Fly Tying Time Again

Now that the dead of winter is about to set in, most sportsmen are looking for ways to put in their time. Some will do a little trapping, rabbit hunting, or cross-country skiing; but most will hole up near their woodburners while hoping for nice spring weather to replace winter’s cold.

One group of sportsmen who have something meaningful to do over the winter are fly-fishermen who tie their own flies. I am one of these.

When I was a young fly-fisherman and had not accumulated a large stash of flies, I needed to tie hundreds of flies each winter to fill my fly boxes. Now that I am an old fly-fisherman, I do not need to tie too many flies, since I have so many already. This winter, particularly, I will not need to tie a whole lot of flies because I did not get to fish as much as usual last year, and I did not lose as many flies as I do most years. In fact, during deer season during some of the dreadful weather days when I chose to stay warm and dry at home, I whipped up a significant number of flies, including the entire complement of replacement nymphs for the pattern I use most often. I still have a number of flies that I need to tie, most notably my favorite imitations for sulphur and blue-winged olive mayfly hatches. But, I do not need to tie a lot of these, since I did not get a whole lot of fly-fishing to these hatches last season.

Young fly-fishermen who are just starting out might not know the basics of fly tying or what they need. There is help available. The John Kennedy Chapter of Trout Unlimited is once again holding FREE beginners’ fly tying classes, starting Saturday, January 12, 2019. After the initial session, classes will be held every Saturday following Jan. 12, running through March 2. These classes will run from 9:00 until noon each Saturday at the Allegheny Volunteer Fire Department, 651 Sugar Run Road, Altoona, PA. The Trout Unlimited chapter will supply all the tools and materials that will be needed.

Class size is limited to 30; so if you are interested, you will need to sign up soon by contacting Dan Beck at 942-6971 or [email protected]; or Jerry Green at 934-7046 or [email protected]. You could also drop the chapter an email at [email protected].

The instructors are competent tiers; they know lots of tricks. Who knows, they might even share a favorite fishing spot with you.