By Don Daniels
It was this time last year that the fly-tying sessions at the Campbell River library were well attended by people of all ages.
Each year I put on fly-tying sessions for beginners and the response has been very positive and students give me feedback on why they attended. The sessions are free of charge and it’s a fun way to hand out materials and hooks and let them learn and get experience with the basic technique of tying a fly pattern and taking it fishing.
I also get to learn what people are fishing for and how they want to go about hooking a salmon or trout on a fly they have tied themselves. The studnets can be any age and are keen to learn about fly patterns, working with materials and getting the basics down to tie up a fly and then progress on their own to tie up the hundreds of fly patterns there are.
The biggest mistake they have made is that they want to tie up a fly pattern from a magazine or internet but they don’t have the basics nailed down. There are students that have attended that may have given up on continuing to tie flies but I always say, come out and try it before you buy it. I have also seen ladies who were beginners and are now fishing for trout or pinks in the rivers on fly patterns they have made. Last year, because of COVID-19, the fly-tying sessions were cancelled at the Campbell River library and new dates are yet to be determined so far in 2021. A number of people have given up on tying flies and the feathers and materials will be used to help beginners and gain experience without any burden to their pocket books. As I collect feathers, furs and dubbing materials, I have made up 10 packages that can be used to improve your tying technique. Since sessions have been on hold at the library and we continue to avoid gathering in groups, I have the made-up packages and you can stop and see Heather Stratton at Nite Time News in Willow Point and pick a package free and have fun tying up flies. It will be first come, first served and the free packages can be picked up any time after 11 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 27.
Since we are spending more time at home, I cleaned out storage boxes and drawers and will give out to fly-tyers to use. Phase 1 will be donating fly-tying materials, phase 2 will be used fishing rods that have been donated and phase 3 will be fishing books that have been donated. I would rather spend time donating any fishing materials than trying to sell them online. The idea is to have fun starting a new fishing hobby and meeting the people who fish in our community. Spending time behind a fly-tying vise might be a great way to spend less time on the Internet during the colder weather!