying and fly fishing. He teaches yearly fly fishing courses at Chattanooga State Community College and demonstrates at tying events all over the country. Rob was the Fly Tyer of the Year for the Mid-South Fly Fishers in 2004 and 2007.
He has tied at the Southern and Southeastern Federation of Fly Fishers Conclaves, Sowbug Round-Up and many other tying events. He is known for his soft hackle patterns and bream bugs.
Rob is a member of both Trout Unlimited and the Federation of Fly Fishers. He is the east Tennessee representative for the Mid-South Fly Fishers and served two terms as president of the Appalachian chapters of Trout Unlimited.
On Saturday mornings Rob can be heard on WGOW 102.3 FM as co-host of “Tony Sanders Outdoors” where he is affectionately known as “The Trout Professor.” Rob is also a member of the Tennessee Outdoor Writers Association and the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association.
Rob currently resides in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with his wife Debora and three cats, which are a consistent source of dubbing material. He was an Associate Professor and Chair of the Fire Science Technology Department at Chattanooga State Community College.
