The craft of fly-tying
(Page 3 of 5)
ASSORTED FEATHERS, FURS, SILKS, TINSELS AND HOOKS. Caution:
never purchase any feather or fur which comes from
an endangered species, even though such materials may be
for sale. Unfortunately, many fly patterns call for
supplies like condor quills and polar bear hair and other
substances which are now definitely "off limits" . . .
you'll see what I mean when you look through the catalogs.
Although it's currently illegal to sell many of these
products, some may still be offered, and I urge you to be
very careful when making purchases. Always use substitutes
if buying the real thing may jeopardize the future of a
species.
RELATED CONTENT
WHERE TO OBTAIN MATERIALS
The largest mail-order supplier of fly-tying equipment
is—once again—Herter's. Their prices are low
and the quality of their material is about average.
(You should also know that Herter's was recently fined
for importing feathers from nearly extinct
birds.—MOTHER.) Request a catalog, and—if
you can find a fly-tier to get you started—have him
or her help you put in an order.
Herter's will supply you with a complete kit which includes
manual, tools, materials, hooks . . . in fact, everything
you need to tie a lot of flies (over 1,000, the company
claims, if you order one of its $17.00 packages). Get their
Model 9 vise—which comes in most of Herter's
kits—and buy a bobbin separately if one isn't
included.
Try to avoid purchasing material in small quantities from
retail fishing tackle stores . . . often the quality is
poor and the prices high. Don't buy a cheap kit, either:
Such an inferior package deal usually contains a clumsy
(and therefore worthless) vise.
No matter how you choose to purchase your supplies, the
initial investment—the price of finding out whether
fly-tying will be profitable for you—should be under
$20.00. Compared to other crafts, the cost of getting
started is extremely low.
RECYCLED MATERIALS
Make every effort to use recycled materials. A furrier will
probably give you all the fur scraps you can possibly use
in a thousand years and the rooster, duck or goose feathers
called for in many patterns may be available from fowl
you've slaughtered on your own homestead. You might
experiment with fibers from reeds found growing locally.
Broken rubber bands make excellent bodies for certain
flies, old tinfoil can be useful and even the red strip of
cellophane from some cigarette packs may come in handy.
Once you start tying, in fact, everything—even living
creatures—seems to become a potential source of
material for your craft. A snip or two of hair from your
cat or dog is most useful and will hardly be missed by the
pet, but you may have to chase your lady around the barn to
get one of her curly locks to complete a fly that just has
to be tied.
Page:
<< Previous 1 |
2 | 3 |
4 |
5 |
Next >>
