Ben,

Why would you assume swaps only help those who suck at tying? I've been involved in swaps for about three years and have slowed down my participation because of time constraints. Also, the four classes of tiers you recommend ....... how does a person know when they've moved from 1 to 2, or 2 to 3 etc? If I submitted my best fly to you ( or someone else) you might think I'm closely akin to a greenhorn but to others they may deem my fly as coming from the third class. Such classification reeks of arrogance. These are only my thoughts and not intended to flame. All of the swaps in which I've participated have helped me. Some of the flies were seemingly tied better than others. We all start somewhere, and the swaps strengthen the learning curves of those who are just beginning. If you are afraid you will get alot of bad flies then don't participate. My experience on this Board is the open invitation to all level of tiers to join the swap.