Some of us have been around for a while

[Don Andersen]

Guys,

Some of us have been around for a while and recall a time before synthetics. The new style of fly tying is neatly summed up by a quote from a friend "these flies contain no chicken feathers".
So what was your fly of choice when you started fishing?

For me it was the two Bivisibles, both gray and brown followed by Joe's Hopper. I didn't fish nymphs till the last 60's. The Bivisibles were followed by a dry stone pattern.

When I moved to Rocky in 1970, I started to fish nymphs nearly exclusively when no surface action was apparent. The nymphs were simple things that fell within Charles Brooks style of flies. Worked then, work now.
For a feel of who and what Charles Brooks is see: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...r-larger-trout


So what was your starting fly[s]?


Don

[pikergolf]

I started fly fishing in the mid 70's, all lake. Flies consisted of a size six half back tied with peacock or a smaller full back also peacock. I still remember the night I was introduced to the woolly bugger, around 1981. The fellow took us night fishing at the bridge at Police Outpost, handed out black woolly buggers, it was magical.

[tight line]

when i started fly fishing in 88 i guess, was 8 years old. My father bought me the basics and a few of the old Trout/Salmon fishers in PEI gave me a few flies. one old boy who is a legend out there told me- you need two flies to get going- a Royal Coachman (Dry & Wet). And that was all i used for along time. and caught alot of fish on those flies-even my first Atlantic Salmon. Now Days i pack several cases with all kinds of realistic flies, but i always keep a few Coachmen in my box just out of respect for Mr. Hayze.

[tallieho]

I started flyfishing in1985.I got lucky in that my neighbor taught casting & tying for the city p&rec.I was a hunter looking for an alternate fix.For as you no ,you can't c&r a moose.The neighor & i struck a deal,feathers skins,hides for instuction on the art of flyfishing.My first fly was called a Billy's Nymph.Big weighted concoction.Sz 6 3399 lead wire,blk dubbed marabou,silver flat tnisel ribbed thru the marabouWith a deer hair back pulled over[humpy like].Fished fullsink on the bow.

[32-40win]

Black Gnats. I know I had Humpy's and Coachmen and Tom Thumbs back then, but, only remember catching fish on the Black Gnats, up near Findlay Forks in 1971. That was one of those days when the fish were fighting over who got that fly. Fishing in flooded timber, standing on a log. May be that it was the first time I really said to myself---wow---flies really do work. And that there was a wolverine standing by the truck when we went back to it.

[Taco]

Blue duns and joe's hopper then royal coachmen and adams, sz10-12 and quite offten fished as tandem rigs and you never worried if they sunk.

[catnthehat]

I started with very few, an old Wheatley box that was given to me by my father contained some small dries.
Bivisable, a few Adams, a Montreal, Lead wing coachman a Parmachene Belle , and a Royal Coachman.
My first flies I tied were a Mickey Finn and an Adams, and used these a lot.
That was in the early 60's.
I then got into fly rodding pike and bass and it all went to you know where in a hand cart!!
Cat

[badger]

I fished the yellow Humpy almost exclusively on rivers on the East Slopes, and the Doc Sprately on lakes in Jasper. And the Zonker. Really did not start fishing nymphs and pupae until 20 years ago.

[Don Andersen]

Been watching the evolution of FFing and I suspect that there was an incredible advancement in the skills of anglers in the early 70's. This advancement in a few years changed FFing forever. Hatch matching became the normal, wet flies mostly disappeared, line technology changed with Air Cels addition of micro balloons to dry lines, nymph fishing really appeared, presentation became the norm, fiberglass rods were getting better and better and with Fenwick's introduction of graphite in 1975 which pushed rod technology even more. A lot of changes in a few short years.
Writers like AJ McLean, Ted Trueblood and Joe Brooks either featured or promoted catching everything that swims with fly gear.
The decade from 1970>1980, that's when it happened and hot damn, I was there!


Catch ya'


Don
PS - just so ya' know, my generation discovered sex, drugs and rock and roll and thankfully not rap.

