Back to Fly Tying

Seasons have definitely changed! I’m back to fly tying.

It seems like it was just fall and I was fishing several days per week. We had close to two feet of snow in a couple of days and still have snow on the ground.

All that is to say I haven’t been fishing for a while. And I miss it. I hope to get out soon.

So, I decided to clean off my fly tying bench. I mentioned I would do it in my recent Seasons Change blog.

Here is the BEFORE picture:

And AFTER:

Felt good about that…been meaning to clean up for a long time and finally forced myself to get ‘er done!

What am I tying these days?

Good question.

The first fly I tied up was a Borden Special.

It’s the Show fly for the 2015 NW Fly Tyer & Fly Fishing Expo in Albany, Oregon. This sea-run cutthroat fly is a creation of Bob Borden who started Hareline Dubbing in Monroe, Oregon. Hareline is a great company and is a wholesale provider of fly tying materials. You’ve probably used some of their fly tying materials.

Tradition has it for some members of the Expo Committee tie the Show fly each year. A poster plate is assembled with these flies and is auctioned off at the Expo to benefit education and conservation programs of the Oregon Council – International Federation of Fly Fishers. So I tied this one to be included on the plate.

(I had to plug the Expo since I’m the Chair this year as well as Treasurer…and Treasurer for the Oregon IFFF.)

And then there’s my first Atlantic Salmon fly I’ve been working on. It’s an old fly pattern called the Golden Butterfly created by Patrick McKay in 1810. Yup…old!

 Or a different angle of the same fly:

I think it took me about two hours to tie this fly. Not bad I guess. But it’s like tying any fly…material selection and proportions. Oh, there might be a little technique involved as well. By showing my first fly to a good fly tyer friend, he was able to provide a couple of technique tips I’ll be trying soon. Like too long of a head and a few twisted feathers to start. Hopefully, it will help with the final product. I’ll try it again soon.

The last couple of days, I got back to my comfort zone and tied up a couple dozen Copper John flies. Felt good!

Copper John

Hope you are still in the fishing mood even though it’s WINTER. There, I said it…it’s WINTER!

Tie a few flies, clean out your fly box…whatever it takes to remember those beautiful fish you caught last summer. 

Don’t let the memories fade…

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