Lefty Kreh wasn’t just the greatest fisherman of all time, he was a mentor to generations of experts, he influenced the course of the sport of fly fishing, and most importantly he was a friend to tens of thousands. For many decades he traveled the country, dazzling crowds with his casting and stories of far-away adventures, and he always had time to shake hands, share a joke, or dispense personal instruction. There never was, and never will be anyone like him.
Lefty is the story of Bernard “Lefty” Kreh’s life, from his humble upbringings during the Great Depression, to his service with the U.S. Army in the Battle of the Bulge, and his role as fly-fishing’s greatest ambassador. He ushered fly fishing into the modern era, from a time of bamboo rods and dry-fly fishing for trout, into a global sport where you can chase tarpon in Florida, black bass in New Guinea, and bonefish in the Bahamas. He took casting away from the metronome and hands of the clock and made it fluid and athletic.
He did it all with a laugh and a smile, and heaps of practical advice on how to tie better knots, cast more efficiently, and use the most effective flies and presentations. Today, years after his passing, dozens and dozens of experts consider Lefty their most important mentor and influencer. BTT’s prestigious Lefty Kreh Award for Lifetime Achievement in Conservation is named in his honor after Lefty Kreh himself received the original honor.
The film is narrated by Flip Ballot—one of Lefty’s closest friends—and contains never-before-seen interviews with Lefty, captured by cinematographer Jay Nichols in the months before Lefty passed in March 2018. It includes archival footage from the original BTT-sponsored TV show Buccaneers & Bones, new interviews from peers like Johnny Morris and Ed Jaworowski, and commentary from Lefty’s friends Blane Chocklett, Barry Beck, Heather Templeton, and many others.
The film is directed and created by Jay Nichols of Headwater Media Group and produced by Fly Fisherman magazine with support from Bass Pro Shops, Costa, Yeti, and Bonefish & Tarpon Trust.
The film premiere at the Weinberg Center for the Arts has a special connection to Lefty. Originally known as the Tivoli Theatre, this is the exact place Lefty Kreh met his future wife Evelyn. While he was working at Fort Detrick in Frederick, he went to the movies, and she was working at the ticket window. The rest is history. We chose Frederick Maryland for the international film premiere as this is Lefty’s hometown.
The film runs 60 minutes and is not rated.
Tickets are $30 for the 7:30 P.M. film screening; $50 with a 6 P.M. reception and cocktail party; and $100 for the reception, reserved seating, a membership to Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, and a goodie bag from sponsors. Tickets are available only from the Weinberg Center box office at weinbergcenter.org. All proceeds from the event go to Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, a nonprofit conservation organization Lefty worked with for many years.