Derek has earned the Fly Fishing International’s (FFI) Bronze Fly Tying Skills Award for a selection of flies he tied. The FFI Fly Tying award program is an educational program offers three award programs; bronze, silver, and gold. According to FFI these levels are offered to demonstrate a fly tiers‘ ability to tie flies that “involve mastery of increasing diversity and complexity of tying methods and materials”. He plans to pursue the Silver Fly Tying Skills Award next.