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

(Tom Littleton) wrote in
:

[editorial snip]....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......


It annoys me too, hence the near zero subscription rate to mags.


Steve (the Coq de Leon _is_ good though! :-)

(Tom Littleton) wrote in
:

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


I got ya, Tom. I've been feeling that way about the mag for a long time
(but of course I still buy it!).

When its your living to crank out articles on tying new flies, you come up
with some outrageous **** that simply won't help anyone fish. There's few
new flies in there that excite me. I did like their recent article on
realistic immitation, though, and the review of the Magic Tool talked me
into buying one (and I hope you'll soon see the results). Of course, you
can pretty much do the same stuff with a slit piece of closed cell foam and
a bulldog clamp, but I don't regret the purchase.

So, I guess I like the mag for the features and new product reviews, but
many of the new flies presented just miss with me.

I do like them Coq de Leon feathers. They make damn good tails. You need
to use more fibers than you would w/ fibbets, but I like the idea of losing
an artificial material for a natural that works better. Of course, if I
had a stash of spade feathers like yours, I wouldn't spend nine bucks a
pack for tail fibers

Scott

"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

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

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

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

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.....

(Tom Littleton) wrote in
:

Still, the claims of deep thought and original thought on this example
are too much ego for me to stomach.


Occasionally ... just occasionally, the reverse happens. A local mag.
contained an article describing a couple of previously unpublished,
relatively unknown local patterns. The patterns existed only in the boxes
of a couple of mates - keen anglers all. The death of one, the designer and
developer of the patterns, prompted publication and the proper crediting of
the patterns ...

This is, or ought to be, a sport of and with tradition.


'Fraid the 'pros have moved in ... quite awhile ago actually.


Steve (who left out the juicy bits)

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