WHITE RIVER DEMON

[Gary Webb]

Remembering Tony

White River Demon  By Tony Spezio

Hook :      Streamer 6-12

Thread:    Fluorescent Red

Head:       4 mm plastic silver bead  5 mm for sz 6, 8

Weight:    10 wraps of .010 .015 up against the bead

Tail:           White rabbit fur with several strands of Pearl Krystal Flash on each side

Body:        Pearl plastic canvas braid wrapped two times (This allows the braid to trap air)

Hackle:     White or Cream saddle

Eyes:        Dot nail polish or colored UV glue on the head

Tie in the rabbit fur tail at the beginning of the bend.

Tie in the hackle where the tail was tied in. 

Tie in the braid at the same point.  Wrap it forward and then back to the tail.

Wrap the hackle forward wooly bugger style.

Wrap the thread to make a hot spot collar.

The trapped air makes the fly more buoyant so it kind of shimmies in a slow sink.

Here is Nick Runarsson's version of Tony's fly:

https://www.swedneckflyfishing.com/wr_demon.htm

[Joyce M Westphal]

Thank you for this neat pattern.  Tony built my wonderful bamboo rod. Joyce

thank 

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[BobH]

Hi Joyce it’s good to see a post from you. Bob Haering here Tony was one of the greatest.  It is really great to see a post from vfb I’m stuck in an ED waiting for another surgery tonight to clean an infection in my leg. It figures though it’s prime fishing time here cold or warm water. 

BobH

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On May 22, 2025, at 11:03 AM, Joyce M Westphal <joyc...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Neville Gosling]

Yes, I miss Tony and many others in the group who are no longer with us.

Neville (Név) Gosling

Greater Vancouver Canada

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[BobH]

I agree we need to resurrect VFB. I know I have missed you guys. Any of the Michiganders around? Hex hatch is coming 

Bobh

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On May 22, 2025, at 2:47 PM, Neville Gosling <nev.g...@gmail.com> wrote:

Yes, I miss Tony and many others in the group who are no longer with us.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/vfb-mail/7189E146-8136-412E-A9C3-62BD9B20C3EB%40gmail.com.

[BobH]

Hi Nev. you know guys we need to revive the list. So many memories and swaps. I remember the Michigan members. We had fun at the tying shows.  Are you guys still around? You know the hex hatch is coming. It has been too long for me.

BobH

Sent from my iPhone

On May 22, 2025, at 2:47 PM, Neville Gosling <nev.g...@gmail.com> wrote:

Yes, I miss Tony and many others in the group who are no longer with us.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/vfb-mail/7189E146-8136-412E-A9C3-62BD9B20C3EB%40gmail.com.

[Nick Runarsson]

But now Jester is back. Remember him... the Swedish Redneck?

My doctor and boss and Teresa and everybody around me are at me right now... WORK LESS... and my body doesn't disagree. I'm back where I was at 2004, when unemployment made me need an interest and I found you the first time... and soon I was in the Fly-Tying Fanatic circus for real. 10 years later I had to take a break, which sadly never ended. But now I start to feel that interest waking up again and I'm very eager to start tying again.

I should have done it before we moved, when my tying stations stood there waiting. Then I wouldn't have packed the boxes like I did. It would have been on top and the boxes would have been the first reachable ones. Only God can tell where the stuff can be found right now. There are boxes all around the house.

But it won't be long now. I wonder if I remember how to do it. Maybe it'll be EXACTLY as it was when I came here the first time... when you had to drag me into my first fly swap. LOL

Best Regards,

Nick Runarsson, Sweden

[Henk Verhaar]

Attaboy. I will be retiring at the end of this year (i’ve already had my last working day ;-) ) and will be devoting most of my time to fishing, tying and building bamboo rods… Hoping to see you take up tying for real. Can’t remember exactly where you are in Sweden, but we’ll be back in Norway (Hedmark) this summer -  barring any unforeseen events…

Henk

[Niclas (Gmail)]

Hello Henk!

