About Us
Competitive fly fishing techniques and gear for the mainstream angler.
If you've found our site then you likely love to fly fish. While fly fishermen and women like to tout that fly fishing is much more than just about catching fish (and it is), I doubt there are many of us who wouldn't like to fill the net with a few more fish each day. This site is dedicated to helping you do just that. We've lived in the world of competitive fly fishing for nearly 20 years, where catching one more fish is often the difference between a medal and a finish in the middle of the pack. Even if you don't compete, one more fish may be just the way to cap off your day on a positive note. We often have a hard time leaving without just one more. And you never know, that one last fish might be the one whose memory and photo hangs on your wall for a lifetime. We want to help you catch that fish and make that memory. By imparting our hard earned knowledge of domestic and foreign competition-inspired fly fishing and tying tactics, and supplying you with the gear needed to master them, we aim to make your days in the water more productive and, in turn, more memorable.
Devin Olsen
Founder and Obsessed Fly Fisherman
I started fly fishing at age 9. I will never forget my first day where I caught a cutthroat on an ant in a stream in Yellowstone national park on a hand me down fiberglass 7 weight. Though I’d been fishing with hardware since I was a toddler, that day started an addiction to fly fishing that I can't seem to shake. When I fished against Lance Egan and Ryan Barnes in the former Outdoor Life Network’s Fly Fishing Master’s in 2004, I knew I had to find a way to compete in the sport I loved. It was serendipitous that I worked with both these anglers a year later after they had made Fly Fishing Team USA. I fished in my first Fly Fishing Team USA qualifier and made the team myself at the National Championship in 2006.
The ensuing years have been more educational than I could have ever imagined, and I'm still as obsessed with fly fishing today as I've ever been. This obsession has brought dedication, which has helped me to have competitive success domestically and abroad. I've been lucky enough to fish in 15 World Fly Fishing Championships for Fly Fishing Team USA. In 2015 I was able to win the individual bronze medal and even more fortunate to have been a part of the squad that won the first team medal (a silver) for the USA at the World Fly fishing Championship in Bosnia. In the years since, our team has earned bronze medals in the 2016, 2024, and 2025 World Fly Fishing Championships.
Fly fishing competitions have exposed me to tactics and techniques from incredible teammates and fellow fly anglers from across the globe. Away from competitive fishing, fish have sculpted my professional life as well. I hold a bachelor's degree in ecology and a master's degree in fisheries science and spent three years working as a fisheries biologist before taking on Tactical Fly Fisher as a full-time business in 2017. I have a wonderful wife Julia and two great kids showing some early interest in fishing. What more could a guy ask for?