In a letter to the editor, published last year, you will probably remember that I had pointed out, among other things, the hurdles I had to overcome as an apprentice. Shortly after the letter's publication, I started feeling a little uneasy because of the possibility that I had mislead some of you into thinking that these were the problems of the local expert Classic fly dresser.

In an effort to restore the truth, I embarked on a mission: I came out of my anonymity and sought out individuals with much greater experience, talent and notoriety than my own in order to bring you up to date concerning the local Classic fly dressing scene.

Since there appears to have been very little information available and/or volunteered to "nonresident" authors, I thought that you might be just a bit. curious about these French Canadian fly dressers. While this article may not be a masterpiece of journalism, I hope that it will provide you with an accurate and comprehensive portrait of Quebec's fly tying scene, and this, from an insider's point of view.

My greatest allies in this quest were my copies of The Salmon Flyer, they got me admitted and welcomed into the homes and the privacy of these fly tiers and Classic dressers. I found out that Classic fly dressing in Quebec is alive... and well. It is a prolific and creative environment but it can also be very competitive.

Moisie, Matane, Matapedia, Cascapedia... these names among others should conjure up fond memories of past fishing trips and the expectations of future ones. As most of you already know, the St. Lawrence's North shore and the Gaspe peninsula, between them, harbor more than their fair share of North America's remaining Atlantic Salmon rivers.

These rivers have remained viable until today, mostly due to their remoteness and isolation. Another factor which could have also contributed is that almost all of these rivers had been privately owned or managed for a long periods of time. The past fifty years were punctuated by profound changes to the salmon rivers management organization: Governmental buy backs, lease cancellations, shared management and voluntary renunciations of river ownership (in favor of dedicated flyfisher associations) has tremendously helped to popularize the sport by making it accessible and affordable to a great number of enthusiasts. Starting with the Matane in 1949, this river "democratization" program provided the first public access to salmon waters. Today, thousands of resident and nonresident flyfishers return annually to small towns and isolated communities to indulge in their favorite sport. The Atlantic Salmon sportfishing "industry" which annually generates multi-million dollar revenues has taken such vital proportions for several regional tourism industries that the federal and the provincial governments had no other choice than to partake to the recent international measures implemented to insure the King of Fishes future and survival at sea. I guess the point I am trying to get across with all of this "propaganda" is that if actually there are between ten and fifteen thousand "resident" flyfishers... wouldn't you expect to find at least a couple of hundred Atlantic Salmon fly tiers and amongst those a few Classic fly dressers? Of course, most of these fly tiers have primarily resorted to fly tying as a hobby, an extension of sorts in face of a short flyfishing season. For them, a big part of the fun is to compare "notes" with fellow tiers and to discover some new "secret weapon" in somebody else's arsenal. Furthermore, it is true that, by far, the majority of salmon flies tied and encountered nowadays in Quebec are hairwings, but one can still find, hidden in fly boxes, featherwing Classic patterns (timid attempts, personal endeavors and triumphs).

Despite the dramatic decline of the Classics usage, interest seems to have bottomed out and leveled off a few years ago and since, there are signs of a very timid but sustained resurgence of these patterns as "works of art". One likely explanation of why it took such a long time to locally halt the Classics decline, is conceivably because the effects of the river "democratization" program were not significantly felt until the 1970s, after that. it took another ten years for this "new breed" of flyfishers and fly tiers to get thoroughly acquainted with the Atlantic Salmon flyfishing's and fly tying's heritage. While salmon fishing is still being falsely perceived at large as a sport for the mega-rich, the majority of today's fanatics is composed by either middle class city dwellers or local riverside inhabitants. As a consequence of the sport's growth, new tiers are now joining the ranks of the "established" Classic fly dressers, aroused and enticed by the Art's challenge, by a desire to show off their dexterity or simply by an need to express themselves artistically with a familiar medium.

