Okay Hans, I'll bite.
First of all, I do not consider myself a talented fly tyer.
I do enjoy crafting and developing simple low budget flies that are visually pleasing to me AND that I feel will might be fish magnets.
I also enjoy teaching kids. Through fly tying we can all forge an appreciation of fish, their food, their environment.
This fits in with my recent return to college to get a masters degree and teaching certification in biology.
As far as my school work goes, I was able to work my fly tying and fishing into all four of my classes.
For my teacher's portfolio project, the cover was of the life cycle of Chironomids as shown through five flies, larva, emerger, adult, mating pair, and an egg laying adult. In limnology I was able to actually catch a fish while others were rowing the boat to the deepest part of the lake to take plankton and water samples. In a bio course, I chose leeches as my topic. I passed around some leeches I had collected as well as a few of my flies as part of the talk. In a literacy course where I examined environmental reading (road signs, etc.) a portion was fish and fishing related.
So, Hans and others, I might say that I tie flies so that I can extend my days on the rivers and lakes into my living room and throughout the four seasons. By tying, I am trying to connect more fully with that environment below waterline.
One last note, I have had a difficult time with my back the last seven months. It has been very good for me at times to fully focus on bits of thread, fur, feather, and tinsel rather than wallow in self pity over my discomfort.
Enjoy.
Ed Engelman
http://EdEngelman.com
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Do we tie for fish only? Tie for self satisfaction? Tie to impress others? Any or all of these?
