In the lore of fly fishing, some individuals stand above the rest for their achievements both on and off the water. While they are still alive, we refer to such fly anglers as “ living legends” who have advanced the pursuit of our sport. By their contributions to equipment design, instruction and guiding, fly tying, and the development of angling techniques, these men and women share their extensive knowledge and experience, and the entire angling community reaps the benefits. After they pass on, some remain iconic figures who will be remembered for decades. Jay Fair was one of those men.
Jay Fair’s contributions to the world of stillwater fly fishing, fly design, and custom fly tying materials are without compare. Factor in his simple approach, his charming personality, his willingness to give, and you can understand why he was such a revered and likable man. Any time spent on the water or around the tying bench with Jay was a gift, and a cherished one, at that.
Jay Fair was born September 3, 1923, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, near the Navajo Indian reservation. When the Great Depression hit, his family went broke, and they were forced to live in a wall tent next to a river. Jay’s contribution to the family would be to go out and fish the Rio Grande and then trade his catch for food and supplies. He would often hitch rides from logging trucks up the river by bartering a few trout, then fish his way back home. His family also raised rabbits and sold the fur to get by. Jay reached the eighth grade before quitting school and working full time to help support his family. He did anything to bring in income. At one point, he even worked on the Manhattan Project for the U.S. War Department; he was awarded a certificate and pin to commemorate his contribution to winning World War II. His eldest grandson, Glenn Fair, Jr., still has those items in a safe deposit box.
Jay left the mountains of northern New Mexico and moved to Santa Ana, California, in 1950 with his wife and three children: Jay Jr., Marsha, and Glenn Sr. Jay bought a piece of land on a large intersection and began the next chapter of his life when he opened Jay Fair Tire. He started fishing Crowley Lake in 1954, during weekends away from the tire shop. He brought his no-nonsense style of fly fishing to Crowley and was very successful targeting large trout. In fact, he was more successful than any other angler at the time. Jay was always looking for the next special fishing spot near the southern Sierra, and he often ventured into the unknown. It was not uncommon for him to take a random dirt road, such as the one down to the gorge of the Owens River. He continued to fish the Owens and surrounding waters with his son, Glenn Sr., in the years to follow. Over long weekends and some holidays, Jay and Glenn Sr. would venture north to Plumas County. They delighted in their discoveries of Frenchman Lake, Lake Davis, and the Middle Fork of the Feather River.
Jay moved to Portola, California, in 1971 to pursue fishing full time. He sold his wildly successful tire business, packed up his extended family, and went north. He quickly mastered the fisheries in the area, and he was the first fly angler known to use a sinking line on the lakes. He began guiding around that time and was issued guide license number 313 by the California Department of Fish and Game.
A few years later, he was introduced to Eagle Lake and fell in love with the special strain of rainbow trout there, Oncorhynchus mykiss aquilarum, known for their large size and strong fighting abilities. Jay moved to the town of Spaulding in the early 1990s, where he continued to guide and sell his much-sought-after custom-dyed fly-tying materials. He attended trade shows, gave seminars on fly tying, and he spoke at various fly clubs across the state about Eagle Lake and trout behavior. He traveled to Oregon, Idaho, and Montana to fish their top still waters. Jay also produced two videos. The first was titled Sure Fire, which explained his deadly technique and formula of trolling with flies. The second was J. Fair’s No-Nonsense Flies, an in-depth look at his three-dimensional colors, material combinations, and presentations.
Jay moved back to the Portola area in the late 1990s, where he continued to operate his guide service and fly-tying materials company. His son Glenn Sr. started to help Jay out with his guide trips by taking over the workload of driving and handling the equipment. In 2001, Jay was inducted into the Northern California Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers Hall of Fame. It was a special night. My own father, Hall of Famer Bob Baiocchi, provided the introduction while presenting the award.
Jay and Glenn Sr. returned to Eagle Lake in 2003, where they spent the next four years guiding. These were his final days sharing the lake with his treasured guests. Jay was advised to relocate to a lower elevation due to declining health and to be closer to his doctors. He and Glenn Sr. found a residence in Anderson, California, and Jay sold his materials brand, Jay Fair Tying Materials, to Sierra Stream and Mountain in 2007. Years later, however, Jay discovered some new materials and started another company, called Jay Fair Flies. He promoted his new translucent swimming hackle and Spyder Body Wrap until he passed away in his sleep the morning of December 29, 2016. Although the regional fly-fishing community knew his death was coming, we were still deeply saddened when the news came in. The fly-fishing world suffered a great loss.
