Building family ties with fly tying
There’s nothing like a shared challenge to bond a family. Fly tying instructor Bob Heil Jr. of Sewickley said something special happens when a parent and child share a creative endeavor and neither is in charge.
“What I see in the faces of kids and adults is happiness: ‘We’re doing something together,’” he said. “For the kids, they’re on an even level with mom or dad. For the parents, they’re having fun learning something with their kids.”
In fly fishing circles winter is tying season, and throughout the region demos, clinics, classes and courses are held. Mr. Heil, a volunteer instructor for Allegheny Fly Tyers, said it’s mostly families with some fishing experience.
“But it’s pretty common for a spouse or girlfriend or son or daughter to want to learn how to go out with the fly fisherman in the family,” he said. “Sometimes retired couples are looking for something tranquil but rewarding to do together. In the classes you can see the pleasure they get out of their progression and the shared achievement of learning how to tie.”
Fly tying demonstrations are almost always free. Beginner clinics are generally free, although students are sometimes charged a token fee for materials. Multiclass beginner and intermediate courses can run $75 or more. One-on-one tutorship is more expensive, and the cost of a fly tying, fly fishing getaway weekend, including food and cozy lodge accommodations, can exceed $500.
Allegheny Fly Tyers frequently holds classes at the International Angler fly shop in Robinson. Owner Bob Phillips said that like fly casting, fly tying can seem more complicated than it really is.
“It can be overwhelming to look at a drawer full of flies or a vise and all the materials,” he said. “Some people get into all the Latin names and complicated patterns, but the beauty of fly fishing is it can be as easy or as complex as you want and you never stop learning.”
Anglers can buy quality flies at any fly shop and even some big-box sporting goods stores. But fly shops have a vast variety of raw materials — hooks, feathers, fur, thread and tying tools — as well as knowledgeable staff to help tyers of all experience levels.
In a pastime that puts little apparatus between angler and fish, using a self-tied fly can bring a feeling of accomplishment.
“It’s like nothing else,” said Sam Presutti of East Liverpool, Ohio, fishing manager at the Orvis fly shop at The Galleria of Mt. Lebanon. “The No. 1 reason people have an interest is because of the satisfaction you get from catching a fish on something you ’ve created yourself.” Anyone can tie a fly, he said. “Kids 6 years old can do this and folks in their 90s. There are no age limits, no limits on what you can do.”