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Tying One on: The Art of Fly-Tying Relaxing, Competitive for Fly-Fishermen

Posted on: Thursday, 15 June 2006, 15:00 CDT

By Jeff Letofsky, The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo.

Jun. 15--The art of fly-tying is nearly as fun as the chase. At least, that's what David Ritchie and others who have mastered the art say.

Ritchie, 53, is one of many local fly-fishermen who tie flies. It's a craft that requires patience, ability and skill.

Ritchie started tying because he thought it would save him money. He was wrong.

"I started tying flies in 1999 simply because I thought it would be cheaper than buying them," said Ritchie, the manager of ArkAnglers, located at 943 W. U.S. 50 in Pueblo. "Like everything else, once you purchase the equipment and material, it becomes expensive.

"What you do gain is a far greater appreciation for what flies work and why. You start appreciating so much more about trout fishing. You become a better observer and start paying attention to all the other life that's out there, particularly the insect life."

Ritchie, who retired in 2003 after working as an employee development manager for the federal correctional complex in Florence, said at times he will tie up to 100 flies a week.

"Typically, when I'm fishing heavily, I'll probably tie 100 flies a week," he said. "I'll end up using them, giving them out, tying for other people, demonstrating here in the store. The best way to show a large part of the public what we arkanglers are about is showing the public, our clients, our customers every aspect of fly-tying."

Ritchie guesses that more than half of those who fly fish tie their own flies.

"When people start fly-fishing and buying flies, the next step is 'I can do that'. It's only natural that they think they can tie their own flies," he said. "Some people are more adept at it than others. It's just like any other endeavor."

Pueblo native Mike Brown, 19, has tied since he was 7. He never took any classes, rather learned the craft from Mike Valijo and Tony Marfitano.

"When I was real young, my dad's friends got me into tying," said Brown, who attends Colorado State University-Pueblo and is majoring in wildlife biology with a double minor in chemistry and fisheries. "I got interested in all the different patterns and have been doing it ever since."

Brown approaches fly-tying like a competition.

"I tend to vision myself on the river," he said. "My favorite thing to do is backpack into high lakes and get away from everybody. My mind tends to wander and it puts me in the mood to tie up a bunch of flies.

"It's like a competition. I need to keep up with my buddies to have the biggest and best fly box."

Like Brown, Ritchie was fortunate in that he learned how to tie from the previous store manager at ArkAnglers.

"It's attention to detail, methodical," Ritchie said about tying flies. "There's a definite process in applying the materials to the hook. And you have to do it in the correct order. Dave Jones was a former manager of the store and he taught me quite a bit."

Ritchie said tying a fly takes anywhere from a minute to a good portion of an hour, depending on the complexity of the fly.

"Most of the flies I tie involve three materials or less," Ritchie said. "I use a lot of flies so I want them to be durable and easy to replace. Those don't take long at all. If I'm learning a new pattern and working with materials I'm unfamiliar with, it can take quite a while to tie a fly."

For the beginner, Ritchie has the following advice.

"It takes an initial investment between $50 and $100 for a vice, a good small set of scissors and materials," he said. "What I would recommend is to take a class from a reputable angler. They will teach you the five basic techniques it takes to tie any fly. That's the best way to get started."

There are plenty of books available to learn the craft as well.

Ritchie rarely fishes for food, rather for the catch.

"Basically, fly-fishing is a non-consumed sport," he said. "For the most part, fly-fishermen are catch and release. We are not taking from the bounty that exists in the rivers, lakes and the steams. We're just borrowing them for a little while."

Brown has a little different take.

"I get a lot of enjoyment from making something on your own and catching a trophy fish," Brown said. "It's an awesome feeling, an adrenaline rush like hitting a home run or scoring a touchdown."

Tying flies allows anglers to become one with the sport.

"Tying flies is definitely an art form," Ritchie said. "Everything I do is interwoven, interconnected nature of the aquatic fly between the fish, insect and the birds that feed on the insect. When you are in that water, you become part of that system, an integral part of what's going on in that water and the creatures react to what you are doing. I've been fishing with big horn sheep and deer just yards away from me and they don't even know I'm there."

Learning the environment comes through experience. That goes hand-in-hand with developing an instinct about which flies will work in particular situations.

"There's a category of fly-tiers and fishermen in general who learn the scientific names and insects," Ritchie said. "Then, there's the salty old guys who say to fish with the little green ones or the big black ones."

NOTES: The 2006 Fly-fishing Retailer World Trade Expo will be held Aug. 24-26 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. For additional show, hotel or travel information, log on to www.flyfishingretailer.com .

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: The Pueblo Chieftain

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