My first experience with Jay was in the early 1970s, when he contacted my dad about approaching the Forest Service to open up access areas at Lake Davis. I’d answer the phone back then, and he would ask me where I was fly fishing, then he would direct me to get my dad so he could speak with him. If you’ve ever been to Lake Davis, there is an access point located in the far northeastern corner of the lake named Fairview Point. It was named after Jay.
Fast forward to 1995. I finally got to meet Jay in person and hang out at the Northern California Council Federation of Fly Fisher’s conclave in King’s Beach at Lake Tahoe. I sat and watched him tie his signature flies and listened intently to all the things he had to share about fly fishing. Listening to Jay was like reading an expert’s guide on how to catch trout. We even discussed the Pistol Pete, a propeller-tipped Woolly Bugger from Trinidad, Colorado that I had learned about while living there. He showed me his version and gave me a couple to try. I left the conclave with so much new knowledge that it was overwhelming. I started my own guide service two years later. Jay was instrumental in helping me out with valuable advice for success, as was Frank Pisciotta. I modeled my business after their approach to guiding: honesty, sharing knowledge, a priority on teaching fly fishing, and not just concerned with the number or size of the fish caught.
Jay took a real liking to me that I often questioned. Why would anyone want to give so much to me with little in return? That’s just the way he treated people and why he was so popular. It brought him great pleasure to see other anglers progress and succeed in building their skills. In the following years, Jay took me under his wing and taught me the intricate details of Eagle Lake and Lake Davis. He showed me where the most productive areas are and the best techniques for the different times of the year. He once told me, “I’ll share 95 percent of what I know with you, Jon, but I save the other 5 percent for myself.” As fly anglers, we all like to keep that 5 percent tucked away in our back pocket, just for ourselves.
But there is more common ground that all fly anglers share: we are always trying new techniques with different approaches, seeking greater success. Jay did the same, and he took the dyeing of feathers to the next level with highly innovative colors that were the product of decades of trial and error. Starting in the early 1950s, Jay realized that not just any dye would work. He learned that acid-based dyes are best. He refined the ratios of heat and time for each material, because there is a different reaction to each one, depending on whether the material is synthetic or natural. Early on, he came up with the classic Jay Fair colors: burnt orange, fiery cinnamon, buggy olive, and fiery rust. Fifty years later, the colors are just as effective as they were back then.
Jay searched for the most prized marabou feathers on the market, those that offered the longest barbules. They are very hard to find. He taught me that if you use the right amount of marabou, your fly will “breathe” underwater like a living creature. It didn’t just end with feathers for Jay. He often explored the fashion industries of Italy and other countries for his signature Short Shuck chenille, mohair, and dubbing. One product that brought life to many fly patterns was his webby schlappen hackle. I still use it today. He also offered reflective flash that was custom colored and that provided even the dullest patterns some extra sparkle that shimmered and shone like the neon lights of Las Vegas.
He shared with me another one of his secrets about Lake Davis and Eagle Lake: using copper-colored flash, because, in his own words, “Stocked rainbows cannot resist the color copper!” While Jay was residing in Portola, I was fortunate enough to visit him on many occasions while I was living in the area. One day, I bought $500 in fly-tying materials at cost. He then threw in another large box of various materials and feathers, “seconds,” as he called them. I was in fly-tying heaven and could not wait to apply these new materials to my own patterns. I have a lot of those materials left from that first order, and I still use them when I need to make a fly come to life.
The flies that Jay created are so simple, yet so incredibly effective. Many of today’s patterns are overly intricate and excessively detailed. They are created by fly tyers who possess amazing skills, and by contrast, most fly anglers and professional tyers consider Jay’s flies to be rough and just plain. However, Jay’s flies incorporate materials that give them a flowing movement, which induces strikes from even the wariest trout. His most popular fly, and a staple on Western still waters, is the Wiggle Tail Nymph, which has an extended and sparse marabou tail that pulsates with every strip and pause.
