I'll play, too. Maybe not the P.C., but this stamps with certainty my
wife's suspicion of my insanity:
26 definites, 4 maybes, 5 no
THE RULES:
1. Raising genetic birds, exotics, or game for tying purposes.
Nope.
2. Anything involving the family pet(s) and the ensuing procurement of tying
materials, including whiskers for antennae.
The cats steer clear of me most of the time now.
3. Causing a traffic jam in your pursuit of road kill. Knows how to de-bug
road kill. May actually carry a kit in the car for handling road-kill.
Not really. Certainly not like Joyce! I have snagged a pheasant or two
from alongside the road. No need to go to waste.
4. Making your own hooks
Big time. Large salmon 'irons' in particular.
5. Dyeing your own materials not to save money, but to get 'just the right'
shade.
Yep.
6. Anyone who uses bark, tea leaves, roots, etc to dye materials.
Tea, coffee, bark.
7. Taking a vacation to tie flies, or make fly tying shows as a tier on a
regular basis.
Not only vacations to travel to a show and tie, but a vacation to stay
at home and tie, tie, tie.
8. Searches through waste cans/dumpsters for tying supplies.
Sure, you never know what useful thing you might find.
9. Name on 'call list' at taxidermist (at least one) for scraps, tails,
etc.
Not the taxidermist. A lot of hunters, though.
10. Owns more tying gear and materials than fishing gear.
Yes.
11. People think of you first as "The fly tier", even before your
profession.
Yeah, I think that is the case.
12. Has more fur and feathers than he/she could ever use in a lifetime, and
sees no reason not to collect more.
Sure.
13. Has a library for fly-tying.
Yes. A large ever-growing one.
14. Has an dedicated area for fly tying that never gets used for anything
else.
My 'tying den' fits the bill. In a previous life, it served as a
family's "family room."
15. The first use-consideration for any container is fly materials, and
people know to save them for you.
Definitely. Film cannisters, Altoids tins, any unique plastic box, etc.
16. Ties a 19/0 fly, then a size 32 Mustad fly. (Need that one so I can
get in)
Well, an 8/0 to a 28
17. Takes up photography, buys gear, just to support/photograph the
flytying hobby.
Yes. I like photography anyway; that interest is put to good usae
photographing flies.
18. Has a web site for flytying.
My Webshots albums are all I've got at this point.
19. Gets a rush from seeing Whiting Cree or exotic bird plumage.
Doesn't have to be Whiting!
20. Ties classic Atlantic Salmon Flies
Passionately.
21. You open a fly shop.
Nope. I just keep 'em in business.
22. You own a Whiting stuffed rooster, and then name him.
Nah.
23. You meister mega-fly swaps, and then actually do it again, and again.
No.
24. You enter more fly swaps than sit out.
Used to. Not as much anymore.
25. You actually tie all of your flies for all swaps you enter.
Definitely. Sometimes an additional set of flies for fun
26. Ties professionally although they have a job that pays the bills.
I don't consider myself a pro, but I have been paid for both teaching
and my flies.
27. Keeps personal records of fly recipes, designs, photos, and sketches
fly designs and ideas.
Notebook after notebook full.
28. Has their fly materials inventoried in their computer.
No.
29. Flytying/gathering materials is almost always one part of personal
multi-tasking.
Always on the lookout.
30. Has lost count of how many flytying sites are in the "favorites" list.
Has multiple levels of folders to organize them.
Oh yeah, lost count awhile ago
31. Custom builds furniture for flytying and buys tools just for the
purpose.
Yes. I needed the perfect bench.
32. Your fishing gear is in a closet so it's not in the way of your
fly-tying.
True.
33. Goes to a fly show and spends more time in the tying section than in
the fishing section.
Always.
34. Would go right on tying flies even if flyfishing ceased to exist.
No doubt.
35. Can never leave a pattern as-is. Just gotta mess with it. Over and
Over.
Isn't this a 'given?' :-)
Monte
--
Monte Smith
Halsey, Oregon
http://community.webshots.com/user/nwflytyer
********************
Daiichi Pro Staff Team Member
www.anglersportgroup.com
