LIVINGSTON MANOR, NY — Some folks say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, while others claim it’s a thing intended to simulate or copy something else.

But to that dedicated breed of fly fisherman who also tie flies to lure denizens of the world’s greatest waters to the end of the line, it’s both an art and a passion, as they replicate aquatic life in the form of a wide variety of dry and wet flies.

On Saturday, September 16, the Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum (CFFCM) presented the Partridge Fly Tying Days in the Wulff Gallery.

The annual event was hosted by Dette Trout Flies of neighboring Roscoe.

“We use flies that imitate aquatic insects to catch trout,” said Joe Fox, proprietor of Dette Flies and event organizer.

Reflecting on the sport of fly fishing, Fox added, “There are a lot of facets to the sport. You can make your own rods, tie your own flies… it’s up to you.”

Glenn Pontier, executive director of the CFFCM, noted the event was an example of what the center is all about, in that it gives folks a chance to experience the inner realms of the sport: rod making, casting events, fly tying gatherings and even a recent high tea devoted to women in fly fishing.

“Fly fishing is a culture,” said Pontier.

Robert “Uncle Bob” Hopken of Sussex County, NJ is a member of the Catskill Fly Tyers Guild (CFTG). He started wetting a line at the age of “about 12 or 13” and began tying a year or so later.

Asked his take on the lure (a very bad but intentional pun) of fly tying, he replied, “It’s very innovative, duplicating the flies of a hundred years ago… how the flies have evolved over the decades.”

“Then it’s right back to the old… it starts all over again.”

From “Uncle Bob” to the “First Lady of Fly Fishing,” Joan Wulff is a fly fishing legend, who is widely revered within the sport for her pioneering developments in the mechanics of modern-day fly-casting. She picked up a fly rod at the age of 10, and soon started making her mark in the sport as a casting champion, racking up 17 national titles from 1943 to 1960.

In 1978, Joan and Lee Wulff opened the Wulff School of Fly Fishing in Lew Beach along the famed Beaverkill, known as the birthplace of dry-fly fishing in America.

But that dream was tragically cut short when Lee (1905-91) perished in a plane crash near Hancock. Outdoor writer and humorist Ed Zern remembered Lee Wulff during a tribute to the famed fly fisherman, artist, author and conservationist at the New York Angler’s Club.

“And so we salute… this defender of sport’s best traditions, this iconoclast of obsolete traditions… this great American sportsman…,” said Zern.

Joan Wulff is closing in on her 91st birthday. Standing outside the Wulff Gallery, she said they were attracted to the Catskills because “the clean water produces the insect life that the trout need, and that’s why trout fishing here will always have a reputation around the world.”

“As long as we keep those rivers clean,” added Wulff.

Her take on the effects of global warming on the planet and its residents?

“With all the things that are happening now… it’s telling us that warm water produces more terrible hurricanes [and] when water reaches 70°, the trout are in trouble.”

Reflecting upon her love of fly fishing and her many contributions to the sport, the First Lady of Fly Fishing paused for a couple of seconds and replied, “I don’t know how I got here, but it’s been kind of interesting.”