The Delektable Family

Dan Delekta

Dan started fishing when he was 2, encouraged by his Dad, who owned and operated sporting goods stores in upstate New York. He grew up fishing in and around the Adirondack Mountains, and his passion for trout and steelhead fly fishing eventually led him far from New York --to Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Washington, Oregon and British Columbia. At 22, he moved to West Yellowstone, Montana.

Dan began tying flies when he was 10. He has since designed more than 300 patterns that are the trademark Delektable™ collection, and his passion for fly tying and design remains as strong as ever. He is constantly thinking about, designing, tying and field testing new designs on the legendary Madison River, just outside his door and other rivers he fishes. His innovative patterns use both traditional and new age materials. Dan's creativity is also the catalyst for his rod building, which he started in 1975. He is now a master builder of custom graphite, fiberglass and bamboo rods, which make up his exclusive line of Beartooth Fly Rods. He started Beartooth Flyfishing in 1982, which also offers his Made in Montana braided leaders and hand-tied leaders.

Dan has guided on Montana’s trophy rivers for nearly 30 years. He built the Beartooth Flyfishing Lodge in 1989, with the help of friends. He greatly values the friendships he has built over the years. His love of the mountains, the solitude and the peace of the Madison Valley is exceeded only by his love and appreciation of all the people he has embraced as his friends and extended family. Dan's passion for fly fishing remains strong by all the challenges and rewards it offers. He looks forward to continuing to create and innovate, to being in touch with nature, and to continue bringing the joys and deeper knowledge of fly fishing to more fellow lovers of the sport.

Dan can be reached by email: dan@beartoothflyfishing.com.

Nancy Alston Delekta

Nancy started fishing as a child -- with worms -- on the Brandywine River in southeastern Pennsylvania, where she grew up. She also fished the saltwaters of Long Beach Island in New Jersey. Nancy began her love of fly fishing in the late '70s,  while living in Vermont and New Hampshire. She later moved to Massachusetts, and continued traveling to fish in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire and the Gaspe Penninsula. Nancy was the only woman in a group of weekly fly tiers traveling to different states in the west and east to fly fish. During the 80's, Nancy grew to know and love fly fishing in Montana. After the loss of her dad, she began to look for job opportunities in Montana, where she could pursue her loves of fly fishing and skiing. In 1999 she became CFO of H.S. Trask, a shoe company based in Bozeman. She rapidly became involved with fly fishing in the area and was soon named president of the local chapter of Trout Unlimited and Treasurer of the Whirling Disease Foundation. Nancy continues to help with these organizations when time allows, and she currently serves as Director at Large for Montana State Trout Unlimited.

During her time in Bozeman, she met Dan and they began fishing together; a partnership that quickly blossomed into love. They also recognized they approached fly fishing in the same way and always “fished hard." The couple wed in a very special ceremony on the Madison River, as their vows were carried out on the banks of the Beartooth property at what is now known as Wedding Rock.

Nancy’s business acumen and long business experience has been an enormous benefit for Beartooth Flyfishing. Nancy loves retail; she grew up in retail. Her father owned a chain of retail stores where she began working when she was 12. Nancy loves the interaction with the people who come to the Beartooth Fly Shop, because they are happy, many are on vacation, and they are pursuing the sport they love. She continues working hard on expanding the retail activities of Beartooth Flyfishing, including the online store, all while trying to find more time to get out on the water and fish.

Nancy can be reached by email: nancy@beartoothflyfishing.com.

John "Grandpa" Delekta

Dan's father, John “Grandpa” Delekta, began fishing when he was around 6. His interest in the outdoors led him to spend almost 40 years in the sporting goods business in upstate New York. During his early adulthood he was a spin fisherman, but later transitioned into fly fishing. Grandpa retired in 1990, the same year that Dan opened the Beartooth Flyfishing Lodge. Also in 1990, Grandpa began spending every summer at the Lodge, and has since become a full-time Montana resident. Along with fishing the Madison River, he also remains busy doing most of the packaging for the Beartooth product line. Even in his 80's, Grandpa still works almost every day, and is an invaluable member of the Beartooth team. He is noted for his merchandising acumen and the well known fly "six-packs" he created and helps maintain for the shop.

Grandpa really loves the time he spends fishing with his son and Nancy. He has also been with Dan and Nancy to the Rogue River in Oregon for steelhead fishing and to Andros Island in the Bahamas for great saltwater fishing. It's remarkable to consider that Grandpa and his son have been fishing together for almost 50 years; a unique accomplishment in this day and age.

Marty "The Montajun" Authement

                                                                                    Louisiana Redfish

Marty was born and raised in southeast Louisiana and proudly lives the Cajun lifestyle, fishing and hunting since childhood. He earned a mass communications degree from Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana, then worked for 10 years at his hometown newspaper, where he started as a reporter and left as editor of the Lifestyles Department. Marty was introduced, by a mutual friend, to Ken Deats of Bozeman, Montana, who introduced him to fly fishing. It was in the early '80s, during his trips to Montana, that he fell in love with the region and fly fishing. Marty carried these skills to south Louisiana, where he now chases a variety of saltwater species, especially Redfish, with the long rod.

