Chris Del Plato

Chris is a streamer afficionado who contributes to GFF.

Published on Dec 31. 2002 - 22 years ago
Updated or edited 4 days ago

On one of my favorite New Jersey trout streams.

Chris Del Plato is an American fly fisher and fly tyer who lives in Washington Twp., located in New Jersey's northwestern corner. Most of his fishing time is spent chasing trout.

After many early years developing a passion for fishing, Chris was implored by a good friend to try fly-fishing in 1986. Some of his fondest memories of those initial fly fishing years are of successful outings with such famed flies as the Gray Ghost, Black Ghost, Hornberg and Thunder Creek minnows. These early successes, the obvious beauty of the patterns and their history laid the groundwork for his 'obsession' with the streamer fly.

Chris explains, "I'd use the following analogy for streamer fishing: The trout is like a person at a dinner party eating tiny hors d'oeuvres (bugs). He's really just biding his time until the filet mignon (streamer/baitfish) shows up."

Early claims that he could never see himself 'bothering' to tie his own flies prior to 1996 cannot
be substantiated. According to Chris, "I can be a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to tying flies, so this hobby has come with a bit of frustration. There's a lot that goes into it, from searching out good materials to learning new techniques. Anything that doesn't come out quite right is instantly called a 'fishing fly', which clearly translates into 'this one will look better in a bush than on the wall.' I try to tie classic patterns in a way that reflects the originator's style by looking at photos of originals. I'm always interested in what the creator thought the pattern should look like. You can't always get that from the written recipe."

A Winston rod and a Willowemoc brown. Life is good.

Living in the most densely populated state in the U.S., one would think the resources for quality trout fishing in natural environments would be slim at best. Chris states, "I'm lucky enough to live in an area of New Jersey that is far more rural than anyone who's only seen NJ at the Somerset Fly Fishing Show and IFTS could imagine. I consider myself extremely fortunate to be within 5 minutes of both a no-kill stretch and a wild-trout stream (yes, really!), 20 minutes of four other good trout rivers and the Delaware, and 45 minutes from the Big Flatbrook. The only problem is finding enough time to fish them all!"

Chris is married, with three beautiful daughters and is an RF/Microwave engineer by trade. Other interests include wine & microbrews, listening to most types of music (jazz, new age, alternative, classical, blues...), investing, fantasy football and he is an avid Devils, Vikings and Jets fan. Chris also enjoys spending vacation time at a family cottage on Lake Cobbosseecontee in Maine, where he gets in some fly-fishing for largemouth and smallmouth bass.

Chris can be contacted at cdelplato@wavelineinc.com

GFF Contributions authored by Chris

Dec 13. 2011

Oatman Swap - Introduction To Lew Oatmans Patterns

In this streamer swap we are dealing with the 17 patterns designed by Lew Oatman, avid fly fisher and professional tyer from Shushan, New York.

Mar 1. 2000

Streamer Video

Of the numerous videotapes available to aid and instruct the tyer in the various fly types, relatively few fall under the category of the streamer fly. For the streamer-fanatic, to have another tape available on the subject is a treat. Read Chris Del Plato's review of this new video by Mike Martinek.

Jan 10. 2000

Herb Welch flies

If I was sitting with ten fellow trout fisherman and mentioned the name "Herbie Welch", I would probably get ten quizzical looks.

Jan 1. 2001

Streamers Of Bill Edson

Undoubtedly, most fly fishermen will relate the name Bill Edson with the Dark and Light Edson Tiger streamers that bear his name. They are prominent in streamer lore, fly catalogs, fly wallets, and with just cause - they have been exceptional fish takers from their inception.

Jul 10. 2001

Glimpses of Maine's Angling Past

This is a very unique and interesting little book. No fly patterns. No fishing techniques. It is basically what the title implies - a portal into the past of one of the most historically significant states in the U.S. with regards to fishing and in particular, fly-fishing.

Oct 13. 2002

Jim Warner flies

Guest writers Mike Martinek and Chris DelPlato have teamed up to write, the Jim Warner - A New England Classic which hilights the contribution of this well known New Hampshire angler to streamer anglers.

Oct 16. 2002

Carrie's Challenge

I have never used a vise; I have never seen anyone tie a fly and noone has ever seen me tie one. I have never read or had any fly tying instructions. Said by Carrie Stevens in a letter to Jospeh Bates. The words of a trailblazer. How fortunate we are to reap the benefits of a road paved by innovators before us, such as Mrs. Stevens.