Featured Anglers & Fly Tiers
 Smallmouth Legend: Dave Kollmann
Taken from blog entries September 2005 and July 15, 2007
I finally had the pleasure to spend a day on the water with the one of the most knowledgeable fly anglers around - Dave Kollmann from St. Cloud, MN. Although fish with “shoulders” eluded us this day, but we racked up some serious numbers of bucketmouths on a “Secret Lake” somewhere in Minnesota.
Dave is best known for his prodigious lip service on hundreds of smallmouth in the St. Cloud region of the Mississippi near his home. He is an expert fly tier, starting at the age of twelve, focusing largely on warm water fishing patterns. His most famous, the “Fly of the Day” is described elsewhere.
We initially searched for some Paul Bunyan-sized sunnies in the Mississippi north of Brainerd. These mythological fish did not materialize. Plan B called for largemouth on surface poppers, which DID materialize. Get out there and get flogging before the topwater season vanishes like an oversized sunfish.
For more information about Dave Kollmann you can contact him at djksales@aol.com and inquire about joining the St. Cloud Fly Club of which he is president and CFO (Chief Fishing Officer).
Here’s a couple of patterns Dave uses, you’d better have in your arsenal.
 Kollmann is now becoming mesmerized by the Esox Maskinonge (muskie) and we feel for him. This is a difficult affliction to rid oneself of...we hope him a speedy recovery.
Kollmann is a fly tier par excellence, and is very creative, tying flies for nearly anything with fins. He is very generous with his fishing knowledge and fly tying abilities and is gracious enough to share some patterns with the readers of this website. (Most of the time, unbeknownst to Dave - himself).
Thanks Dave!
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