Norman Maktima

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Competitors Approach to Fly Fishing, looking into my approach to rivers and stillwaters.

Norman Maktima

Growing up in northern New Mexico presented Norman Maktima with plenty of outdoor opportunities. His childhood was spent hunting, hiking, camping, and mostly fishing. At the age of seven he took to the fly rod and since then has fished his way across the world. Norman grew up in the town of Pecos, which is half an hour east of Santa Fe, fishing with his father on the Pecos River. Norman is a true indigenous native of the southwest, being a descendant of the Pueblos of San Felipe, Laguna, and Hopi. Since his childhood, Norman has spent countless hours on the water, not to mention countless hours behind a tying vice, learning how to tie flies at the same age. In 1997 Norman began guiding for High Desert Angler and later that same year he was selected to be on the Youth Fly Fishing Team USA. This turned his passion into a career. This year Norman has created NMaktimaFlyFlshing.com which is where you can find his unique Pueblo inspired fly fishing designs. Norman, also has developed several flies as a Signature Fly Designer for Umpqua Feather Merchants. Currently, you can find Norman working at Los Pinos Fly Shop in Albuquerque. 1998 was the first World Youth Fly Fishing Championships, which were held in Wales, UK. The US youth team fished well and finished with a Team silver medal. Norman, in his first year of competitive fly fishing won the individual Gold medal. Since then he has earned a spot on the adult Fly Fishing Team USA's roster competing in Sweden, Slovakia, Italy, Slovenia (finishing 6th individually), Norway, Czech Republic, Bosnia and the US for the World Fly Fishing Championships. Along with World Championships, Norman has had two 3rd place finishes in the US National Fly Fishing Championships in 2009 (with a Team Silver) and 2011 (with a team Gold). He finished 2nd in the Canadian National Championships in 2008, with a Team Gold. Recently, in the 2014 America Cup, he and his teammates of Team USA 1 took Gold. Most recently, at the World Fly Fishing Championships in 2015, Norman was part of the US team that took 2nd place in Bosnia. That was the first medal Fly Fishing Team USA had earned. Then the following year, in the 2016 World Fly Fishing Championships held in Vail, Colorado, Norman and teammates took 3rd place. In 2018, Norman won the individual US National Fly Fishing Championships held in Oregon, along with a team gold. Norman loves to teach aspects of fly fishing to those wanting to expand their skills and techniques. The knowledge he has gained from time on the water is passed on through clinics and classes, ranging from casting, rigging, euro nymphing, standard techniques loch style techniques, and fly tying. Norman's belief is; what knowledge he has gained does no good if no-one else is not able to benefit from it.