If you have never been to a fly fishing show, imagine a large auditorium room filled with tables, displays, booths, and retired, gray-beard geezers. Mixed in are casual-dress executive types, hot-to-trot Fly Bro's ready to lay claim to The Next Big Thing, and a few long-suffering wives and girlfriends.
Every
kind of fly fishing gadget is there, too, from fly rods and reels, to boats,
accessories, tying materials, clothing...with someone eager
to sell you all of it!
Seriously, if you can think of it - and
even if you've NEVER thought of it - you will find it there for a
price.
There's
all the usual attractions, too: bright lights and a carnival midway
atmosphere, tables groaning with free stickers and pens, and pretty
show-babes to make you feel young again... and loosen your wallet.
But
my favorite part of the whole shindig is, "Fly
Tyers Row."
This
is a line of tables that stretches 50 yards along one wall. There
you'll find numerous celebrity fly tyers - some quite famous in fly-tying circles, some up and
coming - and all busy promoting their craft.
Each
one is a skilled master, true to the arcane fly-tying arts, and they are all
there waiting to meet you.
You
can chat with them, observe them as they work, gush adoringly over
their handicrafts and just generally hobnob with people at the top of
their game.
Allen Rupp
I normally set as my goal to learn one new fly pattern or tying technique from these Viziers of the Vise... while acting like I understand what they're doing.
To this end, I was fortunate enough to meet Mr. Allen Rupp, the man behind Fly On The Water/Bespoke Flies. I've been friends with Allen on Facebook for awhile, so it was nice to meet him in the flesh. His slogan is, “Quality Hand Tied Flies For The Discerning Angler.”
And indeed, he puts great effort into crafting the finest flies money can buy.
The pattern he was gracious enough to tutor me on is Dave Whitlock's, “Near Nuff Crayfish.”
"Near Nuff Crayfish"
But as he got older, he wanted someone to carry on his patterns, and Allen Rupp got the nod. Mr. Whitlock is passed on now, I'm sorry to say, but Allen was the right choice for the job.
He is very meticulous, he is extremely dedicated, he spares no expense in materials and craftsmanship, and the end result is proof of the pudding. If I got nothing else from him this day, I was firmly re-invigorated with the sense of craftsmanship one must bring to fly tying.
This experience with the 'Near Nuff Crayfish' comes at a timely moment, too, as there are a lot of these crusty crustaceans in my local waters. So, I
am putting into practice what Allen taught me, and tying a few for the upcoming season. As is my usual habit, I'll share the results here, with a few tidbits about its construction.
But Allen also offers specific
classes to teach this pattern, along with another Whitlock creation,
“The Near Nuff Sculpin,” so don't expect me to give away all his secrets!
Now, you may be tempted to find information
about tying Whitlock's, ''Near Nuff Crayfish" on the Internet.
I can't lie - I
did.
But from what I've seen, much of the detail and nuance Allen
offers is not found elsewhere. Really, the 45 minutes Allen generously devoted to teaching a hack like me is time I will treasure, and I thank him sincerely for the lessons learned.
He also sells these things if you want one
from the maestro himself; his website and Etsy page are seen below in the foto.
Check in on his blog, and be in awe of the many fine
patterns he ties - and the sheer professionalism of his
efforts.
Again, thanks so much, Allen. Keep up the
great work!
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Do you have questions, compliments, or suggestions?
If so, email me at...dahutist@gmail.com
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