Lefty’s Stamp . . .
Lefty’s Deceiver
(NYC 03 2018)
Bernard “Lefty” Kreh left us at the age of 93 on Pi Day, March 14th, a date almost fitting given the man’s full circle of a life.
One of his many achievements occured just a month after the passing of his great colleague, Lee Wullf, in the spring of 1991. No less an institution than the United States Postal Service honored Krey with a 1st Class postage stamp picturing his immortal Lefty’s Deceiver.
Lefty’ Deceiver and a 1925 Standing Liberty
(what a quarter looked like the year Mr. Kreh was born)
That stamp, part of my extended collection, keeps a central special place in my pantheon. Chuck Ripper’s photogravures, which also depicted the Apte Tarpon, Jock Scott, Muddler Minnow, and Royal Wulff, were an early artistic inspiration like Dr. Burke’s plates found in Ray Bergman’s quintessential treatise, Trout, an inspiration for my own artwork.
I have two books in print full of my own fly pattern art, yet had never attempted Lefty’s Deceiver, until now:
“Lefty’s Deceiver (of fish!)”
(pencils and rubber rub on paper, 2018)
I never fished with the man, but in person in private we talked, and I am happy to report he liked my comparison of tekara fishing the fly for crappie to that of saltwater fly fishing for the awesome Megalops, the tarpon. Both fish share a similar shaped mouth and gulp a fly in like manner; we agreed!
Memories, good memories, and a lifetime of lessons documented in interviews, videos, and a number of wonderful, readable books.
Lefty Kreh – you inform us, involve us, and your words shall remain stamped in our hearts and minds and our fishing.
Lefty Krey With Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass
(from Tips and Tricks of Spinning by Lefty Kreh, c. 1969)
Lefty Kreh, 1925-2018
— rPs 03 19 2018
Tenkara Takes Manhattan 
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