The Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum has announced its 2025 Hall of Fame inductee class. This year, Paul Weamer, Bud Lilly, Adriano Manocchia, Izaak Walton, and Walt Carpenter will be honored with induction into the hall.
The Hall of Fame includes luminaries like Dan Bailey, Ted Williams, John Gierach, Curt Gowdy, and Lefty Kreh. An induction ceremony and reception will be held on October 11, 2025, at the Museum, and you can purchase tickets here.
Weamer is a longtime writer and organizer of the Yellowstone Fly Fishing Volunteer Program. That program has been invaluable in collecting data from harder-to-reach corners of the park, informing new management decisions, and aiding park biologists in restoring native fish to their historical range. Weamer is a Livington, Montana resident, and at 53, is the youngest inductee.
Lilly pioneered catch-and-release fly fishing in the West and was the owner of the Trout Shop in West Yellowstone, Montana. Lilly’s influence on conservation is hard to overstate, and many of the efforts to protect the West’s native trout owe their roots to his work.
Manocchia is a sporting artist and avid fly fisherman whose work has appeared in numerous publications over the years.
Walton is the author of The Compleat Angler, one of the first books on fly fishing. Walton’s appreciation for nature and fly fishing has inspired scores of conservationists over the centuries since his fly fishing book was published.
Carpenter is one of the best bamboo rod builders currently making rods. He continues the tradition of Catskill-style builds, and his rods are highly-sought by collectors and anglers both.