Prior to the British conquest of New France in 1763, sportfishing and specially flyfishing for Atlantic Salmon was virtually unheard of in Quebec. Although colonial documents, dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries, reveal that salmon were abundant and spawned as far West as Montreal (I read somewhere that the salmon's dispersal had been as far West as Niagara Falls ?!), it seems that the settlers and their French administrators thought very little of the King of Fishes other than being a "renewable" and easy to capture food supply. This gross misconception lead to excesses. I remember being told old stories about some farmers living along rivers that used salmon as a crop fertilizer.

The first Classic flies to actually swim in Quebec's rivers were introduced very early in the 19th century by British military personnel, administrators and businessmen out on expeditions spot checking and searching for "new" hunting and fishing territories. Within a few short years, word got around about salmon angling's exceptional potential. By the 1840s, Atlantic Salmon flyfishing had firmly established itself as the new trend with the "rich and famous" French and English families of Montreal and Quebec City. The closer and most accessible salmon rivers (Quebec City region) were then owned by French families through seigniorial rights, but within a few years, in response to the great demand, the Crown sold or leased most of the other salmon rivers titles (Gaspe peninsula and North Shore) to local and foreign interests, clubs and corporations.

In practical terms, this meant that salmon fishing would remain a rich man's sport and as a consequence, its paraphernalia would also remain a private affair for almost a century (1840-1940). Even though, during this period, flyfishing for trout did start to interest "ordinary" anglers, it would be quite some time before they could have access to salmon fishing because agricultural and industrial pollution, logging and river damming would soon kill off all native salmon runs spawning in rivers West of the Saguenay's Fjord. This extraordinary- man-made ecological disaster would be finalized and completed by the beginning of the 20th century.

During this period (1840-1940), the only people other than the "Sports" who started tying salmon flies were North Shore and Gaspe residents employed as their game wardens, guides, gillies and cooks. It is while catering to their employers, that they were exposed to the Classic flies which were being "imported" from the United States, the Maritime provinces and Europe.

The fishing clubs employees were generally riverside inhabitants, sea fishermen, woodsmen and lumberjacks of French, English and Native descents. Recognizing ,a good thing after observing the "Sports" tender loving care for their flies and also their frustration when losing or breaking them, the locals figured out that they could probably supply fora handsome profit locally tied "replacements".

These new and sell-improvised "entrepreneurs" were often faced with significant handicaps ringing from a limited formal education which could mean a limited or an nonexistent understanding of written English) to restricted financial resources which made the acquisition of pattern catalogs and of exotic materials nearly impossible.

Nevertheless, using their personal ingenuity, they taught themselves fly tying by trying to copy the Classics that had been given to them. A method which provided them with good results consisted of "undressing" (carefully unwrapping) a Classic fly in order to figure out how it had been initially assembled, step by step. You could call this a trial and error method but some tiers would be successful, after a lot of practice, in recreating the patterns with substitutes feathers, while others would resort to simpler materials such as animal hair which brought about a different salmon fly style. (By the way, I aim not hereby claiming that the Gaspe tiers are THE inventors ofthe hairwing, but keep in mind that the Gaspe residents were, over the years, comparing notes with their family- relatives living in New Brunswick.)

When and only if they persevered long enough in this commercial venture, these tiers and their interpretations of the Classic flies would eventually catch the "Sports" attention. The more gifted and talented tiers were thus "discovered" and often received constructive criticism, help and sometimes finermaterials from the "Sports". Some locals would eventually establish for themselves and their families a noteworthy regional reputation which allowed them to tie on a flourishing commercial basis.

While under-education (by- today's standards) prevailed within those regions almost into the 1930s, the bulk of tire craft's knowledge was past ore from one generation to the other orally! Training an apprentice, usually a family relative, often meant that he or she would have to learn and to memorize all the craft's techniques and patterns. (This could explain to a certain extent flue existence of the multitude of local Classic pattern variations.) Such a training process implies that the elder gave a demonstration of a particular technique, then the apprentice would have to repeat its execution until his skill level allowed hint to obtain a consistently satisfying result prior to proceeding to the next phase of his training. With the 20th century, living conditions did unproved and consequently so did the accessibility to higher schooling levels. Tying instructions and patterns did get written down but think about how many local patterns have been "forgotten" and lost in the mean time.

