About

I picked up a fly rod in 1998. It sounded like fun and I was in the market for a new hobby. Fly fishing has all the characteristics of the perfect hobby. You can practice it alone or with a group. You spend time in beautiful places, away from crowds, traffic and telephones. There is both the physical nature and the cerebral. You can make it elaborate or just fishing.

Fly fishing is perfect for short attention spans. It helps to have patience, but when fishing is slow, you can still study the bugs, currents or just watch birds. Not catching? Blame the fly and change it. . . again and again.

When my wife saw the flies from the fly shop she thought making the “little fly things” looked like more fun than standing in the cold water and swinging a stick around. I had no interest in tying flies at that point. I was too caught up in all the other details. Two years later, I got the tying bug.

Now I spend more time tying than fishing. That is a function of available time, not preference. I consider myself just an average tier. Unfortunately, I am not a master of the art. But my flies catch fish, which to my mind is the ultimate test. I would like my flies to catch fishermen also, but that is a distant second on my priority scale. Like everyone who ties nearly every fly they fish with, I have enough tying materials to last two lifetimes, but it always seems like I am out of something.

In 2000 I got my first digital camera. I’m now on my 5th and going strong. The ability to take pictures then erase the bad ones, edit the OK ones and cherish the good ones takes amateur photography to a whole, new level. With fly tying, digital cameras give one the ability to share his work with others on the net and take a hugely magnified picture to critique your own work.

Thanks for stopping in. I’ll try to make it worth your time.

Rex