Oh, I really hope for fishing again too. But I have no great expectations there. I will settle with tying for now. Today fishing would be too hazardous. Maybe if this tying resurrection can make me feel a little better and make my seizures take a step back to where they were before... when they mostly came nighttime during sleep and with months inbetween. Now, when they come way more often, where I stand and all around the clock, standing by the waterline is Russian roulette for me.

Fishing is thrilling for sure... but for some, the thrill is more than you want from it. LOL

/Nick

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[Jack Harford]

Hi VFBers

I was a late comer to this esteemed group invited by Al Fish. Al and I tied together some and he introduced me to Sowbug and several of you. Al passed in 2022 but memories of Al, and Tony and Joyce and others remain. Here's my special Christmas fly, the Rudolph 

Tight Lines in 2026

Jack

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[Neville Gosling]

It is good to hear from you Nick and Henk

I am still here but haven't fished or tied a fly for several years - not because I don’t want to but because I have fairly severe diabetes that makes driving an issue plus I don’t have a fishing partner that lives near me and it is not safe for me to fish alone. I am in the slow process of downsizing my fishing tackle as I just turned 80. Unfortunately two of my previous fishing partners have passed away and others have moved to another Province (state).

I attended the SowBug in March 2011 and met several VFB’ers there including both Tony Spezio, Alan Fish, Rick Zieger and many others.

Rick Still posts his daily sunfish flies and has almost singlehandedly kept the VFB going. Thank you Rick

Nev Gosling
Greater Vancouver
British Columbia, Canada

[Niclas (Gmail)]

VFB roundup at Sowbug Roundup 2006. My first public tying. Talk about a start with a rush...

 

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[Neville Gosling]

Gosh, that photo brings back memories, It would be nice to have all the names.

Neville (Nev) Gosling

Greater Vancouver

BC  Canada

[Niclas (Gmail)]

Names to most of the faces can be found on the Sowbug 2006 and 2008 pictures here:

https://www.swedneckflyfishing.com/sowbug2006_photos1.htm

https://www.swedneckflyfishing.com/sowbug2008_photos1.htm

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[Rick Zieger]

That picture brings back many memoires. Glad to see some names again.

Rick 

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[Rick Zieger]

Thanks for the names.

Rick

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[jba...@betadigm.com]

I haven’t been very active w/ any regard to fly fishing. I’m still a member of FFI & the tying guild, but I haven’t tied in a couple of years & only fished a few times. I don’t remember the last time I was @ Sow Bug, but Tony kept trying to get me to take over his station to tie.

I was talked out of retirement 5 years ago & I was regional director for the Central Region of Ambucs the last two years, which took up a lot of my time, but I’m back to being a “has been” for Ambucs & I’ve been digging out tools & materials for spring.

 

J

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[Michael Bliss]

This post and picture is a warm blanket.  Some of those in the picture have gone now.  I am still tying and fishing but less so than before.  Thanks for good memories.

Mike Bliss

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Mike Bliss

[Byard Miller]

Good to hear from you folks. Hope all had a great Christmas and best wishes for a bright new year. 

keep tyin’ … byard

Sent from Byard's iPhone

On Dec 28, 2025, at 3:56 PM, Michael Bliss <flyfi...@gmail.com> wrote:



This post and picture is a warm blanket.  Some of those in the picture have gone now.  I am still tying and fishing but less so than before.  Thanks for good memories.

Mike Bliss

On Sun, Dec 28, 2025 at 2:10 PM 'Rick Zieger' via VFB Mail <vfb-...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

That picture brings back many memoires. Glad to see some names again.

Rick 

On Sunday, December 28, 2025 at 02:07:20 PM CST, Niclas (Gmail) <n.run...@gmail.com> wrote:

VFB roundup at Sowbug Roundup 2006. My first public tying. Talk about a start with a rush...

 

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Virus-free.www.avg.com

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