Index
Northwestern Wilderness Of Maine
Personal Essays
Fly Tying - The Art Of Creating Artificial Fishing Flies
For years I watched my dad handle a fly rod, casting with great skill and accuracy. I was amazed the first time I saw him roll an artificial dry fly inches above the waters surface, luring a large brook trout from the water, before the fly hit the surface, landing his catch.
Casting wet or dry artificial flies great distances to entice the cleaver trout takes much more skill than playing professional golf.
The long cold winters in the Northwestern Wilderness Of Maine is no place for someone who becomes bored easily. Cabin fever attacks all uncreative social creatures, making them very unhappy. They are always complaining about the winter weather.
I never heard my dad complain about the long winters. In fact, I think he thrived during the coldest months. He surrounded himself with spools of thread, boxes of different size fish hooks, and files filled with feathers and furs from distant lands. I remember the large paw of a polar bear sitting on one of the shelves.
Fly fishermen think about the trout family twelve months of the year. When they are not out in the wilderness fishing, they are indoors sitting by the warmth of the flickering flames of their fireside; their eyes focused above a fly tying vice. Imagine wrapping a bare hook with a proven pattern of feathers, furs, and dazzling threads, or creating your own secret patterns.
I believe the winter months flew by, as my dads imagination guided his hands above the fly tying vice; then stuffing file boxes with new nymph, wet fly, and dry fly patterns. Some of the prettiest flies I remember seeing where Atlantic Salmon flies and streamers. Their colors are very attractive. His skill is endless.
Imagine holding each new pattern in you hand, wondering with great expectations which one will attract your favorite game fish.
My dad has over fifty years of fly tying experience. I often wonder what beautiful thoughts carried him through the long cold dark winter months in the Northwestern Wilderness Of Maine.
Are you a fly fisherman spending your winter nights, disguised as a couch potato, sitting in front of the television, bored from lack of creativity?