Mike Tomaselli
AKA Last Cast Mike

Mike is a new friend found through the site. I had asked him a while ago to send me some fly pictures and a short Bio. He was kind enough to do so but I was so caught up in my travels earlier this year I neglected to include it until now almost two weeks late. I'm sorry Mike.

Mikes insightful biography is well worth the read:

"I was born in upstate New York 54 years ago. I am a Mechanical Engineer and run a small business where we sell filters and water purification equipment.

I started fishing as a very young boy with my father ? trout fishing with worms and an occasional spinner.

My brother, who was very much influenced by a great fly tyer and fisherman ? Del Mazza ? started fly fishing while in high school and college and purchased a fly setup for me thinking I would like it. I tried it and became hooked about 25 years ago and have since tried to fly fish whenever possible.

We fish all year ? early for Florida Gulf Coast Snook and Redfish and at ice out using classic Rangely streamer trolling for landlocked salmon. We get then to stripers in spring, blues in summer in the salt. Montana in late summer early fall and finally fall stripers on their migration south along the New England coast.

With any of the fishing above, I tie almost all the flies I use. I think you become a better fly fisherman from understanding and tying your own flies. There?s an interplay of many factors simplified down to fly weight and/or density, and fly cross section which you can control when you tie your own to get the fly exactly where you want in the water column.

The tying I have done on full dress salmon flies has made me a better tier with all the other flies I tie. I tie the full dress patterns during the off season which for us up here is in the winter.

I have been greatly influenced in my tying originally by Poul Jorgensen. I always thought his flies were perfectly proportioned and executed. Bob Veverka has spent some time with me locally at shows explaining some of his patterns. I spent time at shows also with Mike Martinek who certainly knows his Rangely Streamers. I?ve been tying them for years and the flies have taken their share of Land Locks all over New England. Recently I?ve been using the new full dress salmon DVD by Michael Radencich which is a milestone for a lot of reasons.

I?ve been frustrated in my tying many times. I love to go look and buy materials. One of the major frustrations occurs when you buy material and then realize when you try to use it that is not suitable. The advice that I would give to anyone starting out, which I have seldom followed, is to be patient when purchasing the material you use to tie flies. I?ve spent a lot of money on material I have never really use, but on the other hand, I really have a lot of great material to look at and find new uses for.

What has always been best about fly fishing and fly tying is that you can get all sorts of help with the craft usually by just asking someone. People share. Although all the new money in the sport and the ever increasing competitions complicate some of this sharing, for the most part people willingly give of their knowledge. There is also patience and a quiet about the sport which defies description. You really have to experience it. The new money and increasing competition have obscured some of this also but the patience and quiet are still there for the experience.

One picture stays in my head. If you?ve seen the movie ?A River Runs Through It? and seen the last scenes with a very old fellow fishing a beautiful western stream(probably the Gallatin) as he is counting through his last days. That?s a good vision."

Mikes flies are a good vision as well. Simply click on the thumbnails below to view a larger picture: