On November 9th, the Northern California Council of Fly Fishers International (NCCFFI) brought back their Hall of Fame Event with a well-attended gala at the Veterans Hall in Lafayette to honor the newest Hall of Fame inductee, Mike Mercer.
Mike is a renowned fly tyer, with original flies including Mercer’s Missing Link, the Psycho Prince Nymph, the Poxyback Microstone Stonefly Nymph, and the Tungsten Swing Caddis Fly, among many others. Mike grew up fly fishing and has worked at The Fly Shop in Redding since 1978. He has regularly contributed articles to Fly Fisherman magazine and many other publications over the years. Mike’s book, Creative Fly Tying, has become a “must-have” for trout fly fishers. In addition, Mike has been a guide on many of Northern California’s famous trout waters, including Hat Creek and Fall River, along with traveling & fly fishing internationally in Chile, Argentina, Kamchatka, and New Zealand, as well as many tropical saltwater locations.
The event was well attended, with approximately 140 people joining for the dinner and auction. Emcee Mark Rockwell invited several people to speak about Mike’s impact on Northern California angling, including Mark Likos, longtime friend Craig Falk, coworkers Pat Pendergast and Terry Jepsen, and The Fly Shop owner Mike Michalak.
There is a long history of honoring Northern California’s fly-fishing greats based on an established vetting process where fly clubs submit award recipient nominees to a knowledgeable selection committee, which then chooses the best of the best for the award.
Attendees had a wonderful time and are looking forward to the next Hall of Fame Event. To learn more about NCCFFI, click here.
