About Dave and Emily Whitlock's Fly Fishing Experience

Learn about Dave and Emily Whitlock

In December, 2005, Dave and Emily moved!

We've relocated to Oklahoma. Now before you ask, “why in the world did we leave Arkansas and the White River for the ‘barren plains’ of Oklahoma”, some explanation is due. First, our new location, near Tahlequah, is still in the Ozark Mountains and the topography is almost identical to that of the Arkansas Ozarks where we lived. The entire area is criss-crossed with beautiful little spring creeks and there are three smallmouth streams within a 20 minute drive. A large lake, Tenkiller, is nearby and the Illinois River flows out of it as a cold, trout stream. Big, striped bass enter the Illinois from the Arkansas River and provide another wonderful fishing opportunity. Greenleaf Lake and various other waters are also within easy driving distance. Obviously, this isn’t the typical terrain that most folks think of as Oklahoma.

Dave is an Oklahoma native from this area and attended college in Tahlequah, so he knows and loves this countryside very well. Emily is a native of Arkansas, but the lush, rolling hills and low mountains feel just like home. With Dave turning 70 in 2005 we decided to fine-tune the direction of our work somewhat, so that Dave will be able to pursue his art and writing more. With this in mind, we will not be continuing with our fly-fishing schools, but will still be offering private instruction on the waters near our home. We will also continue to speak and instruct at events across the country and occasionally take groups to fly-fishing destinations around the world. We also work with stream owners to ‘redesign’ the stream environment to improve fish and wildlife habitat, stream stability and natural beauty.

Dave’s first new book will be on his life as a fly tyer, his innovations and the patterns for his many fly designs. He has received many requests for this over the years. He also plans a book of memoirs, among others. Dave is already working on new paintings and drawings and is taking requests for commissioned originals. He and Emily have designed and produced new products such as note cards, mugs and tiles from Dave’s artwork and will continue to create and offer more and unique fly-fishing ‘artware’.

This is a new and exciting direction for the Whitlocks and we hope that you join us on this continuing journey in this wonderful sport of fly fishing.

Learn About Dave & Emily

Dave is a native Oklahoman who resigned his position as a research chemist, more than 30 years ago,and pooled his talents in painting, illustrating, writing, photography, fly fishing, fly tying and lecturing to embark on a new career as a full-time professional in the art of fly fishing.

Dave's art and writing appear regularly in many fly-fishing and sport publications such as Fly Fisherman Magazine, Fly Fishing and Tying Journal, Trout Magazine, In-Fisherman and Field & Stream. He's written four books: Dave Whitlock's Guide to Aquatic Trout Foods, the L.L. Bean Fly Fishing Handbook, the L.L. Bean Bass Fly Fishing Handbook and Imitating and Fishing Natural Fish Foods for Lefty's Little Library.

Dave has also co-authored or contributed to many other books, including The Flytyer's Almanac, Second Flytyer's Almanac, Art Flick's Master Fly Tying Guide, McClane's Fishing Encyclopedia, Migel's Stream Conservation Book and Masters on the Nymph, and others. He's illustrated more than 20 books including Steve Raymond's Year of the Angler and Year of the Trout plus President Carter's Outdoor Journal. Dave also demonstrates his fly-fishing and teaching skills in eight videos and through guest appearances on televised fly-fishing programs.

Dave's experience and creative outlook on the whole spectrum of fly fishing have earned him the reputation of being one of the top professional fly fishers in the sport. He has been the recipient of many awards for his fly-fishing and fly-tying contributions, including induction into the National Fresh Water Hall of Fame, the Max Ander's Wild Trout Award for his work on propagation of wild trout and the Federation of Fly Fishers' Conservation Man of the Year Award. Dave has also received the Buz Buzeck Flytyer's Award which is the highest honor in the fly-tying world. It recognized his innovativeness in new fly-tying patterns and his national fly-tying activities.

Dave was given the FFF James E. Henshall Award for his work in warm-water fishing and conservation, and received FFF's Ambassador Award for national and international promotion of fly fishing and conservation. In 1996 he was inducted into the Arkansas Game & Fish Hall of Fame and was given the Lifetime Contribution Award in 1997 from the National American Fly Tackle Trade Association.

One of Dave's most notable contributions to wild trout management and preservation is the Whitlock-Vibert Box System -- a unique and efficient instream salmonoid egg incubator and nursery devise. Dave spent seven years researching and developing this system and wrote and illustrated an instructional text, the FFF Whitlock -Vibert Box Handbook. Today, under the sponsorship of the Federation of Fly Fishers, this Whitlock-Vibert Box program is used throughout the world for introduction or enhancement of wild trout, char and salmon stocks.

He has always been a champion of cool and warm, as well as cold water fisheries and is known internationally for his innovative and effective fly-tying designs, including the popular Dave's Hopper. All of Dave's work, especially his art, reflects the realism of nature and related fly-fishing subjects through the eyes of a true sportsman.

Emily has been an avid outdoors woman most of her life. Born in Arkansas and raised in Colorado until she was 12, when her family returned to the South, she learned to fish when she was seven years old. Along with her two brothers she learned early in her life to love the outdoors. She has degrees in botany and biology and is a conservationist in the true sense, willing to work for preservation of the natural world. Honored as Woman of the Year by the Federation of Fly Fishers Southern Council, she has also received conservation awards from the Sierra Club and Wildlife Federation.

Emily is an accomplished fly-fishing instructor. She and Dave, as a team, teach fly fishing at their new Oklahoma setting and around the country. She's passionate about getting more women into fly fishing because she feels it's such a perfect sport for women and teaches women's casting at events throughout the year. She's an excellent lecturer whose programs include fly-fishing travels to New Zealand and other great destinations; getting started right in fly fishing; natural and imitation fish foods; and streamside wildflowers. As a photographer, her work has appeared in several national publications and on the cover of Fly Fisherman Magazine. Emily is also Dave's partner in all of his writing, art and video projects.

Emily and Dave combined their talents in 1991 and have lectured, instructed and fished together around the U.S. and abroad. A unique fly-fishing team, they are devoted to the world of fly fishing and conservation, both professionally and personally. They live near Tahlequah in the lovely Ozark Mountains of northeastern Oklahoma.