reinventing the Wheel
 

I have to rant for a moment!! I just got the current issue of Fly Tyer in the
mail yesterday, and one of the features is an AK Best design of a "hovering
cranefly".
Now, old A.K. claims he sweated over this one for a couple years, but there is
ABSOLUTELY no functional difference from a classic Catskill Variant. See
Flick's
instructions for the Grey Fox Variant, and the final fly. All A.K. does is make
use of, and liberally plug, Whiting's Coq de Leon feathers. A similar type of
article/
advertisement trend seems to be creeping into Fly Tyer as a whole....The result
is a lot of re-inventing the Wheel, wrapping it in some tyer's ego and foisting
on the public. Rant mode off......
Tom

reinventing the Wheel
 

reinventing the Wheel
 

reinventing the Wheel
 

"Tom Littleton" wrote in message
...
I have to rant for a moment!!
SNIP

About par for the course. I don´t buy any mags anymore, they are mostly full
of bull****. Much the same applies to a lot of the new books as well.

For really new and interesting stuff, you can´t beat the net. I think the
mags will slowly die off in time, especially if they don´t get their act
together.

TL
MC

reinventing the Wheel
 

Tom Littleton wrote:
I have to rant for a moment!! I just got the current issue of Fly Tyer in the
mail yesterday, and one of the features is an AK Best design of a "hovering
cranefly".
Now, old A.K. claims he sweated over this one for a couple years, but there is
ABSOLUTELY no functional difference from a classic Catskill Variant. See
Flick's
instructions for the Grey Fox Variant, and the final fly. All A.K. does is make
use of, and liberally plug, Whiting's Coq de Leon feathers. A similar type of
article/
advertisement trend seems to be creeping into Fly Tyer as a whole....The result
is a lot of re-inventing the Wheel, wrapping it in some tyer's ego and foisting
on the public. Rant mode off......
Tom


The magazines need to publish SOMETHING. Big names like AK, draw
readers. It's very hard to come up with something new all the time.
So you get things reiterated ad noxium.

To give AK some slack, there are techniques, flies etc. that are so old
and disused that they're "new" again. Although I think he should have
given the Variant as the source for his "inspiration", at least out
West, I can't remember ever seeing a Variant in any bin in any fly shop.
I willing to bet that most newer anglers don't know what a variant is.

It reminds me of an incident on the Bighorn. I hooked a good fish and a
guide and his clients came over to watch the fight. The guide was nice
enough to net the fish for me. He looked at my fly and asked me what it
was. I told him it was a hare's ear soft hackle. He asked some more
questions and it turns out he didn't even know what a soft hackle is.

I like to reread some of my "older" books paying attention to
techniques, flies etc. that anglers in the past have employed but have
for some reason fallen into disfavor. Some of these things can be VERY
effective because even though they're old ideas, they're new to the fish
because no one uses them anymore.

PS I think alot of it is because you just know too much and most
articles books etc. are written for people with less knowledge. In fact,
I remember you suggested a Variant to me when I wrote about fishing a
Cranefly hatch.

Willi
goldensfrii.com

reinventing the Wheel
 

Scott states:
Of course, if I
had a stash of spade feathers like yours, I wouldn't spend nine bucks a
pack for tail fibers

step one: contact Charlie Collins
step two: ask for a few packs of spades
step three: pay him $5 for each large pack

Pardo is overpriced, overrated, and for most uses over-stiff.
Tom

reinventing the Wheel
 

Willi notes:
at least out
West, I can't remember ever seeing a Variant in any bin in any fly shop.

Not even House and Lots? Baileys had them in several sizes when I was in there
a few years back. I know Pat Barnes used to carry them years ago at his place.
I know times have changed, but variants were used out west. Further, AK was
from Michigan before moving to Colorado, so he has definitely seen variants.
Tom

reinventing the Wheel
 

Willi flatters with:
PS I think alot of it is because you just know too much and most
articles books etc. are written for people with less knowledge.

Still, the claims of deep thought and original thought on this example are too
much ego for me to stomach. This is, or ought to be, a sport of and with
tradition.

I remember you suggested a Variant to me when I wrote about fishing a
Cranefly hatch.

#14 or 16 variants in approximate shades work really well for the few
situations that demand them. Craneflies are the main example of such a
situation.

Tom
p.s. there was a big brownish cranefly out
at Penn's this May. First I, or Jonas had
ever noticed it.....

reinventing the Wheel
 

reinventing the Wheel
 

Reading this thread about Fly Fishing/Tying mags has been pretty
interesting.

A lot of what I'm hearing here was the reason I canceled all but one of
my subscriptions, and that's to a magazine I still read cover to cover,
including the Letters to the Editor, Book Reviews and the "Foraging
Angler" column.

If you've never read a copy of California Fly Fisher, I would strongly
recommend it to anyone who fishes in the Golden State or the Western US
for that matter.

Great articles by Ken Hanley, Ralph Cutter and a regular tying column by
Andy Burke, with a fly you usually can use!

I also like the freebie rag you get in the stores...

"Fly Fish America" Al and Gretchen Beatty do an excellent job with the
fly tying page which features regional specialties from average Joe
tyers, like me once =)

Larry