Horror stories still circulate concerning famous "outsiders" who had, way back then, benefited from the elder tiers predicament and geographic isolation. These "outsiders" have supposedly appropriated and claimed for themselves the glamour of having originated certain patterns while these were local creations from the start. Being personally unable to substantiate any of these stories, I nevertheless brought the subject up because there are a few locals who still firmly believe them and this could explain some of my fellow tiers initial distrust of "outsiders".

While researching material for this article, Mr. Denys Poirier showed me a momento worthy of mention: Mrs. Jean-Paul Dub,'s personal pattern book put together some 50 years ago and used for training purposes. This booklet looked just like an ordinary notebook in which one would write down addresses and special events, but its contents revealed a few treasures : each page was devoted to a single Classic pattern. The pattern's name was inscribed at the page's top immediately followed by a fullydressed fly's illustration. This illustration had been cut out from a catalog or a plate (a Hardy Brothers catalog ???). Below these, the listing of materials had been written down in the conventional tying order, and the surprise which made this notebook seem so exceptional was the fact that Mrs. Dub, had glued a sample of each to the page's margin and every material to be used according to the line's inscription : a Crest,.. a Jungle Cock,.. Indian Crow,.. a sample of every fiber to be married in the wing,.. etc.. The person who wanted to tie this or that pattern could identify the pattern with the illustration, follow the listing by choosing the material according to the margin's visual reference and the resulting flies would all have the same consistent colors and appearance.

The pool of traditional fly tying knowledge has since greatly deteriorated due to pre- and post- Second World War local economic recessions: most of these craftsmen descendants have migrated to more promising areas of the province, and with them dispersing the traditional knowledge. The tiers I have interviewed, are positive and agree that there remains only one such tier who learned the Art from the family elders: Mare Leblanc, now living in the town of Maria, Gaspe. He was taught fly dressing by his aunt Carmelle Bigaouette, who herself had been tutored by her uncles L.A. and T.A. Lapointe.

Although the traditional fly dressing lineage seems to be on the brink of extinction, the same river "democratization" program, that produced a new breed of flyfishers, has also produced a new generation of fly dressers. Knowledgeable and reliable sources estimate that there are between 100 and 150 active Classic fly dressers now residing ing in Quebec, among them a dozen or more outstanding and "World Class" dressers. This information is probably as astonishing to you as was learning about Salmon Flyers and The Group's existence for the people I interviewed. Before discarding this estimate as being grossly exaggerated, please consider the following details. First of all, the nature of the question asked:"How many Quebec residents tie fullydressed featherwing Classic flies on a regular basis?" Secondly, that it is legitimate to assume that the serious apprentices and the up and coming achievers were counted in along with the expert. level dressers. Finally, in an Atlantic salmon environment, that a ratio of one (1) Classic dresser per one hundred (100) salmon flyfishers does sound reasonable. On the other hand, please contain your excitement over these numbers, do not expect to find our "Yellow Pages" overloaded with Classic fly vendors advertisements nor Classic fly shops on every street corner ! In fact, when I started out, I had to do some patient research to track down my would-be collaborators, but once I got in touch with one tier or another, he would offer to help contacting his personal network of acquaintances. The process actually reversed itself and it was the tiers who were tracking me down and proposed to set up meetings !..

If you were hoping for the typical dresser's description and pedigree, I am sorry to say that there is no such person because today's Classic tiers come from a wide variety of backgrounds and lifestyles ranging from white to blue collar workers, from professionals to technicians, from laborers to classically trained musicians, etc..

