You may have not heard of the Rist brothers before but you certainly will in the future. Pictured at right Edwin (left) is 16 is brother Anton (right) is 11. They came to my attention via Ed Muzeroll. To see what he says about them click on Muzzy . The photo was taken at the 2004 International Fly Tying Symposium in Somerset, New Jersey when I had the pleasure of meeting these fine young men.

In the Spring 2005 (Vol. 11 No. 1) issue of Fly Tyer Magazine, Editor Dave Klausmeyer, after meeting the Brothers Rist, says in the Editor's Bench "They are two of the finest young gentlemen you'd hope to meet, and they prove that the future of Fly Tying is in good hands."

The brothers live in Claverack New York and spend most of their time tying flies according to their dad. He says they would spend all their time in their Fly Tying workshop but he forces them to come in and eat once in a while. I guess they have that gene that seems to accompany most Fly Tyers (I know I sure have it) in that their work area tends to get a little messy. Their mom tells me she has to force them to pick up and put away every once in a while. Wouldn't it be a better world if that was the biggest problem we faced with children today. Their Flies are available for sale, anyone wishing to purchase them may contact them directly at rist@taconic.net

The young men have been kind enough to share pictures of their Flies. Shown below are thumbnails you simply click on to enlarge. The first set are Anton's the second are Edwin's Edwin has also added a Fly In Stages, click on EDWIN to see his Green Highlander or ANTON to see his Evangeline in the Educational Resources section:




June 27 2005 Edwin sent the three fly picture shown above that his younger brother Anton tied. This is part of what Edwin put in the note:

"Anton's Evening Star I have to say is probably the most incredible thing I have seen (Aside from Luc's Orenocensis Fly...).
He tied it while I was away for a week, and made my hair stand on end when he showed it to me upon my return. I didn't sleep well that night." It's hard to believe that anyone as young as these guys can tie like like they do. I'm beyond impressed! Edwin doesn't need to loose any sleep though. I think they are both incredible.
The flies below were tied by Edwin:



April 14 2005 I received 3 new fly pictures from Edwin. Two are posted above in Anton's section, Roy G Biv and Silver Jock Scott. Edwin's fly arrived without a name other than Edwin so I dubbed it Edwin's Fancy as it is very striking not to mention masterfully done. I'm saving the name "Edwin's Masterpiece" for a fly I know he is working on.

I had to share the note that Edwin sent with the pictures:

"Here are some new fly photos. As you can tell, we have been doing some experiments with different techniques and styles. We've also been doing some experiments on Anton, to find out why he has gotten so good at tying (and to see if "we" can thwart it.).....

Edwin and "Chernobyl Ant"on" I think Anton's skill is due in part to his desire to keep up with his big brother. You guys amaze me. Your "experiments" as you call them are spectacular!



May 24 2005 Edwin has outdone himself this time. He has sent three pictures again. Two for Anton shown above in his area and the fly directly above by Edwin. The fly is spectacular. He was kind enough to include a bit of additional information. It is as follows:
"Here are some photos of our latest flies. I have a few things to tell you about the Paradisea Minora that are quite odd.
To taper the underbody, I used an ENTIRE, brand new 15 yard spool if pinkish floss, and it still wasn't thick enough, so I had to wrap my thread over a couple dozen times. It looked like some disgustingly enormous pink Insect larvae at this point, and was terribly discouraging. What's more, I tapered it down in front too abruptly, and couldn?t wrap down my crests/horns, etc, without it falling apart. I remedied this by putting joint compound (yes, the spackle you use to cover holes in your wall.) around the head to enlarge it.
This worked, but as I was finishing it, the compound began to crack and pop off, so I had a donut shaped chunk of plaster spinning around the end off my gut to deal with as well, but if I removed it at that moment, I wouldn't have been able to tie anything else in as it all would have slid right off. To top things, our cauterizer broke, so I had to heat a bodkin up with a blow torch to get rid of any little threads, but it would lose all of its heat in the time it took to move from the torch to the fly.
All in all, the worst, yet most amusing experience I have had to date.
Remarkably, I don't think the fly is all that bad, but I will let the viewer decide on that......" July 16 2005 Edwin has sent two new flies since the last update in June. They are the Blue Boyne and Popham shown above. He has this to say about the Blue Boyne:

"Here is one of my latest creations, A Blue Boyne. Anton is vehemently opposed to it, but it is my favorite so far (of mine...) Anton is mainly frustrated because I put horns on it, and the original pattern does not have them. I think the pattern is gorgeous, and I'm toying with the idea of tying a series with each species of Cotinga and crow, but that may not be practical right now..." The next fly picture I received is the Popham in the row above, unfortunately this is all he had to say:

"Here is another fly I just finished, a Popham. Unlike usual, I don't have a story to go along with it."All I can say is: Do you believe just how good these guys are getting? The last six pictures that they have sent puts them in a category all their own. Bear in mind neither is old enough to vote and Anton is younger now than I was when I started tying flies (I was 13) and I was older than Edwin before I could tie an OK Woolly Worm.

July 20 2005 Edwin has sent a second edition of the Un-Married Angel. It is the final fly in the row above.
September 1 2005 Three new very impressive flies have been added to Antons section above. I've said it before but when I look at the flies he has tied I find it amazing this young man has just now begun his Teenage years. Happy Birthday Anton.
September 12 2005 Two new flies have been added. The Lang Syne to Antons section and a very impressive Chatterer done by Edwin. Edwins only remark was:

"Chatterer feather stems are so very forgiving...." I'm not sure if he is being facetious or what but I find them one of the most obstreperous feathers there is to lay flat.