Marty's guiding career began about six years into his newspaper career, when he started his guiding business -- Marsh Madness -- as a weekend venture. When the time came to leave the newspaper and become a full-time guide, Marty decided to split his time between his two favorite places -- Louisiana and Montana. Marty began guiding on the Madison River in 2004 with his first outfiter, the late, great Pat McFall. It was Pat who introduced Marty to Dan, whose friendship and support have been vital to his success.

Marty, quite simply, is living a dream; a dream that would not be possible if not for the love and support of his wife, Jennifer, who shares his love of Big Sky Country. The couple eloped and married on Squaw Creek Bridge, overlooking the Gallatin River, in 1998. The couple returned to the bridge in 2008 for their 10-year anniversary, where they renewed their vows.

In addition to contacting Marty at Beartooth, you can also contact him at (985) 688-4495, by email at captmarty@internet8.net, or check out his website at www.marshmadness.net.

Charles P. "Charlie" Graham

(Charlie, left, with our buddy Jeff Willson)

One of the first photogaphs of Charlie foretold what he would become. He was 2 days old and, laying in the crib with him, was his father's fly rod. Almost three decades later, he can still be found with a fly rod in his hand, working with his boat and other fishing gear, or talking about his favorite subject -- fishing.

A native of Billings, Montana, Charlie has also lived in Arizona, Wyoming and Colorado, before returning to his home state. He graduated, with honors, from Montana State University in Bozeman with a degree in Economics and a minor in English Writing. He spent time in the retail trade, in sales and management, until an on-river conversation with an outfitter encouraged him to become a fishing guide. It was a transition he was, and still is, "very excited" about.

Along with chasing trout in Montana waters, Charlie has also pursued steelhead in Oregon, and saltwater species such as Bonefish, Tarpon, Jack Crevelle and Redfish, in Florida, Louisiana, Mexico and Christmas Island.

Charlie recently became an outfitter so he is not in the retail part of Beartooth for now. He continues to guide for Beartooth. He is also an avid snowboarder.

Jennifer "Jenn" Durham Reintz

Jenn grew up in the Madison Valley and started working for Beartooth in 2005. She helps in many facets of the daily business of  Beartooth Flyfishing and also assists with the management of the guest lodge. Jennifer is an avid hunter, stalking deer, elk and antelope, an activity she has enjoyed with her father since childhood. She is also a practicing taxidermist.

In addition, she is an accomplished model builder of mostley aircraft, having won numerous awards for her work with very complex models. Her expertise in the craft has also led to her judging various modeling competitions. Like hunting, it is a hobby that started with her dad.

Jennifer enjoys fly fishing and, like the rest of us, is always looking for more opportunities to get out on the water.

For Taxidermy contact her directly at 406-682-3357.  Her website will soon be available.

Gregg Machel

Gregg is one of Beartooth Flyfishing's Web Designers. He has extensive experience in web design and has joined that to his love of fly fishing to design a number of fly fishing websites, among them www.kienes.com in Sacramento, California, where he lives. When he isn't building websites, Gregg can usually be found on the American, Yuba or Delta Rivers, with his son, Jonathan. When given the chance, he also fishes a variety of Montana waters. Gregg is a certified IT Engineer and is currently the Web Specialist for Sutter Health in Sacramento.

Gregg can be contacted at (916) 722-7912, or at gregg@machelcreative.com

Bradley Harlan, M.D.

Brad began fishing when he was about 10, on his Grandfather’s ranch in northwestern Montana. Although Brad used a fly rod and reel, it was all bait fishing -- with worms he would dig up in the yard, or grasshoppers he would catch in the hayfields. After attending UC Berkeley and UCSF Medical School and training in heart surgery with world-famous heart surgeon Denton A. Cooley, M.D., Brad spent decades as a practicing heart surgeon, retiring in 2001. His interest in fly fishing -- with flies, not worms -- was kindled by his close friend, Jim Pletcher:

Jim's interest in fly fishing peaked about the same time Brad retired. He even built a wooden drift boat, with Brad's help. The two were introduced to Beartooth on their first trip to the Madison River, and were impressed with the in-depth, personal service they received, leaving with a large assortment of flies, including many Delektables. The assistance helped them have a very successful first trip on the Madison, which spawned many return trips for both.

Since that visit in 2002, Brad has made many treks to Beartooth, often with family members. He has grown to understand and admire the motivation, skills and work ethic of Dan and Nancy, and has enjoyed learning from and fishing with them.  Brad considers himself lucky and fortunate to have taken on the roll of rowing Dan one day and watching him catch one of his biggest Brown Trout of the season.

Brad works part-time at Beartooth in a variety of duties from web to retail. He is enormously grateful to his wife, Sharon, for her support in his pursuit of his passion.