Jillian Beattie - The Girl With The Musky Tattoo

A message from the tyer herself.

Initially growing up in West Virginia and then moving to upstate New York as a kid, I have always been surrounded by water and nature. I have been fly fishing for almost 20 years and started tying when my Dad gifted me a tying set at 12. Over the years I tied intermittently, but I became absolutely obsessed with tying flies for musky, pike, and other large saltwater predators within the last couple of years. I learned a lot from watching tyers such as Nicklaus Bauer, Bob Popovics, Gunnar Brammer, and my friend Brita Fordice. It has also allowed me to find an incredible fly tying community, several people of which I know will be lifelong friends. I am a veterinarian and also a watercolor artist. Both of which contribute to my understanding of color, design, physiology, and behavior in the thought process when I tie. You can catch my ties and fishing adventures from my Instagram account: @girl_withthe_muskytattoo