06/17/2026
Dieppe Fly Tying Club
The Dieppe Fly Tying Club was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2013
In 1999 Dieppe friends Jacques Heroux, Luc Carrier, Bertin Leblanc, and some others conceived the idea of forming a group of experienced and inexperienced anglers and fly tyers interested in exchanging information about different aspects of fishing. They knew that for the uninitiated salmon fishing can be complicated sport involving everything from selection of the best rod, line, reel, vest, waders, net, fly dope, fishing flies, canoes, paddles, poles,, to finding the best place to fish. After that, learning where in a pool to fish and how to cast the fly in exactly the best location, the “hot spot” are other challenges. The assembled skills of a successful anglers are daunting in the beginning and often intimidate the neophyte.
The club was dedicated in part to lessening the luck involved, making the sport more of a science. In this way they promote the sport of fly fishing through educated sharing of expertise based on experience.
The club invites recognize experts to their meetings to teach others what they learned. Seminars on particular topics of interest, like casting, tackle selection, matching lines to rods, the best lines for different water levels, and myriad others, attract large enthusiastic crowds.
Friendships strengthen and new ones form as stories are told. That objective of the club was almost a given. World of productive, enjoyable gatherings spread quickly. Club membership consists of around 90 people, with weekly meetings held between October and April attracting on average of 40 to 45, a good number and more than enough to maintain the enthusiasm and purpose of the group.
The second objective of encouraging fly fishing for everyone was the in the admission and membership fee structure. It was free. Removal of these barriers encouraged young people of both genders to become involved. With the children came their parents, many of whom had never fished before. The club was quite revolutionary and very successful in accomplishing its first 3 goals of promoting the sport, fellowship, and encouraging fly fishing for everyone. The club especially wanted to introduce young people to the sport.
Another of the clubs objectives was to teach fly tying. To most people, the mysteries of salmon or trout fly tying rank up there with how the pyramids are built or what Mona Lisa’s smile really means. Some fly tyers closely guard their trade secrets and take them to the grave lest some lesser mortal should discover how it is done. In the club, expert fly tyers offer step by step instruction to beginnings so they can learn to tie their own flies and invent their own designs.
Club members learn to appreciate the value of both types of flies and to tie both. After much practice, some of the new tyers entered their featherwing and hariwing flies into competitions against other enthusiasts. Through this exercise, students learn a little bit of history while learning the craft.
A bilingual fly tying club symbolizes the quintessential unifying expression of New Brunswick identity, by showing how Atlantic Salmon fishing and all its entails encompasses both language and culture. Providing a forum for discussion and information for anyone regardless of ethnicity is a unique approach that will continue to succeed. The Dieppe Fly Tying Club has established a template for the rest of the province, and if more communities follow their lead, having the next and following generations of anglers and conservationist is well assured.
There is no question about the club deserving a place in the ASM Hall of Fame. They are pioneering a new approach of self improvement to become a significant way to help others. Their exceeding the worthy goals of their mission statement is inspirational and proves that it can all, and more, be achieved with an enthusiastic team effort.
