The Vault and I

By Christian "Andy" Andrews · 2026-10-28

I met Brent at the White River Expo in Branson about three years ago. I was really still green behind the ears (is that even a metaphor?) and looking to make connections in the fly fishing / fly tying world. There was Brent and his daughter. He had an iPad or some thing like one and was introducing anyone who would listen to the FlyVault.com. At the time, as I recall, he had two goals. To create an alternative social media platform catering to the fishing community and to build the world's largest searchable fly database.

Even though membership was $20 a year (actually really a bargain), I signed up.

I've grown to really enjoy the art of the tie. I needed an outlet. And FlyVault.com proved to be just the place for that. I started posting my flies to the vault. And, yes, you will likely cringe at some of those early ones. But what I've found is that the more I tie, the better I get. I'm not there yet, but I think most of the current stuff is at least respectable.

I've got at two firm projects going. I'm tying the flies in Favorite Flies and Their Histories (1892) by Mary Orvis Marbury. And I'm tying the flies in The Founding Flies by Mike Valla. (I'll say more about those in a separate blog post.)

Since that early start, Brent has hung in there and imagined something I don't think even he would have envisioned when this all began. The new FlyVault.com really is something else.

I'm glad to have been here from the start. I hope the best for him and this endeavor. I'm believing we can all contribute and make this place even more than Brent ever thought it might become.