Lefty Kreh
| Lefty Kreh | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Bernard Kreh February 26, 1925 Frederick, Maryland |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Fly angler, photographer and fly casting instructor |
| Notable work | Fly Fishing in Saltwater (1974) |
Bernard "Lefty" Kreh is an American fly fisherman, photographer and fly casting instructor currently residing in Hunt Valley, Maryland. Kreh is most known for being one of the pioneers of Saltwater Fly fishing and his book, Fly Fishing in Salt Water, is considered the seminal volume on the subject.
His wife Evelyn Kreh, died in November 2011. They had two children, Victoria and Larry, and several grandchildren, Larry's son- Larry Jr, and Victoria's children- Matthew (married to Laura), Hillary (married to Ronald) and Sammantha (married to Colin) and great grandchildren from Hillary and Ronald- Alexandria, Allyssa, Ryan, Emily, and William.
Kreh was born February 26, 1925, in Frederick, Maryland. His parents were Theodore (aka "Whitey"), who died when Kreh was eight by a basketball accident, and Helen M. Purdy. His father taught him about fishing and after he died Lefty would bring fish home for his mother and three siblings, Eileen, Dick and Teddy. He began fly-fishing in 1947 while serving as a guide for the famous fly fisherman Joe Brooks. In 1965 he moved to Miami, Florida, and became the Director of the Metropolitan Fishing Tournament. He wrote for various fishing magazines. He is known throughout to always throw his fish back, keeping the flow in the waters for more fish.He began to fish for salt water species in the Florida Keys. It was during this time that Kreh, Joe Brooks, Al Pflueger, Tom McNally, George Hommel, Stu Apte and Bob Stearn's pioneered the techniques, deviating from the classic "Ten to Two" casting technique, that modern salt water a use to pursue fish with fly fishing gear.
In addition to his fishing accomplishments, Kreh has been an active outdoor writer for more than forty-five years. He has written for most major outdoor magazines. He is the retired outdoor editor of The Baltimore Sun and holds a staff position on several outdoor magazines. Kreh is also an accomplished photographer.
Lefty's Deceiver is an artificial fly commonly categorized as a streamer fly which is fished under the water's surface. It is a popular and widely used pattern for both predacious freshwater and saltwater game fish. It is generally considered one of the top patterns to have in any fly box. Kreh invented the Deceiver fly in the late 1950s as a streamer that would be easy to cast in wind and would not "foul" (or wrap around the bend of the hook) a common problem for older streamer patterns. The original Lefty's Deceiver was tied in an all white pattern, but fly tiers have recreated the pattern in a variety of colors. A darker colored top with a lighter bottom (mimicking the various forage fishes that larger fishes feed upon) is the most popular design. The Deceiver is arguably the best known saltwater fly pattern in the world and in 1991 the U.S. Postal Service honored Kreh’s creation with a postage stamp.
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