Why do we tie flies?
There is nothing like catching a fish with a fly that you have tied. You have created something that has fooled a fish. There is great satisfaction in the time spent behind the vise, binding feathers and fur with thread on a hook to look like something that the fish wants.
We have all walked into a fly shop not knowing what to buy and thought, “Wow, I might be able to tie that myself and save money doing it.” That could be a driving factor, but personally once I am behind the vise all other thoughts leave me — it is just me and the vise, nothing else. I create and become an artist at the vise. Sometimes I feel fly tying is more important than actually fishing.
Author and Master Fly Tier Eric Leiser once told me that “They say the time spent fishing is not deducted from a man’s allotted time on earth.” The same must be said for the time at the vise.
So, I say to all you fly tiers, here is to a long lifetime golden moments we spent at the vise or on the stream.
Jerry Coviello, Author