6-20 SS Teeney Start

Jim Teeney is one of the first names that should come to mind when the words Fly Fishing Innovator come up in conversation. First there was the Teeny Nymph, which he designed at age 16 for large, cruising trout at Oregon's East Lake. Little did he realize then, as a junior in High School, how this simple fly pattern would impact his future. As he experienced growing successes with his Teeny Nymph fly pattern, Jim began to experiment with different color variations of the fly and was able to have increasing success even on other species of fish. After keeping the fly a secret for 9 years, Jim started the Teeny Nymph Company in July of 1971. This was the start-up of what is now Jim Teeney, Inc., the business which Jim and his wife, Donna, now run from their HQ's in Gresham, Oregon.“My dad, Fred Teeney took me hunting and fishing so I came directly from an outdoor family all of my life. Before my dad passed I got him into flyfishing and into bow hunting. Back when I was 12 years old my best friend, Jim Bagley, moved from Portland, Oregon to Bend, Oregon, so one of the times that I went over to visit him he said I want to show you something. I went into his bedroom where he had a desk and a vice set up and he tied a fly and I thought my goodness that looks like fun. So I went to Bob’s sporting goods in Bend, Oregon when I was 12 and bought my first vice, feathers and hooks and started tying when I was 12 so Jim Begley is the reason I got into it.