Harry & Elsie Darbee

Harry Darbee learned the art of fly tying by untying the flies of Theodore Gordon, Roy Steenrod, Reuben Cross and Herman Christian.  He then taught Elsie Bivins, the woman he soon married.  In 1935 they established E.B. & H.A. Darbee, Fishing Flies and Fly Tying Materials, Livingston Manor, NY.  Pioneers of the classic, sparsely dressed, Catskill style of fly tying, Harry and Elsie were always eager to share their knowledge and techniques with the fly fishing community.  There were recognized the world over.  Their flies appeared in many books of the time, giving fly tyers a standard of perfection for the flies and patterns not previously published or photographed.  Through their countless contributions to fly fishing and fly tying, their development of dry fly dun hackles, and their devotion to the fish, flies and the waters of the area, the Catskill tradition lives on today.