Fly Tying Question

On Sep 25, 8:27*am, Dave LaCourse wrote:
I have a friend named Vincent (Vinny). *Vinny just "graduated" from
high school. *He is 20 yo. *He received a "certificate of completion"
rather than a HS diploma. *Vinny has an IQ of 70. *He was born of an
alcoholic mother and father, and removed from them soon after his
birth. *Surprizingly, he has fairly good motor skills (he's a whiz at
Quitar Hero!), and can learn - it just takes him a lot longer. *He is
not spastic and has a steady hand and good eyes. *His hearing is
somewhat diminished since birth.

Situation: *Vinny has tried working in a supermarket bagging, and as a
bus boy at a local restaurant. *He hates both of these jobs and thinks
they are beneath him. *He wants, *needs*, a different vocation. *He is
creative and capable of sovling puzzles (jigsaw, for example). *

Questions: *How difficult would it be to teach someone like Vinny to
tie flies? *And, if he is successful at doing so, where could he sell
his creations? *I realize that breaking in to such a market would be
tough for most, but I wonder if Vinny could tie and make a "get by
living" tying flies. *He lives with his single adoptive mother who is
a professional woman and makes a fairly good living. *The most
important thing is that he be accepted and have some worth. *Right now
he is down on himself thinking that he has no real worth. *I am
working with him and trying to change his attitude.

How does Umqua select their tyers? *Orvis? *If he can learn to tie,
and I believe he can, I know of several places that would accept his
flies, but only a few gross at a time. *How does one break into the
professional fly tying community?

Dave
(Hoping there are no smart ass remarks posted)

Here at my school, the seniors have to do a Senior Project where they
get to do anything that they have ever wanted to explore, and they
must show how their HS education influenced their understanding of
their project. One of the seniors two years ago has Asperger's
Syndrome, which basically makes him incredibly awkward socially, and
oblivious to it. As you can imagine, someone with Asperger's faces a
tough future working in any capacity that involves interacting with
others.

This particular student chose as his project 'tying sal****er flies',
and asked me to be his mentor. He completely immersed himself in the
project, starting out with clousers and decievers, but soon he
branched out into developing his own flies based on researching what
fish eat, etc. He did extremely well on his project, but the long term
result is that he now only ties flies that he invents, and he puts a
lot of energy and thought into what properties a fly should have. I
mean, its over the top, but he regularly sends me samples of what he
is 'working on', and I field test them for him whenever I can. His
last batch of bass flies were astounding, and I was assessing whether
or not the clear ribbing made them more attractive than the light
green ribbing....I mean, he is that obsessive.

The moral of the story is; some day in the near future, we are all
going to be fishing with flies that this kid invented. He has found a
niche that he can fill, even with his personal challenges, and it will
work for him.

The other moral of the story: he'll never make any money at it. Thai
and Kenyan tyers will always dominate the market and underprice anyone
who ties for profit stateside. Sorry. But if its not about the money,
I'd say to teach him to tie.

--riverman

On Wed, 24 Sep 2008 19:46:44 -0700 (PDT), riverman
wrote:

wonderful story snipped

The other moral of the story: he'll never make any money at it. Thai
and Kenyan tyers will always dominate the market and underprice anyone
who ties for profit stateside. Sorry. But if its not about the money,
I'd say to teach him to tie.

Lakewood buys its flies from a local tyer, so there is a market out
there, albeit small. I'll see Vinny this week-end and will begin to
teach him to tie if he wants to. If he shows some promise, I'll
continue.

Thanks for your insight, Myron.

Dave

"riverman" wrote in message
...
On Sep 25, 8:27 am, Dave LaCourse wrote:
I have a friend named Vincent (Vinny). Vinny just "graduated" from
high school. He is 20 yo. He received a "certificate of completion"
rather than a HS diploma. Vinny has an IQ of 70. He was born of an
alcoholic mother and father, and removed from them soon after his
birth. Surprizingly, he has fairly good motor skills (he's a whiz at
Quitar Hero!), and can learn - it just takes him a lot longer. He is
not spastic and has a steady hand and good eyes. His hearing is
somewhat diminished since birth.

Situation: Vinny has tried working in a supermarket bagging, and as a
bus boy at a local restaurant. He hates both of these jobs and thinks
they are beneath him. He wants, *needs*, a different vocation. He is
creative and capable of sovling puzzles (jigsaw, for example).

Questions: How difficult would it be to teach someone like Vinny to
tie flies? And, if he is successful at doing so, where could he sell
his creations? I realize that breaking in to such a market would be
tough for most, but I wonder if Vinny could tie and make a "get by
living" tying flies. He lives with his single adoptive mother who is
a professional woman and makes a fairly good living. The most
important thing is that he be accepted and have some worth. Right now
he is down on himself thinking that he has no real worth. I am
working with him and trying to change his attitude.

How does Umqua select their tyers? Orvis? If he can learn to tie,
and I believe he can, I know of several places that would accept his
flies, but only a few gross at a time. How does one break into the
professional fly tying community?

Dave
(Hoping there are no smart ass remarks posted)

Here at my school, the seniors have to do a Senior Project where they
get to do anything that they have ever wanted to explore, and they
must show how their HS education influenced their understanding of
their project. One of the seniors two years ago has Asperger's
Syndrome, which basically makes him incredibly awkward socially, and
oblivious to it. As you can imagine, someone with Asperger's faces a
tough future working in any capacity that involves interacting with
others.

This particular student chose as his project 'tying sal****er flies',
and asked me to be his mentor. He completely immersed himself in the
project, starting out with clousers and decievers, but soon he
branched out into developing his own flies based on researching what
fish eat, etc. He did extremely well on his project, but the long term
result is that he now only ties flies that he invents, and he puts a
lot of energy and thought into what properties a fly should have. I
mean, its over the top, but he regularly sends me samples of what he
is 'working on', and I field test them for him whenever I can. His
last batch of bass flies were astounding, and I was assessing whether
or not the clear ribbing made them more attractive than the light
green ribbing....I mean, he is that obsessive.

The moral of the story is; some day in the near future, we are all
going to be fishing with flies that this kid invented. He has found a
niche that he can fill, even with his personal challenges, and it will
work for him.

The other moral of the story: he'll never make any money at it. Thai
and Kenyan tyers will always dominate the market and underprice anyone
who ties for profit stateside. Sorry. But if its not about the money,
I'd say to teach him to tie.

--riverman

Much as I applaud the lad for his efforts tying to that level is always
going to be a labour of love. I have flies tied by Derek Bradbury that
are too good to put in the water ( I haven't bought a fly in many years)
olive pre-emerger buzzers with wing stubs that need a magnifying glass to
appreciate. I did try one and for sure it caught fish but then my own basic
pattern PTN and silver ribbed buzzers did equally well and there is the rub
its more than satifying to produce a fly that is indistinguishable from the
real
insect but trout sadly are not that discerning and the busy or less talented
angler just wants something that will catch. I did a spell of semi-pro tying
in the 80's but I could never have made a living at it after the first few
thousand flys ( mainly lures) I had done more than enough so I pointed
the tackle shop towards imported because at the selling price that was the
only way they could make a living.
Derek