If you fly fish, or have done so for very long, that very question has probably come to mind. For some it is a momentary, fleeing, thought. But for some, it is a repetitive question in the mind that eventually leads into another facet of this great sport we call fly fishing - - -tying your own bugs.
Then there's always the best excuse......I'll save lots of money tying my own flies. For all of you who tie, I know, I have lied to myself in that way too. I guess if you don't figure your investment of time you might save a few nickels and dimes. But it won't be much. As a tyer of 20 years I can tell you I wouldn't consider my own pursuit to be a money saving adventure. Sometimes it is quite the contrary. Indeed, one can have the same affinity for procuring the best materials just as they can the best rods, reels, and more. But we still haven't arrived at the real answer to the question. Okay then, why should I tie my own flies?
One of the primary reasons I'd say is the same reasons people get into flyfishing. It is fun. For me that is reason enough, I guess. Second, I can create my own designs, and folks who do this know the immense satisfaction you get from discovering the fish are quite fond of a fly you have created....an "original" if you will. Third, I can put myself in a position of being able to put in my box a particular fly in a particular size that I cannot buy. Anyone who fishes tailwaters or spring creeks and their hatches knows just what I am talking about. I can create what I need and not rely on what is commercially available. Finally, I almost always learn more about and become more of a part of the environment that fish live in ..........because tying a good imitation of a food item that I have observed the fish feeding on leads me to learning more about that food item or prey and what materials and techniques might best imitate them. So, if you are a fly tyer do you agree with any of that? And if you don't tie, what are you waiting for?
No comments:
Post a Comment