MAINELY OUTDOORS
Aroostook County experienced this winter’s first snowfall on Nov. 1, since then seldom a week has passed without either more snow or frigid temperatures. By my calculations that’s over four months of cold misery and I don’t need any furry rodent and its shadow to predict a couple more bleak months. A lot of days are so miserable I’ve no interest in venturing out ice fishing or rabbit hunting and if it weren’t for a hobby or two I’d go stir crazy with cabin fever!
Generally a winter pastime will go hand in hand with favorite summer or fall recreations. Some outdoorsmen build fishing rods, others reload ammunition for trap, skeet, target practice and hunting, and a few take up the entire winter building a canoe. Less practiced hobbies include refinished firearms, wildlife painting, carving and taxidermy. A few practiced wood workers construct canoe paddles and landing nets, while many use outdoor magazines, books and videos to immerse their minds, if not their bodies, in much missed outdoor pastimes year in and year out, however, the most practiced hobby throughout the entire state is fly tying. The attractions of this hobby to regional anglers go far beyond helping pass a few hours on winter nights and weekends.
Anyone from age 8 to 88 can learn to tie flies, and the appearances and effectiveness of the feathered wonders will be directly proportional to the time invested. Some tiers will use the hobby to pass time and keep their own tackle boxes filled, while the more devoted can enjoy a lucrative business selling their product to sporting goods stores and individual anglers. A handful will enter local, regional, or national competitions, using their intricate fur and feather concoctions to gain some fame in a particularly intricate comparison of skills.
Beyond the business and competition aspects of tying flies, the personal incentives are far more compelling reasons to learn a new skill. The enjoyment of outfoxing a trophy fish into striking a fly is increased a hundred fold if the angler actually constructed the fly, or better yet, created the successful pattern. Rare is the fly-tying fisherman who doesn’t daydream about discovering a fly that catches fish anytime, anywhere. Perhaps your creation will be the answer to every angler’s prayer, and if not you’ll still have had fun designing it.
There is a tremendous monetary savings in tying one’s own flies, rather than buying them, and much more chance of getting exactly what you want. Stores might be completely out of a particular pattern or the size you need most, and seldom do “store bought” flies remain intact as well as those tied personally. Local shops may only have flies for trout and salmon, but at your leisure, patterns for bass, Atlantic salmon or pickerel can be thrown together. With a little notice, flies for Alaskan salmon, Florida tarpon, or Maine coast stripers can be whipped up for yourself and the rest of your buddies enjoying a special outing.
Fly tying’s greatest benefit to me, and I suspect many others, is the relaxation it allows from daily stress. The concentration can be directed into creating a thing of beauty while allowing other problems to be swept away for awhile. When the cold weather, deep snow, and confinement begin to get to me, I sit down at the vise, apply feathers and fur to hooks, and bask in a mental retreat to summer streamside, sunshine, and shimmering, splashing salmon.
I learned to tie flies with my Dad, and my cousin Steve Hitchcock and I tied and fished together all through high school. Learning and practicing the art of fly tying with your children is a great way to share family togetherness. Time is shared at the tying desk during the winter months and during the fishing season the fruits of the labors are used side by side. If you play your cards right, the kids will get very proficient and supply you with flies the rest of your life. Many couples of all ages join fly-tying classes together to share time, and some don’t even fish.
If there are no family members or friends to teach the art of fly tying, it’s time to search out other local alternatives. Some high schools offer evening adult education courses in fly tying, and many fish and game clubs and recreation departments sponsor lessons all winter long for various levels of tying expertise from novice to advanced. Often fishing shops and sporting goods stores also offer lessons during the cold weather months and private sessions are always an option. For those living in remote areas, the combination of instructional video tapes and books have launched many a fly tying career.
It’s obvious that there are lots of methods and reasons to learn the hobby that can turn into an art. Through the long winter, fly tying can create a lifeline of fond memories from the past season to the hopes of the upcoming one, and a reason to persevere. Tie flies and time flies.
