Home Forums Fishing Flyfishing Atlantic and steelhead full dress flys

Anybody out there involved in tying full dress Atlantic salmon flys or steelhead flys in the same style?

Every once in a while I will sit down and tie a display panel for framing, rather than use. After spending all that time with all those fancy and expensive materials I just cannot see the point in using them...
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<br>My 8-year-old son has really taken to tying flies in general and has really amazed me with what he is doing at such a young age. We can sit and tie for hours some evenings.
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<br>Last august he caught a limit of silver salmon and a ton of Dollies on flies he tied, then shot his first spruce hen, all in the same day.
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<br>Are you tying, and if so, are you doing it to use them?
<br>art

Sitka: Imagine finding you here. How's that Dressel wood coming along? I'm between stocks right now waiting for wood. Local shop has a couple of refinish/rechecker jobs for me to do and will pick up tomorrow.
<br>Anyhow flys: yes I tie full dress salmon/steelhead flies. Initially I tied them for display but finally decided to tie them to fish. Have no end of trouble getting display quality materials for one thing and it was either not bothering or doing something to maintain my interest/skills. So, decided to fish them with some substitute materials. Speckled bustard is a major pain to find good stuff. Last pair of large quality feathers I saw was the equivalent to a good factory rifle. My buddy from Seattle has been into display level flies for quite a while and has found a limited market for shadow-boxed flies as a selling item. He has better contacts than me and ties with better materials as well. Am sort of sliding away from it as a recreation as it seems to be I'm one of a kind in this area and it gets a bit "lonely" with no one close to compare notes with. Do about a dozen a year to fish with. If you get into Whitehorse go to the fly shop there. Karl (I think) had a fairly active group of tiers there. Got to quit and go R&G club meeting. Besto, stocker

Sitka: Meeting is over , turn out dismal. If it wasn't for the club executive it would have been an empty hall. Any how I meant to ask if you have ever run across Pat Wood (commercial fisherman)and his wife Desmarais(fisheries bio). They were a common sight here in the fall on our steelhead rivers. Had lots of laughs with them. I understand her illness has pretty much incapacitated her now. If memory serves me they were either from Anchorage or Ketchikan. Likewise you might know Jerry Mahoney (pilot/fish spotter) who lives in Seattle area and I think flies the Bristol Bay sockeye run. Good people all.

Stocker
<br>I know what you mean about good materials being hard to find and pricey! I used to tie a bunch for framing and found the only thing rarer than a well-tied, full-dress salmon fly was someone who even knew what one was. The good stuff would sit and sit, while the pedetrian stuff ran out the door...
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<br>There are a couple very good, very serious tiers here in Anchorage. Some with unbelievable materials.
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<br>The stock has been slowed down by the fact I have been out of town for almost 3 weeks, but going home on wednesday!!! Inletted, ready to start shaping at this point.
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<br>Sorry, but I don't know any of the folks you mentioned, I must live a sheltered existence.
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<br>best to you
<br>art