Do you collect fellow tyers flies?

[mantis]

What started out as swapping fishing flies has become a huge fly collection. I think I now have several hundred different tyer's flies along with their signature card. This does not include the framed plates I have either won in a raffle, bought straight out or won the bid on in an auction. It gets obsessive after a while. How about you?

[James Smith]

Like most people that participate in several swap every year, I ended up with several hundred flies tied by people from all over the world. The unique or different patterns I keep as samples to tie my own with. The more common such as Clousers or wooley buggers I often use but the flies that are tied especially beautifully and are either unique (Jim Hatch's) or classics I have on display. I display them on a beautiful piece of drift wood that I found while out fishing. It had been the root system of an Alder bush and it is a tangle of well worn roots and stems that looks like something out of Lord of the Rings. It nows holds about 75 flies tied by many of the talented folks that frequent this board and daily reminds of the friend I've made on FAOL.

Jim Smith

[Mike Murgida]

I have 3 flies w/ cards so far:
Chris Helm- Deer Hair Popper
Kim Boal- Magic Tool CDC Emerger (I do believe she has one of my flies too )
Bill Skilton- Foam Ant

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"GET THE DRIFT?"

[Jim Hatch]

Hi Mantis,

For quite a while I saved every fly I
got in the swaps until the numbers started
to get crazy. Then I started to fish some
of them and occasionally I'd share some
with friends. Some I would not part with
for love nor money. I started getting so
many really special flies that I picked up
a small treasure chest style jewelry box
and placeing them in it. Among my treasures
is a Ladybug of your tying, a collection of
Scott Sanchez's double bunnies, Tony Spezios
froggies, A couple of Al's too simple series, a beautiful damsel by Dennis Conrad,
A boxed set of Allans catskills,
a realistic stone fly from Ronn Lucas, a
muddler mayfly from Al and Gretchen, a
couple of original foamies from Jim Smith,
some of Ron Eagle Elks scuds and EHC's, the
flies that Harolds grandson tied me at age
4, RW's infamous bluegill series as well as one of his finely tied RW's, several adams
tied by RK as well as one of his size 32 creations and a whole host of flies that
are special to me for one reason or another. When I sit at my bench and feel
the need for inspiration, it's at hand in
that special box of flies. One cannot sort
through them without feeling inspired. It's a treasure beyond mere dollars. Warm
regards, Jim

[Salmonfly]

I have started a collection and am nearing 30 to date. I have treasured flies from mostly realistic tyers, ( my favourite )but the jewel in the crown has to be yours Bob!
It never ceases to amaze me!

Yup, boy do I. After several years of fly swaps I've managed to acquire some pretty nice flies. Those that are classics salmon or steelhead flies, plus some by our own FAOLers are kept for display. When the numbers start to get out of hand I donate them to some needy fly fishers. I think Roger Stouff got a few from me a while back.

I have started to accumulate so many "keepers" that I have shadow boxes all over the place in the tying room.

REE

[Gnu Bee Flyer]

I only started to tie flies last fall and as a result my attempts looked pretty pityfull for a long long while . I didn't feel they were good enough yet for me to participate in a swap . When we lost Al I tied about 50 flies and picked the 12 best that I was proud of to send for his memorial bench project . I was hoping to be able to purchase a set or two of the flies that FAOLers tied in his honor . I plan to keep these if I can ever get any . Anyone know where they are to be sold?

[Mike_D]

Mantis,

Not so much ... I trade flies with a number of people, but those flies I receive always end up in the water. I've several display flies I've been given, which I wouldn't trade for anything.

The vast majority of flies in my "collection" have been given to me by my fly-tying students ... generally my youngest students.

Mike D. [url=http://battenkill.tripod.com:4d9c6]http://battenkill.tripod.com[/url:4d9c6]

[RG/AR]

I've been participating in swaps for many years, and have recieved flies from most countries in the world, including Korea, South Africa, Russia, Finland, etc. My flies are displayed in a large shadow box on a world map, with each flie placed at it's point of origin, or as near as possible

[mantis]

Great idea RG/AR. Do you mount them on those clear plastic posts, or on cork or foam?.....Bob