Fly Tying & Pattern Books

I cannot tell you when I was learning to tye flies 32 years ago how many pattern books I bought. I had pattern books for nymphs,, dry Flies, Streamers and my favorite Wet Flies. I remember sitting at my kitchen table way back when thumbing through those pattern books to find the next fly I would tye and fish with. Now at 52 years old I barely crack a book and just sit down at my tying desk and tye flies. The only book that I crack open for patterns anymore is my Ray Bergman books. There are some patterns that I see others tye on this web site that I want to know the pattern for because I feel the fly looks cool and I want to give the fly a try for fishing. I am at the point in in my tying where I love to tye creatively or tye artistically at times. When I am in a creative mood is when I tye modified patterns of flies (Mostly Wet Flies) that I feel will work on the streams I fish. When I am in the artistic mood my really beautiful married wing classic wet flies get tyed and do not stop for hours. When I feel I need a challenge and want to express myself more I tye classic Salmon Flies. It seem now a days that only Classic wing wet flies and Salmon flies is the only pattern books I look at any more. I own over three hundred books in my Library and only look at a handful any more for tying. Any one else like this on this web site.

yep ! use only a few from my library too. I learned 45 years ago. my problem is I collect patterns, I have around 60,000 patterns I think now. I use the web, magazines, friends, books, etc. I have a few data bases with most. will take a lifetime to get them all in.

I have 86 books in my library. I know this because "there is an app for that" and it keeps me from buying duplicates. I do look at them quite often looking for new patterns or recipes of flies I hear or read about. I did get rid of the "tactics" and "feel good I'm a fly fisher" books. (There's some rod building books in there too, by the way.)
I still browse the Internet sites for patterns and techniques.

I have about 150 fly fishing and tying books. I refer to them only occasionally to look up a pattern or refresh a technique. I use the internet more and more for those things. These days, my most used books are probably the entomology titles.

I have about 400 books on fishing, rod building and fly tying. Most are on fly fishing and fly tying. That sounds like a lot but it represents over 50 years of collecting. Also, many of the pattern books were obtained before there was so much available on the internet. I still enjoy reading and collecting them.

I have two grown sons but neither are that big into fishing, so I have instructed my family to donate all the books to a local library so others can enjoy them when I'm gone.

Dave

I think every tier should have a good, comprehensive pattern book in order to see the materials list and the finished flies of classic fly patterns.
I have many fly tying books. The very best pattern book(s) I have is a two volume set of "Fish Flies" by the late Terry Helleckson. He provides snippets of the history of a number of the patterns. Most flies are shown as drawings, but in each volume, there are beautiful color plates of all the flies.
If I could only keep one book, this would be it. - actually a two volume set.

The books are over-sized and over 300 pages each.

"Ipad quality" examples of two pages:



http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/...ps074ae1a4.jpg


http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/...psaba523de.jpg

That is a good book Byron. I've got Vol 2 but have never come across Vol 1 for a price I was willing to pay.

Dave,
Vol. 1 is, in my opinion, the better of the two. May be my prejudice toward dry flies, though.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Byron haugh

Dave,
Vol. 1 is, in my opinion, the better of the two. May be my prejudice toward dry flies, though.

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A lot of people must have felt the same way as it is hard to come by anymore. Ironically, I just went downstairs and thumbed through my Vol 2 and came across the invoice still in the book. I got it in 2001 from Frank Amato Publications and the invoice showed $0.00 cost. I think I must have gotten it free for re-subscribing to one of their magazines.

Dave,
Pretty reasonable here:

http://www.amazon.com/Fish-Flies-Vol...erry+hellekson

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Byron haugh

Dave,
Pretty reasonable here:

http://www.amazon.com/Fish-Flies-Vol...erry+hellekson

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Hey, thanks Byron. I just ordered it. Every time I went to Amazon looking for it I could only come up with VOL 2.

Dave

Byron,

Good Call.
This probably predates your joining this site and I don't know how many are aware that Terry was a member here. Quite a few mornings when I logged on I'd see he was already here, perusing the tying forum and he would chime in from time to time with historical pearls and tips. Yet when he did, often his posts went un-responded too, as if few were aware of the gift of knowledge that he was offering this forum.

As you probably know from the books, Terry and his son Stan operated Fly Fishing Specialties ( a retail fly shop and wholesaler of tying products ) out this way for decades and over that time our respective shops did a good deal of business together. In the earlier years, I'd end up with Terry or Stan on the horn nearly every week and occasionally drop in on them when I was in town. At times when reading through these two volumes, a twist or phrase will pop up that makes it seem as if Terry who had a speaking style all his own, is in the room alongside me.
Stan Helleckson was kind enough to send the set to me not long after it was published and it?s been a great reference, especially of interest to me are Terry's illuminations on the lesser known early tiers of the west coast.

Thanks for offering it up, Dave