Why do we tie salmon flies? Is it for the enduring beauty of the finished product? Is it a way to somehow forge a link with a distant but charming past? Do we create these complicated works of feather and silk only to become caught up in the quest for just those feathers and silks? Or is it a way to boost our own egos and say to our fellow tier (not necessarily verbally) "Hey, top this!".

I've been doing a lot of thinking of late after observing salmon fly tiers and how they approach the art and how it sometimes tends to affect them (myself included!). I would like to put forth some of these observations without, I hope, stepping on other fly tiers' toes in the process. If I do offend a few of you, I am sorry -- that is not my intention.

Fly tiers in general are a pretty interesting group of individuals. They tend to be very focused, particular about how they do what they do, extremely patient (not surprisingly) and are pretty much laidback, friendly and affable. But there is one group of tiers that seems to me to take their interest a little too seriously -- salmon fly tiers.

I've noticed in the three years since I began tying salmon flies in earnest that many of us who pursue this particular discipline seem to develop a distressing case of "myfliesarebetterthanyoursitis" after reaching a certain skill level. There also is a noticeable desire by a lot of tiers to put forth the notion that their way of doing a particular step is the one and only way. Poppycock!!

What I really want to say in this essay is that there is no right way and no wrong way to tie a fly, there is only your way to tie our fly and that it works perfectly well for you. It is totally unimportant whether or not another tier builds his or her flies using techniques that may seem "wrong" or "odd" to others. If it sounds like I'm preaching, I apologize, but I think at times we, myself included, forget the real reason for tying these flies in the first place, the simple and absolute enjoyment of applying feathers, silk and tinsel to a hook!

Whether or not we consider ourselves better than the next person at tying flies is totally beside the point because if we do think this way, I believe, we tend to convey to others an unnecessary "tension" about our interest. By saying to ourselves "this Jock Scott is the best that has ever been tied" we may seem to set ourselves up as the "expert" where there are no true experts, only very good fly tiers who are very good at tying flies their particular way.

There is a fly tier I know quite well on the East who chooses not to be a subscriber to this newsletter simply because he feels that West Coast tiers deserve no particular merit and who tie flies in a way that is not acceptable to his own view of what is the "right way". This is precisely what I find to be a sad point of view. The tier in question has no desire to learn from others - only to criticize what others are doing. Think about it! Again, there is only one reason to tie salmon flies and that is for the pure enjoyment of it!

A tapered body or one that is of uniform thickness - which is better? "Neither and both! A high, fat wing or a low sleek wing -- which is better? Again, neither and both. To use Chinese silk or Japanese silk - which is better? Neither and both! This is the essence of what I'm getting at. Whether we tie only Classic patterns or only our own "new" creations ie not arguable in my view -- for one to say that a tier w`ro only works with the tried and true Jock Scotts or Pophams has no creativity is, again, missing the: point -- just like the person who says its valid only to tie the classics exactly the way they were tied "authentically" is missing the joy of creativity.

Another important faction of tiers to be concerned with are those who insist on using only "authentic" materials and who will stop at nothing to obtain them. Believe me, I have succumbed to the lure of the "classic" materials and have gone through my own gyrations to try and obtain even a few of the exotic feathers. But are these exotics really necessary to the core reason for tying salmon flies in the first place? Is it responsible for us to possibly contribute to the demise of a species just to put a few feathers on a hook when a substitute might work just as well?

I know, I know, you've heard this argument before but I really believe we should still stop to think about our motives and consider alternatives to the rarer materials. I will say, though, that I have no problem with obtaining materials from exotic species that have been captive-bred in this country. The exotic bird breeders are not only pursuing a legitimate hobby but have, in many cases, replenished the populations of endangered species by breeding them in a controlled, predator-free environment. If a breeder were to offer me a dead bird for a small fee, I would not hesitate (as long as I did not break any laws pertaining to the possession of rare or endangered species).

Enough of this tirade! Again, I sincerely hope I did not "ruffle any feathers" or "raise any hackles" with this. I just hate to see myself and my fellow tiers take our interest in salmon flies too seriously to really enjoy sharing the flies and our methods of tying them with each other.

Myself and the editor would be very interested in hearing what you might have to say in answer to this essay.

Ed. note: "Letters to the Editor" will be a regular feature in future issues (if I have any letters to publish, of course) so consider this as a forum for opinions, comments, etc.