A few years ago, I submitted an article to the Flyer entitled: "The Curse of the Salmon Fly". It was mainly about the misadventures of any beginner Salmon Fly tier in finding appropriate materials and proper advice from the experts. Two names came up: Wayne Luallen & Marvin Nolte. I don't need to introduce these two individuals, you all know who they are and what good tiers they are, and most importantly, how dedicated they are to the art of Atlantic Salmon Fly dressing, not to mention their willingness to help any tier to perfect his or her skills, answer questions and share information...

So, when Jeff Welker's article came to my attention ("Contrivance" - The Salmon Flyer, April, 1996), 1 had this feeling of "deja vu", as we say in France. I decided to look at myself now and see what kind of answers I could get after a few years of this Fly obsession!

I won't be talking much about techniques because this is issue based on "relativity", and every one will find his or her own answers to that. I would like to talk more about materials. I have to tell you that although I do have in my possession a relatively small amount of authentic materials (enough to tie 1 or 2 dozen flies), I am no longer obsessed with the "Exotic Feather Syndrome". Granted it is easy not to feel a need for something that you do have, but this is not the point I'm trying to make. As a beginner I concentrated too much time and money in the search for rare materials instead of concentrating on sharpening my skills and my imagination as a salmon fly dresser. A good friend of mine, also a salmon fly tier, is becoming so involved with the pursuit of materials that it in itself has became a completely new hobby for him. He is not spending that much time on tying anymore but concentrates mainly on Traherne's or Schoomkler's patterns, which, of course, require exotic materials. Indeed, these are really beautiful flies, but what are we looking at here, a very skillfully tied fly or an assemblage of beautiful feathers? There is a strong attraction to these patterns, but salmon flies are not just these exaggerations, as Kelson termed them. The beauty of salmon flies lies in the diversity of the styles, the creativity of the tiers and the use of more common materials. As a beginner, it is easy to get discouraged in the process of acquiring the right feathers, even simple ones such as Turkey, Woodduck, Teal..... which are suitable for our tying, and keeping a sufficient supply of feathers that can, over time, become more difficult to obtain - even more so than Indian Crow or Kori bustard. What I learned over the years is that things come eventually to you with TIME. As you progress in your Journey through the Salmon Fly world, more information, more connections, more opportunities become available to you and slowly but surely your fly tying box fills up.This is a never ending story as your search will continue for better supplies.

I have more problems today finding decent white turkey tails than locating Indian Crow. By the way, of all the birds in the Cotinga family (Indian Fruit Crows, Chatterers and Cock of the Rock) only the Cocks of the Rock are listed on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), Annex 1, whereas other Cotingas are perfectly legal to sell or purchase. The high prices that are being charged for such exotic materials are more a result of the "I want/need this so bad" attitude of many tiers that has created this kind of high-dollar market than a more realistic one and we all pay the price for it now. It has also created greed and has extended to some less conscientious dealers who are dealing in endangered species without, any proper or legal paperwork. Beware as the list of endangered birds grows every year, thanks to our ecological policies!!, and the possession of all or part of any listed bird can become a crime. As listed in CITES: all species of Bustard, Macaws (in their country of origin!), Jungle Cock, Cock of the Rock, all species of Toucan (but for one lesser species), some types of pheasant (especially coming from Asia and Micronesia) and other less used birds. As if this is not enough, some species are also protected by state or country laws. My advice to you is to be careful about what you are getting and who you are dealing with.

Luckily, there are a few people in this country and other countries who are avid bird breeders and if you are lucky enough to get to one of them, then you might be able to insure yourself with some valuable supply sources. I found some Argus and Grey Peacock Pheasant just 60 miles away from my house in France !!! And the local zoo is providing me with Macaw, Condor and occasionaly Ibis molted feathers. This can be a rewarding experience as well as a learning one. If you become acquainted with breeders, show them some of your work, and take the time to listen to their passion, as they are as passionate about birds as we are with Salmon Flies, they could become very valuable friends if you get to know them. Other people to become acquainted with are taxidermists, hunters and zoo personnel.

What did I learned over the years?. Every time I visit a fly shop, I usually find something of interest: a different shade of blue goose shoulder feathers or some white tip turkey tail...., not enough to fulfill my needs but when added to other feathers in my collection, it might just be the way to go. I found myself more in need of common feathers than exotic ones and I'm using substitutes in 99% of my tying. And yes, a good Indian Crow substitute is harder to find than the real McCoy. So learn the joy of dyeing your own!!!

From once being a totally ignorant fly tier I have become a more knolwedgeable one - but I'm still a compulsive buyer when it comes to fly tying materials, especially Salmon Fly materials!