Ever see an antique salmon fly and think "What a lovely fly", then two minutes later go on to something else? That evening you settle down to tie a salmon fly just like you've always done. The antique fly you saw that afternoon completely forgotten.

If an angel were perched on your right shoulder, it would be screaming into your ear "Hey, Smolt-brain, didn't seeing that antique salmon fly tell you anything???".

Unfortunately, there is also somebody else with pointed ears talking seductively in your left ear - "Hey, Mr. Superior Tyer, why change...?".

Perhaps the prevailing thought that tyers today are better than the tyers of the past (a view not even remotely shared by me) influences many tyers to overlook learning from past salmon fly styles and look only to modern- day methods. While there is nothing wrong with this, as a serious salmon fly tyer much can be learned studying antique salmon flies.

Antique salmon flies have a tremendous influence on my tying (probably the most by a factor of 3.3 gadzillion).

The first antique salmon flies I saw live were a mint group of 36 (size 5/0 - 6/0). They were not complicated full dress flies but strip wing types.

So, what did I learn from them? Most of them had more than five turns of tinsel for ribs (7-9). The width of the tinsel was awesome (remember, I was just a fingerling then), probably 1 1/2 times the size of the current size 10 tinsel in mylar. Also these flies brought clear to me the diversity of patterns out there, as I couldn't identify any of them. It became clear also that Argus was used more often than I thought.

Respect for tyers of the past is also what I've learned from these early flies and it has only strengthened through the years. Ever since, I've tried to see and photograph every antique fly so I can learn from them.

Observations from other antique flies:

Past tyers did not adhere to the written word in following pattern recipes (authors included - Kelson, Tannatt) so why should I?

It is easy to find antique flies whose tags start well past the barb of the hook (so why can't modern tyers overcome this Maginot Line?).

I viewed a Jock Scott whose underwing was actually the dominant wing. How the tyer got the fly to look so good is a wonder.

Another Jock Scott had an extremely large Jungle Cock, it seemed to dominate the whole fly (it also looked good!).

I can't tie a Kelson pattern Silver Doctor on a bet, yet I routinely see lovely old Silver Doctors, one had the throat hackle wound in a collar-like fashion after the wing that looked terrific.

The only styles I admire in the ranger type flies were tied by past tyers (they seem to know what I like and I can't tie them right either!).

The hackling on my flies are adapted from antique flies. Modern (most) day hackling is a mystery to me. Whoever is responsible for it deserves a place in history, about two seats away from Hitler.

There are many more things one can learn from these flies. One of the most important is that being fishing flies (and often having been fished) and having been treated roughly over the past 70+ years they still have that beautiful look to them.

What does that say about modern exhibition tying? Perhaps striving for near perfection isn't the goal after all. Beauty is beautiful which is obvious, but is Perfection always beautiful? Sometimes - but sterile and Blahhh are two words that perfection can create too!

The next time you see an antique fly, look at it carefully, learn from it and lighten up! If you don't you'll hear in your right ear "You blew it again, Smolt head!". Lance Angel 2nd Class, 243rd Air Wing.