Gary LaFontaine is one of the names that will be remembered a hundred years from now and people will be soaking up the wisdom in his books for generations to come. I was not lucky enough to know and spend time with Gary but luckily for all of us people like Al & Gretchen Beatty did.
Al & Gretchen's new book LaFontaine's Legacy: The Last Flies from an American Master is a showcase of Gary's final designs before his life was cut short when he died of Lou Gehrig’s disease in 2002. The fly tying instructions and step by step photos are absolutely terrific but to me it is the personal stories about Gary that are sprinkled in that I really enjoyed. We all respect and admire great fly tiers but we enjoy great characters just as much. Gary will always be remembered for his innovative fly patterns but the stories about the man behind the vise will live on thanks to the people that shared them in this book.
LaFontaine's Legacy Review