The only common personality denominators are:

1. Being involved, at one point or another in their life, with Atlantic Salmon fishing.

2. Exhibiting the same intensity and passion when discussing Classic fly dressing.

The local Classic fly tying community seems to be artistically divided into two main schools of thought: the hard core "Conservatives" and the modern "Liberals". I am not referring to local politics but rather to the influences which characterize the fly styles and dressing practices (in reality there are no such groups nor gatherings!..). The "Conservatives" , to which a majority of tiers subscribe to, set their achievement standards by Dr. Pryce-Tannatt for his tying techniques and by Kelson for his patterns beauty and complexity. While my so-called "Liberals" (often younger tiers), prefer Poul Jorgensen's straight forward and functional approach while advocating the merits of Ken Sawada's flamboyant arrangements and style. It is hard to decide which of the two groups is the righteous beholder and keeper of the faith, but you can imagine that this dilemma has been the subject of many heated discussions that sometimes could have easily ended up in verbal clashes ...

For my part, I am not about to try to settle the feud (possibly because I consider myself an apprentice), I find both of these styles esthetically pleasing whether the fly is a rigorously disciplined and conform replica or a free flowing and relaxed creation (Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!..). Even though these tiers do always not share the same point of view nor the same convictions, even though they may even be commercial competitors, generally speaking they do respect each other's talent and put aside their differences to promote Classic Fly Dressing as a wonderful art form

Instead of presenting and identifying my fellow tiers in order of notoriety and talent which would be subjective, tasteless and even disrespectful, I preferred opting to break down their numbers into three tangible categories based upon the commercialization of their flies. Do not let yourself be fooled by the titles given to these categories, you will find outstanding and passionate dressers in each of them.

This type of tier sells his fly production through a legitimate business. More often than not, he is a business owner or is self employed.Classic fly dressing is usually a supplemental income to another Atlantic Salmon related occupation such as being a river guide, a commercial hairwing tier, fly casting and/or fly tying instructor and fishing equipment and/or fly tying material salesperson. These people are highly visible and enjoy a certain public notoriety due to their year round implication with flyfishers.

This tier operates from his home and sells his flies to businesses or directly to customers. This venture's main objective is to finance the expensive materials for his own personal use rather than to make a profit. More often than not, others have encouraged or solicited him to sell his flies.

This is the most secretive and private of tiers. He ties strictly for his own pleasure and enjoyment. He usually ends up giving away some of his flies to his pestering friends rather than selling them. His trips to the tying supply shop are discrete and short, preferring his intimacy to boisterous conversations about the art. (Sounds familiar to anybody?!)

While it is common to find a few classic flies displayed in salmon related businesses, it would be incorrect of me to pretend that classic featherwings are mass produced for resale, these flies are tied rather on a "special order" basis. The featherwing patterns most often requested for fishing use are the Green Highlander and the Lady Amherst. The Classics marketplace as works of "art" is very confined but most dressers, I have spoken to, told me of having a regular personal clientele. Usually, the buyers are won over by an artist's display shown in a business or at a flyfishers association's annual meeting. Orders are placed on the spot or later through the mail or over the phone. Needless to say that such social occasions are sought after by the tiers. I have been told that the customers, while few in numbers, are usually wealthy local and foreign collectors, flyfishers and fellow tiers. The price for a fullydressed featherwing classic fly (as works of art) normally fluctuates between $ 100.00 to $ 500.00 cdn. depending on fly's complexity and required materials and also on the tyer's public notoriety. I have been told of a particular locally tied fly having gone up for sale at the exceptional price of $ 2000.00 cdn..

As a consequence of the clientele's size, I was able to sense that a contained rivalry existed among the "pros" and the "semi-pros". This competitive environment could sometimes be compared to those of the Fine Arts or the Music Business scenes with their cliques, their independent artists, the disputes and the conflicting visions of the art. Some tiers accept the skirmishes as part of the business while others prefer to ignore them all together. This curiously reminded me about other famous disputes between some of the Old British Masters. It is sincerely not my intention, by making the previous comparisons, to ridicule nor to criticize the commercial fly tying scene, quite to the contrary I intended to use these as an argument to demonstrate the scene's existence and seriousness.

