WFS 139 – Jerry French and the Intruder Revolution – Spey, Steelhead, Aqua Flies, Ed Ward, Skagit

Show Notes: wetflyswing.com/139

Jerry French shares the intruder story and how the skagit spey lines and short spey rods came to be.  We find out how the intruder drove the lines and rods and how Ed Ward, Scott O’donnell and others created the huge change for steelhead fly fisherman.

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Show Notes with Jerry French

– George Cook was on the podcast here and talked about NW Spey history and his connection within it.

– The Wolf Craft adjustable boat that Jerry and the gang used up on the Skeena basin.

– Robert the Robot from lost in space.  Intruder Alert was the platform for the fly patterns.

– Jerry was an original founder of OPST and was about getting Ed Ward paid for his contribution for it all.  The ultra compact heads was a big part of what Jerry and Ed developed.

– Joseph Rossano was on the podcast here and talked about steelhead fly design.

– the Dirty Hoh is a little different than an intruder.

– Jerry talks about his love for the color white and UV in flies.

– Jeff Pieroway and Doug Brutocao were two people that helped Jerry get it going with his company.

– Jerry is hosting trips on the Grand Ronde this year.

You can find Jerry at Jerry French Fly Fishing.

Resources Noted in the Show

Jerry’s Ultra Tubing

Videos Noted in the Show

The Dirty Hoh pattern

Conclusion with Jerry

Jerry French tells the story of why the intruder came to be and how they developed the fly, rods and specialized lines that revolutionized steelhead and salmon fly fishing in the 1990’s and 2000’s.  The Commando line is still one of the most popular and easiest to start with.

Show Notes: wetflyswing.com/139