FlyMaker2,

In my limited experience going to shows as a paying customer and as a demonstrating tier, I have found the great majority of tiers who demonstrate do so to help the visitors. You wrote that demo tiers tie simple flies. While that may be true, the reason may be that the spectators can see the fly evolve quickly, see how basic techniques can be efficiently done and see the fly completed. I was at a show and the tier at the adjoining table spent 3 days tying one(1) full dressed A.S. fly. He completed about 1/2 of the fly. Sure he showed people certain techniques along the progression but no one ever saw the completed fly.

It's also interesting that you talk about the right to be paid for intellectual property and yet you rip tiers for not sharing their 'special' or 'secret' techniques while demonstrating at shows.

This thread went a little off course than I thought it would but let me say this about 'patented' flies or flies named by someone with their own name (not by someone else). I have absolutely no idea how financially lucrative it is or isn't so it must take a certain amount of EGO. I'll leave it at that before I write something that I'll regret.

Allan