As unrefutable proof of the local interest concerning Classic flies, I have to mention the existence of annual tying event: the Atlantic Salmon Fly Tying World Championships. This event is presented by the Fédération Québécois du Saumon Atlantique (F.Q.S.A.) and sponsored by its corporate affiliates. This event is considered by many as being the season's most significant local fly tying event. At this tournament, you will find different involvement and determination levels among the participants: some are very serious competitors for whom the final outcome is capital for their personal self-esteem and/or prestige, while others enter and participate just for pleasure, on a friendly basis, merely to see how their flies get rated. Unfortunately, as with any kind of tournament, there are locals who completely ignore this type of event because competitions (implying tying along guidelines, rules and specific criteria), in their global perception of the artform, basically strips their personal tying style from its soul. Call these people "free spirits" if you wish, but I think that their position should be respected by other dressers. I have been impressed, like many others, by unconventional and outlandish creations tied by such believers.

Considering that this event's main objectives are to promote the art form and to encourage the creation of new fly styles and patterns, the consensus, my collaborators agreed upon (no matter their beliefs concerning the competitive aspect), was that the Championships do have positive repercussions mainly because of the wider scale of exposure it provides to classic fly dressing and to its artists in general. With time, the F.Q.S.A.'s Championships have really evolved into an international event by attracting tiers from abroad (U.S.A. and Scandinavian countries). I confirmed this by sampling through the previous years entries, to my surprise, I even found flies entered by the Group's members.

Beyond and regardless of the current political circumstances, Classic fly tying in Quebec has evolved and generally continues to develop in isolation of other North American tying circles, its obvious cause is the language barrier.

Being predominantly unilingual, most of our tiers initial hurdle is obtaining precise information about classic tying practices. Even though there has been, over the last three decades, close to a dozen books locally written and published (in French) concerning Atlantic salmon fishing and general tying practices, only a few pages can be found about the classics. Evidently, these tiers will logically turn to American and British publications for their requirements. Thus equipped, their tying progress will be temporarily slowed down but this problem is usually solved by translating the texts (word by word) with a good old dictionary. Knowing this, do not be surprised if you meet colleagues who have mastered the mechanics of written English but still have a hard time grasping the dynamics and phonics of spoken English. There are bilingual tiers among our members and we do occasionally entertain privileged relater with foreign tiers. My advise to you is: do not get immediately turned off by the heavy accent and by other communication problems, be patient. a lot of my fellow tiers like to exchange and compare notes.

The biggest current problem facing all local fly dressers is the scarcity of basic classic materials (even Jungle Cock for example). I am talking about quality and legally raised feathers obtained through legitimate sources. I seriously doubt that any of the locals would be interested in paying ludicrous prices for illegal stuff. A major deterrent which you should be aware of is that a Canadian dollar is as hard (even harder!) to earn as an American dollar, so with the current exchange rates, forget it ! Anyhow, as a consequence of being implicated with the salmon conservation movements and with the growing numbers of catch and release advocates, the local tiers are conscious of and respect the endangered species protection policies, so... "Vive les substitutes".

Finally, I leave you with the pictures accompanying this article, you should be able to sample the work of tiers who dress Classics with a French accent.

Clearly, this article was not written with the intent of putting Quebec fly tiers on a pedestal nor claiming that they are THE best. I simply tried to inform and to promote their existence. Being somewhat restrained by time, I tried to provide you with the big picture. The details and factual comments are based on several interviews. Writing this was like putting together an enormous jigsaw puzzle with a few missing pieces. If this article's content presents factual errors, I invite and welcome others to bring the appropriate corrections. I would like to thank the tiers who helped me and/or submitted themselves to my inquiries:

Benoit Lavigne, Daniel Pancaldi Francois, Gravel, Denys Poirier, Paul Leblanc, Claude Page, Michel Beaudin, Eric Barz.