[rycoma]

Yellow yarn body brown soft hackle wet flies and a couple of bivisable drys from my grandfather. Fished on a hand me down 7wt fibreglass p.o.s. With the wrong wt line. Then on to wolly worms and then buggers. Caught a bunch of fish with that p.o.s. Sure do miss it as it resides somewhere in the bow river now.

[BeeGuy]

About 25yrs ago; a multitude of muddler minnow patterns and the usual fished every which way.

Mostly I just learned a few techniques an then tied what I wanted/needed. Still do the same thing today. Best recent tie I called the Christmas tree. Red, green and silver nymph on a #14 pupae hook. You could watch the fish fight over it.

I'm a terrible tier and fly fisherman though. I only do it to catch fish.

[fish gunner]

Silver doctors , dark and red soft hackles, fuzzy egg patterns. I learned on the west coast salmon rivers . After a while salmon almost became one fly per species deal black/purple zonnkers for spring , red/blue for coho . When chasing cutties and bulls , silver doctors caught fish so I was happy now I have 4-5 boxes full to the gills ...not sure I catch any more fish

[greylynx]

Quite a few:

Here are the books they came from:

Western Trout Fly Tying Manual 1and 2 by Jack Dennis Many patterns I fish came from the two books.

Nymph Fishing for Larger Trout... a classic to this day.

Caddisflies by the late Gary Lafontaine....The first sign of Antron

Nymphs by Ernest Schwiebert. Beautiful drawings

Nymphing by Gary Borger. A neat guy who introduced me to night fishing under the moon.

And Russell Thornberry's Flyfishing Jasper National Park. One of the best north of Saskatchewan Crossing.

[goldscud]

I learned on the Highwood and the lower Bow in the early 70's...swinging grey and brown bivisibles followed by a Hopper (that was usually under the water a bit). Too bad we didn't know about dries then, but we were too busy hauling out fish eating our brown bivisible as an emerging caddis. The evening rises were incredible with pods of fish everywhere that lasted from 7pm to after dark. It would be nice to return to that period armed with a 4wt and a good caddis. It sure was fun catching 2 at a time though.

[fishstix]

The Werner shrimp. Early 1990's. Sink it in a lake. Pull out a fish. The good ol' days.

[beadhead]

I actually learned to tie before i actually ever fly fished. Patterns included the mosquito tied with moose mane, black gnat, and my go to the brown hackle tied with peacock. I remember when i was first introduced to the San Juan Worm i laughed and refused to even have it my box because i didn't consider it a "real" fly.

And don't even get me started with strike indicators...i still avoid them but will hopper dropper which is just my justified way of doing the same thing without the bobber.

[Kingfisher]

Great question Don.

I started tying flies around 1978. My first fly was a badly tied black doc spratley. But I'd have to say my most successful fly early on was a tom thumb. The uglier you tied them, and the more chewed up they get the better they worked.

[Don Andersen]

Recall fishing the Madison River in 1971 with Tom Thumbs. Did well. Buddy Lilly guides were impressed that a Humpy w/o hackle would work. If I recall correctly, the Tom Thumb was featured in a BC mag. as a caddis imitation.

And fly fishing was expensive when I was a kid. A single bivisible cost $0.25 when the average wage was less than $1.50/hr. My first decent fly line was a Cortland 333 purchased from Woodwards for $13.00 when I made $12.00/day.

Regards,


Don

[Pudelpointer]

Early 80's was when I first picked up a fly rod, however I occasionally tied on a Muddler Minnow for sea run cutthroat trout when spin fishing in small coastal streams.

When I switched to flyfishing Muddlers, Tom Thumbs, Doc Spratleys, various Buggers and Carey Specials made up 90% of my fly box.

Later I changed to Rolled Muddlers and Borden's Specials for Sea Runs, and added big dragon fly nymphs and damsels to my lake fishing box.

[greylynx]

Originally Posted by Don Andersen

Recall fishing the Madison River in 1971 with Tom Thumbs. Did well. Buddy Lilly guides were impressed that a Humpy w/o hackle would work. If I recall correctly, the Tom Thumb was featured in a BC mag. as a caddis imitation.

And fly fishing was expensive when I was a kid. A single bivisible cost $0.25 when the average wage was less than $1.50/hr. My first decent fly line was a Cortland 333 purchased from Woodwards for $13.00 when I made $12.00/day.

