Old Flies

[pnc]

Thought it could be fun or interesting to see what flies others had around still.....mmmmmm from days past. Came to mind when I found this in box of flies I was going through. Spotted and couldn't believe I still had it. Tied this over 30 yrs ago. (Decided over 30 sonds better than near 40.... Oh, & Hang me upside down from a cross it is stainless. ) Fly became go to for strippers for years, the first time it hit water. Stories galore come back & people also. Not sure if I should put it behind glass or bring it north next time.

Please, add to with pics......






......... pc

 

[corn fed fins]

I'll post one of my first flies a little later, just as soon as I get a bunch of promises not to snicker. Lol. Naw, you guys can laugh because I do and I shake my head saying "What in God's name were you thinking?" every time I come across one. Never fished a single one. Just put those ugly things in a box and kept them through time.

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[flytie09]

No snickering necessary.... those are fine flies. Deer hair is a persnickety material. I've all but given up trying to spin it anymore. I'll use it stacked for streamers.... but that's about it.

I think if we all shared our earliest flies.... that it would be a knee slapping topic for sure. It's all part of the journey.

ft09

 

[flytire]

some of my "old flies" have been resting comfortably in many of the finest tree branches and river bottoms all over the USA

 

[bigjim5589]

Some flies I have in my fly boxes are old because I've got many that I haven't even fished. Some are 10 years old or older I would guess.


I'm not a collector, but found these flies interesting, so a few years ago bought them. They're some of Bob John's patterns, and I had remembered seeing ads for them in magazines over the years. The names were trademarked & perhaps patented if I recall correctly. These I have no intention of fishing, but there are similar patterns on the market today.

 

[Rip Tide]

I have some old bucktails that were my grandfather's and he passed away back in 1970 or '71
I have no idea how he used them if they were ever used at all, as they're large, about 1/0s and as far as I know he didn't own a rod heavier than a 6wt.

 

[planettrout]

This is a Wheatley Fly wallet from 1975 and a few of the flies that are inside, on clips. The oldest flies I had came with one of those Japanese bamboo rods in a box that were brought back from Japan after WWII and during the Korean War. My Dad had that rod that one of his brothers had given him. I have no idea where it went to...

PT/TB

 

[pnc]

Corn fed, one on bottom looks like a redfish fly I use.
Not bad flies. Have cigar box full of what was I thinking.....lol.

........ pc

 

[corn fed fins]

Lol. Thanks guys. Those flies for some reason survived the razor blade. I will keep them in the box on the bench where they have been for over for over 15 years.

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[Ard]

Maybe it means something and maybe not, as far as I know I still have the first 2 attempts at making a fly. I'm really not a hoarder, I just tend to hang on to fishing related stuff.

(Circa 1967-68) The picture could be better but I doubt it would make the tying look better. They were done when I was what you could call 'a kid' back when I had no idea how to finish things off at the head. I had instructions that came with my kit but the hand whip finish looked pretty confusing to me back then. I can't accurately say how old I was but I remember where they were made with the stamped metal vise clamped to the edge of the dresser in my bedroom. I still have some of the packages of materials from the kit but sadly not the vise. If you look close and use some imagination you will see streamer flies there................

By the mid 1980's and early 90's I had gotten pretty good at fishing with the flies I wanted to make as a boy and they looked somewhat more refined.

That's a 'Supervisor' tied back when one of the big events of each year was the trip up to fish The Kennebec, Moose, Ragged, and many other rivers of Maine for salmon. Between 1980 and 2010 I was tying some pretty fancy stuff and I believe I have enough to last the rest of my fishing life. I still have the first and I believe I'll have the last ones too

 

[corn fed fins]

Besides memory what more do you have that reminds you of the frustration, concentration, methods, repetition, etc., of the learning process on the water? I started tying long after I was fly fishing but when I see my Frankenstein creations I am reminded of those days with my dad on the water. Some days of smiles and ear to ear grins. Others where tears were more plentiful than fish. My flies sum up a tangible testimony of personal fly angling history. Lol. So today I'm kinda anal. Yeah fish will eat it but does it look good in my box attitude. Lol

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[r_brian]

I have a fly box full of flies that I can remember being in my father's tackle box when I was a kid. And my father did not fly fish, so they must have belonged to my grandfather. I'm getting ready to turn 66 years old, so the flies must be from the late 40's or the early 50's. Mostly dry flies from NW PA. There is no way they will ever get tied onto a line.

 

[JoJer]

I lost all my old stuff when my vest (and my son's) were stolen out of my canoe in my driveway. I had some stuff that I'd bought and fished on hand lines when I was deployed in Florida in '78, before I'd really learned how to fish. Other stuff I'd bought and managed not to lose when I was learning.
If you really want to turn this into a snicker-fest, I have a box of stuff I call my "science fiction" box. Mostly me just having fun at the vise.

 

[pnc]

Snicker fest could be a thread onto its own. Even though I to have such a box. Don't think I could post pics.......lol. Leave undeniable evidence...... eeeek.

........ pc
Can I make anonymous posts ?