Other noted flies and patterns I still use include his Simple Snail, Woolly Nymph, new Electric Bugger, and the Trolling Fly, which I call “Jay’s Stripping Fly” so as not to offend any fly-fishing purist. I’ve caught dozens of Eagle Lake rainbows in the early fall using a tui chub minnow version of the stripping fly. This fly is tied on a size 8 3X-long hook with a short marabou tail (often white), pearl Short Shuck for the body, and a heavy wing of olive marabou topped with pearl flash. The result is a no-nonsense fly that proves simplicity is a key to success.
Of course, Jay Fair’s name is synonymous with catching large trout when it comes to Eagle Lake in Lassen County. It was at this lake where he elevated the techniques and tactics that would forever change how we approach Western still waters. His legendary insight was part instinct. However, he also often thought from a trout’s perspective and about how best to make a presentation or crack the code of enticing a wary trout.
I was introduced to Eagle Lake — “the pond,” as the locals call it — by my close friend Jim Moloney, in 1995. I still consider him my personal mentor. Jim spoke highly of Jay and made it a point to tell me that I needed to spend some time on the water with him, because Jay would open the door to a whole new world for me. Over the next few years, I would often see Jay on the shoreline of Eagle Lake with his clients. We’d strike up a conversation about which areas were producing, or the hot flies. He always had a good story that taught me something.
A year later, Jay invited my dad and me on a free trip. Jay even allowed my buddy Tony to follow us around, which was a first for Jay. As I said, the man was generous and wanted to share his knowledge. We boarded his famous blue Western boat and headed out toward the south basin. It was brutally cold on that November day, and the motor’s cooling system was clogged with ice. Cooling system clogs can lead to overheating and engine damage. Five minutes into the trip, there was not a drop of water emitting from the motor. “Don’t worry guys, there’s an alarm,” Jay said. Meanwhile, Jay’s dog, a German shorthair named Annie, was so excited that she was stepping all over our rods. They flexed in ways that made me cringe, and I thought that one surely was going to break in half. Ten minutes into the trip, there still was no water coming out of the motor, but Jay was more concerned with scanning the bank for rising fish. My dad was worried because we were so far away from the Spaulding boat ramp, and to add to the stress, Annie continued to step on the rods. Suddenly, the cooling system came on, and Jay looked back at the motor and gave us a smile. “There she goes,” he said.
Our first destination was a shoal that had a huge flat with a depth from one to four feet. Jay loved to stalk cruising trout in shallow water, and because of him, I now share that passion. We put the boat ashore and geared up as Jay studied the water. “They’re not here yet,” he said.
We sat on the bank and waited for the fish to come in and feed. About half an hour later, Jay perked up and showed me how to identify “nervous water,” which is a rippling effect on the water caused by active trout feeding just under the surface. “Get your rods, guys — they’re coming in.” He stood next me as I was retrieving my fly, looked at my line, and said, “You just missed a five-pound rainbow, Jon.” “How can you tell?” I asked. Jay told me that I needed to watch my fly line intently, and if there is any odd movement, stretching, or wake coming off of it to strip set immediately. In this case, I had a slight bow in my line from the wind blowing in on my left, and when the fish grabbed my fly, Jay saw that the curve in the line tightened up, creating a smaller transition. He also shared that many times, you’ll never feel a strike, because a trout will suck in your fly, realize it’s not food, and blow it out in just a few seconds. (This is the number-one reason why fly fishers lack success: they do not see when a fish takes the fly and depend on feel. By the time you feel it, it’s too late.)
We continued to fish, and Jay showed us many of his most productive places and where best to position ourselves to cover the troughs effectively — “the cattle paths,” as he called them. On the way back to the boat ramp, I asked him if fish sleep. “Do you know of any living creature that does not sleep?” he replied. I did not have an answer for him. Jay called it “suspended animation” in trout and offered to show us an example. He brought the boat down to an idle as we cruised along the edge of the airport tules until something caught his eye. He backed the boat into a pocket of the tules, which he later explained does not spook the fish as much as when you come in with the bow of the boat. “There’s one sleeping right now.” A rainbow of about 22 inches hung motionless near the surface with its head buried in the reeds. Jay then took one of the rods and poked it, and upon contact, the fish put on the afterburners and fled. Jay always had something interesting to share, and that is why fly anglers were all ears when he spoke.