Regards,


Don

In junior high my buddies and I used to sell flys to Woodwards for 12 cents a fly.

That 12 cents included cost of materials.

You do not want to know where we obtained some of the tying materials.

[Heater]

I learnt how to flies from Reg Denny, I took his last course he ever put on at their old fly shop in north Edm, I believe it was in 1997. He was a feather guy for sure.. was very glad to have met and learnt from him. The shop would also have a drop in fly tying class every Sat afternoon at the shop. great memories, miss the old shop.
First fly I used was the 52 Buick, was tied up by Gary Carlson. Bought my first fly rod off Russell Thornberry, it was a fiberglass Eagle Claw..The first Fishin Hole store was opened by Russell in St. Albert, not far from the old Bruin Inn. I was in Junior high, and would head over to the store every chance I got. Just a small hole in the wall shop.
Russells book

[IMG][/IMG]

52 Buick
[IMG][/IMG]

[Don Andersen]

When I tied commercially in the early '70's, the 52 Buick was one of the ties. Sold a pile of them. I recall getting about $0.40 each.

Regards,


Don

[Kingfisher]

Gawd Don, the more I read this the older I feel. Every time you mention a fly it brings back memmories. I tied a ton of those 52 buicks. Great damsel imitation. 52 buicks caught me a ton of fish and made me a few bucks.


Another that was in my box in the early days was an Idaho Nymph. black stonefly with a white shell case. I think there was peacock herl tied around the thorax if I remember correctly. But with this darn CRAFT disease nothing seems clear any more.

Another couple of old flies that I also tied a ton of when I tied commercially in the 80's was the full back and the half back. I probably sold 10,000 of those little critters. But I don't remember now how much I got. But I was able to keep myself in tying supplies.

[MrDave]

Started fly fishing in 1979. I was considered kind of a kook. Fly fishing in the shallows of Medicine Lake for perch and pike. That taught me a great deal.
I used a Muddler Minnow and boatman flies. The lack of finesse didn't bother them. I also had to learn totally on my own. Seemed like everything liked them. Later I started using Royal Coachman.

[nekred]

I got into the game relatively late and I love the prince nymph... caught most of my big ones on it....

Just got the fly tying stuff out for the oldest boy and he is tying up a storm... no idea what to call them but they will probably work...

[Heron]

What a great topic! My ramblings... Trolling around Carson lake circa 1977 with "the fly". A Thunder Creek Minnow purchased again Don from Woodwards. Now the modern one you might google up is not it but simply dark brown deer hair tail over white deer tail hair tied bullet style with red thread. 2-3 lb trout all day. Back then we measured trout in lbs feather than inches. Don't get me started on the Tom Thumb. More later...

[saskfly]

o keefe special.

Mohair, Badger hackle and bear hair...deadly to this day

[oilngas]

when we moved to Calgary in 76, the place for info and help was; The Fishn Hole. Leo Farrah made me a Lamiglass 7 weight, and I threw the biggest, blackest leach fly I could, on the fastest sinking line we could find. Caught a lot of very large fish from the Bow back then.

[lippy]

Originally Posted by pikergolf

I started fly fishing in the mid 70's, all lake. Flies consisted of a size six half back tied with peacock or a smaller full back also peacock. I still remember the night I was introduced to the woolly bugger, around 1981. The fellow took us night fishing at the bridge at Police Outpost, handed out black woolly buggers, it was magical.

That sounds really familiar!

[lippy]

Started flyfishing about 1974 used a peacock green halfback nymph most of the time on a wet line. Fall of 1980 was introduced to dry lining a boatman pattern by an older fellow named Hoss at Police Lake. Soon after a fellow from Redcliff by the name of Walter Lawson introduced me to the Wooly Bugger which really worked good at Police! (Especially at night off the bridge) Got introduced to using choronimid patterns under an indicator at Bullshead about 5 years ago. I still like to fish with leech and nymph patterns but cannot deny how effective using an indicator and cronos can be. If I had to use just one fly pattern it would be the peacock green halfback - caught a lot of fish with it over the years!