What Would You Suggest?

All about flies Fly Tying
1

I received an email late last night that reminded me about something I spoke to someone about last August and agreed to do. I had forgotten completely about it. Anyway, I had agreed to make a presentation at a TU meeting with the topic being the Catskill Style of fly and a little history of the tradition. The presentation is this coming Tuesday night!

If you were attending a 1 hour program with the above as the topic, what would you suggest for the following:

  • What 3 or 4 flies would you like to see demonstrated? Learn the history of?
  • What fly tyers/fly fishermen would you want to learn something about?
  • What books would you take (if you had them)?
  • Anything else?

Appreciate your responses.

Allan

2

allen,

any of the old - old standards of catskill flies.

the Dettes, the Darbees as tyers.

for books the Dettes a Catskill Legend by Eric Leiser, Catskill Flytier, my life, times, and techniques by Harry Darbee with Mac Francis, and the Beaverkill the history of a river and its people by Ed Van Put.

whatever you decide i am confident you will do an excellent job.

good luck,

mike

3

Go heavy on the visual aides and don’t dwell on any one thing too long. As an overview, the more varied the better, If the audience is a group of Catskill Fly historians, then it’s different. My opinion.

4

Allan,

Show 'em the stuff they no longer see. Delaware Adams, Beaverkills (Ma and Pa) and Dark Cahills.

Not many better than you to give a succinct run-down about the heritage of the style. I sure wich I had 1/2 of your knowledge.

I think Poul or Leon would be good honorary subjects.

What Chapter?

5

Allan, RW here

Make your own presentation short and succinct. Then have a good lengthy question and answer period. This gets the audience involved and, in my opinion, makes for a much more interesting program. It also makes the hour go faster.

lou t was right on with the visual aides and grumps couldn’t have picked three better books.

Later, RW

“We fish for pleasure; I for mine, you for yours.” -James Leisenring on fishing the wet fly-

6

For some reason Art Flick is rarely mentioned, but the Red Quill is a fly I still use today, and I’ve not found anything better at Hendrickson time. Don’t forget Art!
Eric

7

That Pink Lady you tie will impress them!

What kind of beer did the Catskill era tyers drink? Bring along a lot of that and fun will be had by all!

Just Have fun.

Rich

8

Thanks for the excellent, as usual, suggestions. One thing I failed to mention is that I have absolutely no idea whether these guys are fly fishers, lake trollers, tie flies(and at what level) or what.

Rich - I don’t know what kind of beer the fly fishers of the by-gone era drank. It’s not something I’ve researched. Besides, I have a feeling they carried something a little stronger in their flasks (-:

Allan

9

Tell them the story of the Hair Winged Royal Coachman, one of the forgotten Catskill Dry Flies, some call it a Royal Wulff, thinking it was tied by Lee Wulff. Well it wasn’t!

A member of the Beaverkill Trout Club, located in the Catskills, created the The Hair-wing Royal Coachman in 1930. The Wulff dry flies and the Hair-wing Royal Coachman just happened by coincidence at the same time and near each other.

As a matter of record, the Hair-wing Royal Coachman was created by Q. L. Quackenbush, one of the early members of the Beaverkill Trout Club above Lew Beach, NY. Q. L. loved the Fan Winged Royal Coachman, but the fly’s wings were very fragile.

Q. L. Quackenbush asked Reuben Cross of Neversink, New York to dress some Royal Coachmen using a substitute for the fragile white mandarin (duck) fan wings. Ruben asked his supplier for any part of an animal with stiff, kinky, white hair. All the supplier could find was some Impala tails (African Antelope), that exactly suited the task.

Originally the members of the Beaverkill Trout Club called the fly The Quack Coachman, for it was created and tied for Q. L., better known to his friends as ‘Quack.’

It is about time the Catskill people reclaim one of their great dry fly pattern, and finally give homage to Q.L. Quackenbush and Reuben Cross.

And it is White Impala Tail Hair, not White Calf Tail Hair, used on the original Quack Coachman…

That should take care of the full hour, be sure to have the SWAT TEAM Hotline Number on your Cellphone Speed Dial.

~Parnelli

[This message has been edited by Steven H. McGarthwaite (edited 05 March 2005).]

10

Did not look at the date of this thread.

11

I was wondering because I didn’t recognize any of the Poster names.