It was at Lake Davis that I would see Jay on a more regular basis. We were both guiding the lake then and often would compare notes on fishing conditions after we would get off the water in the Honker Cove boat ramp parking lot. As at Eagle Lake, he shared so much valuable information about Lake Davis. Back in the late 1990s, the Department of Fish and Game required guides to have their license number visible on the side of their craft. Other anglers picked up on this, and believe it or not, they would actually follow me around to find out where my preferred spots were. Sometimes up to three boats at a time would be in line chasing me down. Both Glenn Sr. and Glenn Jr. experienced the same thing when trolling Jay’s patterns on Lake Davis. To thwart the copycats, I’d zip up to the north end of the lake, then spin a U-turn and head back to the south. One angler in an olive pram would follow me all the time. He became such a nuisance that we nicknamed him “the Seagull.” Jay caught onto this problem and offered a solution. He showed me an area in the north part of the lake where I could leave the boat on a secluded bank and then hike through the willows with my guests to a few unknown coves. It worked, and we now refer to the first cove as Jay’s Hideaway.
The damselfly hatch at Lake Davis, which typically occurs from June into mid July, is well known and one of my favorite times to be on the lake. The rainbows come into very shallow water where sight fishing is the name of the game. Jay showed me some areas on the bank that have natural windbreaks and provide a protected piece of water on the leeward side. He called these water conditions “soft windows,” where the trout would be easier to see without the ripple on the water. But he warned me that with glassy conditions, the trout are very spooky, and an angler must keep a low profile. By keeping low, even on your knees, you can get very close to your quarry by staying below the trout’s line of sight. Jay called the tactic “fish stalking.”
It was also at Lake Davis where Jay shared his trolling technique with me in order to bring in more business. He told me that as a guide, you’re an ambassador for Plumas National Forest and should not discriminate in providing the public with a positive fishing experience, even if they do not fly fish. His trolling technique consists of a cut-down 6-weight fly rod that accepts a level-wind baitcasting reel. Eighty percent of the reel is filled with floating fly line, which is attached to a 15-foot piece of lead core line, followed by a 20-foot leader of 8-pound-test mono that is attached to a fly. Zigzagging or trolling in big circles while jigging the rod often produces stellar results. I still offer this style of fishing to potential guests who do not fly fish or who are physically challenged. Glenn Sr. and Glenn Jr. also use Jay’s trolling technique to teach those who don’t fish with flies. It’s important to me to keep the tradition of his technique alive and to see all visitors of Lake Davis enjoy themselves. Jay’s family feels the same way.
I am truly grateful for everything that Jay did for me, and I’ve since realized that he did the same for many others. He was the premier role model for any aspiring guide or fly angler. Although I consider myself lucky to have been at the right place at the right time to be mentored by Jay, in my own travels to fly clubs and trade shows, I find many other anglers who share the same enthusiasm about the good times they had with him, experiences that touch the very core of a fly angler’s soul. That’s what made Jay so special. He touched everyone to the point that it simply brings a smile to think about him.
The last time I spoke with Jay was on a hot August day in 2014. He called me up just to talk about fishing. We spoke about our many days fishing Eagle Lake when it was in its prime and how sad he was to see the lake in what was then its current condition, with low water levels. That special phone conversation lasted nearly an hour. I regret not reaching out to him more in his later days as much as I should have. Still, to this day, the memories we shared on the water are ingrained forever.
There will never be another fly-fishing guide like Jay Fair — not even close. He began as a child fishing to survive, polished his skills as an adult, retired at 40 years old with the sale of his tire shop, and spent the last 53 years of his life passing on his love of fishing. He didn’t do it for the money. He did it for his love of the sport. So as we reflect on Jay’s life and consider what he did for fly fishing, we should all be thankful for what he accomplished through goodwill and an appreciation for sharing the knowledge of plying the water’s depths.
A memorial service will be held in Jay Fair’s honor at Eagle Lake on June 24, 2017. Details for the event can be found on his Facebook page: Jay Fair. Condolences may be mailed to Jay’s family at 810 Center Avenue, Red Bluff, CA 96080 or e-mailed to jayandglennfairsflies@gmail.com. Glenn Sr. has taken over the fly business and Glenn Jr. is available to talk about Jay Fair at gfairlaw@gmail.com.
