Classic Patterns, Cowboy Grit: Inside the World of Fly Tyer Blake Glover
With: the_flytying_cowboy
There’s a certain kind of strength that shows up when life hits hardest—and that’s exactly what we saw in Blake Glover, better known in our world as The Fly Tying Cowboy. I had the chance to sit down with Blake and hear how he turned unimaginable heartbreak into a fire that fuels his passion for fly tying. From that first Walmart fly rod to pro staff roles with Daiichi, Veevus, and The Fly Hair Co., Blake’s journey is raw, real, and deeply rooted in tradition. We caught up with him to talk about the patterns he loves, the gear he trusts, and the purpose that keeps him tying flies day after day. This one’s about resilience, legacy, and the healing power of thread and feather.
Blake, can you share how you first got into fly fishing and what sparked your passion for fly tying specifically?
I really want to thank you Fly Life Media for giving me this wonderful opportunity to introduce myself As the Fly Tying Cowboy,
Hi I’m Blake Glover, I am 25 years young and I am a Professional and demonstrational fly tyer.
It all started when my son Graycen James Glover, bless hia heart, passed away a still born in December on the 14th of 2022, I had been down on my luck with everything going on, his momma left me that spring and it seemed as though my life had collapsed around me. I went to the Walmart to purchase some fishing items and they had a little 50$ fly fishing set that I had purchased along with some flies, I started teaching myself how to use it and started getting really good with it. Later that summer, I finally landed myself a yellow perch on a fly known as the Mickey Finn and I was stoked! I called up my cousin James Yeppez and asked him how one would go about tying flies and that’s where it all began, I started studying fly tying and talking with Barry Ord Clarke, Davie McPhail, Richard Harris and Many other tyers about patterns they tie and questions I had when following along with the patterns they tied on the YouTube and Facebook. I worked countless hours tying up to 12 hours daily for little over 3 years. I soon got a message from my Boss and personal Friend Bruce Corwin with Solarez Resins and he took me under his wing as his Pro Team member, I started tying for his online news letters and kept advertising his wonderful product and soon enough Daiichi had been taking notice and they too wanted to jump on the Cowboy train. Later followed The Fly Hair Co and my recent sponsor with Veevus Threads. Ever since then I’ve kinda used Fly Tying as a way to help myself get through the dark days and allow myself to try and recreate something as beautiful as my son was, I don’t think I ever will but what’s the harm in trying ? Fly Tying is very therapeutic and relaxing to mind as well as the heart and its helped me become the man you see today .
As a Pro Staff member for The Fly Hair Co and Daiichi Hooks, how do your experiences with these brands influence your creative process when tying flies?
I have always kind of been an old soul as a person, and this kind of lead me to really love and appreciate the Classics which all had one thing in common, Naturals, I don’t really like using synthetic materials as a lot of them aren’t good for the fish and they aren’t biodegradable. This to me is one of the leading reasons why I took on the sponsorship with The Fly Hair Co, they don’t sell synthetics and most of the products sold won’t harm the fish. Daiichi on the other hand I’ve tied flies on their hooks my entire fly tying career, they are strong. When I say strong I mean I’ve yet to have a fish break off on a Daiichi hook and that’s all in the 3 years I have used their beautiful product. Daiichi’s slick black finish on their hooks are to die for, this really hides the hook in the waters and allows for your fly to look suspended in the water swimming freely and naturally. Last thing I’d like to add is Daiichi hooks are a good bang for the buck ! I couldn’t have tied such beautiful flies with out the help of Veevus Threads as well the thread is smooth and very strong and lays flat which really helps smoothing out the bodies of my salmon flies.
Blake, your Instagram showcases some incredible fly tying techniques—what’s one signature pattern you love to tie that you feel truly represents your style as the_flytying_cowboy?
Truthfully speaking, my signature fly is any kind of hair winged salmon fly or classic style salmon flies including feather wings and tubed salmon flies as well, this allows for me to use the natural materials more effectively and won’t harm the environment in the process if I had to choose a signature pattern I’d either have to go with the Taddler Minnow (which is a fly I’ve come up with for the small mouths here in Michigan) or the Rusty Rat which is a classic salmon fly using rust orange floss, peacocks herl, tinsel, hackle and squirrel hair for the wing.
What are your top 3 tips for tying effective dry flies that both beginners and experienced tiers can benefit from?
A little goes along way, that said when picking and choosing dubbing, for your dry fly be sure to pinch a small amount of dubbing and drop it above the table, if it hits the table fast remove some and do it again, you want the dubbing to gradually float down as if it were a feather. Use wax to prevent your dubbing from slipping on your thread and spin tightly with your fingers, another tip I’ve found helpful is that when tying a dry fly, is to tie a loop and spin the dubbing in the dubbing loop, make sure that loop is spun very tightly to help keep the water out, once the dubbing is saturated with water it will sink your fly like a stone, so be sure to seal that dubbing tight to keep it from saturating the fly. Last but certainly not least when tying a dry fly, your proportions are key to a good floating fly if the tails short it won’t sit right in the film if the hackles too long it will roll like a log on the water and if the wings are too big and long it will spin your tippet and cause your casts to lose distance as well as a natural presentation necessary for targeting those finicky trout.
Blake, what advice would you give to someone just getting started in fly tying who wants to follow in your footsteps and develop their own unique approach?
When you’re starting out I know the cheap items are the most ideal rout to take when tying but Hear me out , you’ll want the top of the line best vice and tools for the job, they will allow you to make those precision cuts, hold the absolute smallest hooks and even make your job a lot easier, so spend that extra dollar on those expensive items, this will help make your job easier and a lot of the expensive items do last longer so long as you take care of them. With that in mind also take the time and really give your tools a little TLC here and there, giving your tools the love will allow them to take care of you in the longrun. They say a cowboys as good as the horse he rode in on and the sidearm he carries. What’s a cowboy with a gun that cant shoot or a dehydrated horse who’s tired and doesn’t want to drink. ha
Want my advice? take care of your tools you’ll thank me later
