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Jesse Filingo
Signature Tyer
Growing up with a farm pond outside our front door wasn't a bad thing. My dad put a fishing rod in my hand before I could even walk. He baited my hooks, sat me in his lap, helped me cast out to the middle of the pond, and reeled in fish with me. But it was at the early age of five that I first witnessed fly fishing.
Our family moved to Tennessee and my dad took my brothers and I to a little tailwater to try trout fishing. There was a group of fly fishers in the middle of the river waving their wands around, and I was in awe. That Christmas when I turned six years old, I had my first fly rod waiting under the tree for me. It was a Bass Pro White River Classic 8'6ft 5wt medium action fly rod that I still have to this day. I'd practice every day in my yard and prayed to God dad would have time to take me to the river every chance he could.
It didn't take long for me to realize that I needed to start tying my own flies in order to really get this 'fly fishing' thing down. So by eight years old I started tying my own flies. Crazy fact, I can't recall buying a single fly for myself since I started tying flies. I've bought them for others; friends and clients, and have been given flies to use by clients, but I do not recall buying any flies since the age of eight - crazy.
Regardless, fly fishing has totally transformed my life. I pursued it all over the country and beyond. Growing up fly fishing in the south I fished dozens of southern tailwaters and Appalachian streams for trout. I've fished for largemouth, smallmouth, stiped, and hybrid bass in different bodies of water. I've caught carp on the fly, catfish on the fly, small game fish like brim and crappie on the fly.. you name it. But, nothing, and I mean nothing has come close to the feeling of wading in a cold stream looking for an elusive wild trout.
My passion for trout forced me to leave my youth in Tennessee, and pursue finishing college at the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana. What a magnificent three years that was. It was there I explored rivers all over the west coast. That experience was nothing short of a blessing and pleasure. It was fantastic! It also gave me the opportunity to represent my university in the first collegiate level fly fishing competition in Cong, Ireland on the Lough Corrib Lake. Out of the 15 teams that competed worldwide, my partner Tony Tomsu (founder of River Road Creations Foam Cutters) and I came in 3rd place, finishing behind the two Irish teams. I was proud of us, but I also learned that competitive fly fishing wasn't for me.
After college I left Montana and headed back to my roots in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. Within a year of moving to the northeast, I already had my guiding license for the state of PA. It didn't take me long to realize I wanted to run an outfitter on the Upper Delaware River Watershed, so I also got my NY guiding license. Between PA and NY, small creeks and drift boats on the Delaware River, I finally found my forever home.
I grew my outfitter from the ground up, never working for a shop or lodge. I helped out a few times, but with dedication, hard work, and accidentally dropping brochures off on hundreds of windshields (.....), things seemed to fall in line for me. While I was growing my outfitter I was also writing for a handful of fly fishing magazines including American Angler, Eastern Fly Fishing, Fly Fishing and Tying Journal, Fly Fusion, Midwest Outdoors, and Connections Magazines. I've also written a book titled, "The Adventures of a Young Angler" that I haven't found a publisher for yet - but I won't give up!
I started tying and selling my Jemstone Worm pattern around the country. My amazing wife Renee (girlfriend at the time) would help me with the tying process so I could produce them at a higher volume. She was also my photographer for all the magazine article shoots and continues to do all the photography for me. All the while I was working in a grocery store as a manager to help pay my bills and way of living. It was a crazy, busy, beautiful time of our lives, and eventually it paid off. By the age of 26 I was self employed through my outfitter Filingo Fly Fishing which is where I stand today.
I've been growing and loving every second on the water with my clients. There's nothing better than softly rowing through the water on a foggy still morning, waiting to see soft rise rings on the river's edge from a large wild trout. I cherish every second I get fly fishing for trout.. Every second. There's simply nothing better in this world!
Growing up with a farm pond outside our front door wasn't a bad thing. My dad put a fishing rod in my hand before I could even walk. He baited my hooks, sat me in his lap, helped me cast out to the middle of the pond, and reeled in fish with me. But it was at the early age of five that I first witnessed fly fishing.
Our family moved to Tennessee and my dad took my brothers and I to a little tailwater to try trout fishing. There was a group of fly fishers in the middle of the river waving their wands around, and I was in awe. That Christmas when I turned six years old, I had my first fly rod waiting under the tree for me. It was a Bass Pro White River Classic 8'6ft 5wt medium action fly rod that I still have to this day. I'd practice every day in my yard and prayed to God dad would have time to take me to the river every chance he could.
It didn't take long for me to realize that I needed to start tying my own flies in order to really get this 'fly fishing' thing down. So by eight years old I started tying my own flies. Crazy fact, I can't recall buying a single fly for myself since I started tying flies. I've bought them for others; friends and clients, and have been given flies to use by clients, but I do not recall buying any flies since the age of eight - crazy.
Regardless, fly fishing has totally transformed my life. I pursued it all over the country and beyond. Growing up fly fishing in the south I fished dozens of southern tailwaters and Appalachian streams for trout. I've fished for largemouth, smallmouth, stiped, and hybrid bass in different bodies of water. I've caught carp on the fly, catfish on the fly, small game fish like brim and crappie on the fly.. you name it. But, nothing, and I mean nothing has come close to the feeling of wading in a cold stream looking for an elusive wild trout.
My passion for trout forced me to leave my youth in Tennessee, and pursue finishing college at the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana. What a magnificent three years that was. It was there I explored rivers all over the west coast. That experience was nothing short of a blessing and pleasure. It was fantastic! It also gave me the opportunity to represent my university in the first collegiate level fly fishing competition in Cong, Ireland on the Lough Corrib Lake. Out of the 15 teams that competed worldwide, my partner Tony Tomsu (founder of River Road Creations Foam Cutters) and I came in 3rd place, finishing behind the two Irish teams. I was proud of us, but I also learned that competitive fly fishing wasn't for me.
After college I left Montana and headed back to my roots in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. Within a year of moving to the northeast, I already had my guiding license for the state of PA. It didn't take me long to realize I wanted to run an outfitter on the Upper Delaware River Watershed, so I also got my NY guiding license. Between PA and NY, small creeks and drift boats on the Delaware River, I finally found my forever home.
I grew my outfitter from the ground up, never working for a shop or lodge. I helped out a few times, but with dedication, hard work, and accidentally dropping brochures off on hundreds of windshields (.....), things seemed to fall in line for me. While I was growing my outfitter I was also writing for a handful of fly fishing magazines including American Angler, Eastern Fly Fishing, Fly Fishing and Tying Journal, Fly Fusion, Midwest Outdoors, and Connections Magazines. I've also written a book titled, "The Adventures of a Young Angler" that I haven't found a publisher for yet - but I won't give up!
I started tying and selling my Jemstone Worm pattern around the country. My amazing wife Renee (girlfriend at the time) would help me with the tying process so I could produce them at a higher volume. She was also my photographer for all the magazine article shoots and continues to do all the photography for me. All the while I was working in a grocery store as a manager to help pay my bills and way of living. It was a crazy, busy, beautiful time of our lives, and eventually it paid off. By the age of 26 I was self employed through my outfitter Filingo Fly Fishing which is where I stand today.
I've been growing and loving every second on the water with my clients. There's nothing better than softly rowing through the water on a foggy still morning, waiting to see soft rise rings on the river's edge from a large wild trout. I cherish every second I get fly fishing for trout.. Every second. There's simply nothing better in this world!