Daily Press Writer
MONTROSE — Many 9-year-old boys are busy getting little league trophies and participation ribbons, but very few can say they are published authors.
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“A Kid’s Guide to Fly Fishing,” is a 95-page book with illustrations and diagrams Befus drew himself explaining fish, casting techniques and fly-tying. There are pictures of him fishing in rivers and photos of him holding different fish -- all the information needed for beginners.
“Once I got the idea to teach kids to fly-fish,” Befus said, “I thought of how I could better explain things, what things are, where they’re used, what they do and how they help.”
The seven-chapter book starts by explaining the “adventure” in fly-fishing.
“My favorite part of the book is the general theme throughout,” said his dad, Brad. “It’s more than catching fish - it’s an adventure.”
Tyler’s life has been an adventure and being a young fly-fishing guru has helped.
His father started fly-fishing at 8 years old and brought Tyler into it even sooner. At only a few months old, Tyler was on his dad’s back watching him cast into the waters. By three he had caught his first fish and was fly tying.
Brad, sales manager for Ross Reels, Inc. in Montrose, has also published a few books and Tyler would accompany him during talks and demonstrations at a very young age.
Lisa, his mother, said Tyler was around 7 years old when he first started being a “side” in his dad’s shows, doing short talks about the “kid’s perspective of fly-fishing.”
The shows and demonstrations revealed how fly-fishing is an “adult dominant sport,” Brad said. “His (Tyler) goal was to have something to get more kids involved.”
Even before the book, Tyler enjoyed writing.
“He was so into writing,” Lisa said. “It was a huge phase. He would sit in his room and write different books.”
These staple-bound books, Tyler explains, were about things like techniques and fly-tying .
After Brad saw the homemade books, he and Tyler discussed the idea of a real book.
“The book is the first of its kind out there,” Brad said, adding that most fly-fishing books are geared toward adults.
Johnson Books in Boulder published the book, and 5,000 copies are on bookshelves around the country. Johnson Publisher Mira Perrizo said she wasn’t sure what to think about the idea when Brad and Tyler brought it to her.
“I wasn’t sure where it would fit,” Perrizo said. “But I saw it as a viable product because it could go on fly-fishing shelves along with the kids’ shelf.”
She said when the finished draft was brought to her it was well-written, laid out and illustrated.
“It was so grown up,” she said.
Tyler said he and his dad worked on the book during the weekend.
“It was a very long process,” he said, “Working on it with my dad was fun.”
He said his goal is to spread the word and excitement about fly-fishing.
“I really like fly-fishing and I think others should too,” he said. “It’s a lot cooler than watching TV. And kids that do that, I want them to get off the couch and go outdoors and learn about bugs, nature and spend time with their family.”
Fly-fishing has brought all these things to Tyler. He said he likes traveling around, seeing new places and meeting new people.
Many of his adventures are mentioned in his book, but Tyler said his favorite was his trip to Japan. He said it was a good opportunity to learn a new culture, new species that are difficult to catch, and different foods. Spending most of the time learning, he was amazed at the focus of fly-fishers in Japan. “Every cast must be perfect,” he said.
Tyler will be traveling to New Jersey and Denver in January for different fly-fishing shows. He’s the youngest member of Whiting Farms, Rio Products, and Ross Reels pro staff teams and is a fly designer for Umpqua Feather Merchants.
Tyler has been featured in numerous fly-fishing shows and articles. He’s currently working on an instructional DVD about fly-fishing. He also recently worked with Barry Reynolds, nationally known fly fisherman, on his new outdoors series.
Contact Kati O’Hare via e-mail at katio@montrosepress.com
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