Ronnie Joe Whaley passed away a week or so ago. He and some men were coming back from Arkansas fishing, when Ronnie Joe got sick.

Ronnie Joe was one of the best Fly Fisherman to ever fish this river, period. He was an accomplished fly tyer as well . He would pump a stomach and go to his Red Ford truck and tie the match to of his findings., then proceed to catch fish. Ronnie Joe always caught fish.  It seemed as if a reach cast was just part of Ronnie Joe. I can still see him now in that quiet water above the grates throwing reach cast to those tough fish.

Ronnie Joe was as generous as he was down to earth. He did not hide his patterns. If it caught fish and you wanted to see it, it was yours. He was extremely free with his knowledge and he was full of knowledge. A friend of mine and Ronnie Joe,  Ernie Roberts said: I was fishing across from Ronnie Joe . He was catching fish like crazy and I wasn’t . I asked him what he was catching them on. He flung the fly across the water and said” cut it off and fish it.” That was the kind of man Ronnie was. This winter, he was fishing the black fly hatch up high. I was out of size 22 hooks. heck, Ronnie Joe goes to his truck and gets out a box of TMC 2488′s and gives them to me. He had every size of 2488;s available , right there in that rruck.

Ronnie Joe must have been in his early 70′s . He would fish all day long. He would be the first to get there and the last to leave , everyday. He was the hardest fishing man I have ever seen.

Ronnie Joe Whaley will truly be missed by many, many people. He was one tough, and very kind man.

By what I can tell, this man truly LIVED life.

Rod Champion

11-27-07