Hooks on fly tying
All are invited to take part in the fly tying course being offered by Fredericton Fish and Game
Fishing season may still for a few months away, but that doesn't mean it's been forgotten.
In fact, the sport was one of the main topics under discussion at the Johnston Avenue Seniors Centre on Jan. 9. Those gathered were there to register for the fly tying course being offered by Fredericton Fish and Game Association.
"We're going to introduce beginners to fly tying and we're going to provide instruction to intermediate tiers," explains Rod Currie, the current president of the Fredericton Fish and Game Association.
"They have a place to come and tie and socialize with like-minded people."
It keeps those who are passionate about fishing in touch with the sport and with their fishing buddies, he says, even during the off-season.
The 10-week course should take participants to the end of March, he says, which is perfect timing as fishing season begins April 15.
Though it is mainly men who come out to the annual course, Currie says it covers a good cross-section of age and experience.
He especially enjoys seeing kids get involved in the sport. To help encourage that, Fredericton Fish and Game holds a kids' fishing tournament at Killarney Lake each year.
Currie has been fly tying since he was six years old. He and his brother learned from their father, using hooks that had been filed down so they wouldn't hurt themselves.
"He always had a compliment," he remembers, no matter how bad it looked, and their father would always strip the fly back down to the hook and have them do it over and over again until they got it right.
Currie loves everything about fishing.
"Mainly the habitat, where it takes place. Beautiful clear streams, isolated areas, remote areas, clean air, clean water, everything like that," he says. "The chance of catching a fish when you're out in those areas is just a bonus."
He also likes the tradition of the sport and of fly tying.
"Here, we'll be tying flies that have been around for probably the greater part of a century," he says.
Nine-year-old Nathan Benner and his brother Braden Benner, who turns eight in February, are taking the fly tying course with their dad, Dwight Benner.
While this is Braden's first time in the course, he says he's been fly tying since he was in kindergarten. Nathan has been tying flies since that age as well, and also took the course last year. Both are looking forward to starting on Sunday, as it brings them closer to something they love to do - fishing.
"We have mostly the same instructors and we go to them every Sunday and mostly tie some flies," explains Nathan of the course.
It can be hard when you first start, he says, but it gets better.
Though Braden hasn't had a chance to do so, Nathan has used the flies he's created to catch fish.
"I've had one hook six times on the same hook, the same fish, but I didn't get it," he says.
Dwight Benner says what he always tells his sons when they're fly tying is to "know the difference between your right and left hand."
He also advises patience and practice. Benner knows what he's talking about, as he's been doing this for 30 years and does some instructing with the course.
"I've got three boys, the other one is five. The first couple of years they'd sit on my knee and tie flies," he says, and now his two oldest are doing their own.
"The boys do very well. With Nathan, I could see progress from week one to week three," says Benner. "The first week, you're literally trying to figure out which hand is which, trying to get your fingers to move as they should. That's one of the biggest challenges, how to hold your fingers."
The dexterity of your fingers really makes a difference, but with more practice doing it, you can see people getting better.
"It's a lot of fun. We come over on Sunday nights, get out of the house, hang around some guys, talk about some fishing and you go to Tim Hortons after," says Benner.
Austin Estabrooks is another of the instructors. He's been fly tying for 35 or 36 years. He enjoys the chance to pass on the legacy of constructing flies and seeing the look on a person's face when they get one just right, as well as the camaraderie in the group.
"It's an addition to the fishing process. We don't fish in the wintertime, so we promote it this way. And we've gain some experience over the years in instruction," he says.
Estabrooks finds the art of fly tying very relaxing, as well as being a challenge.
"I caught my first salmon in 1958, on Robinson's Bar on the Miramichi, just beyond Doaktown," he says, and he's been hooked on the sport ever since.
"A high school teacher got me interested in it, taught me how to tie flies, taught me how to build rods and took me fishing," he says, adding with a laugh, "Now the malady is terminal."
The 10-week course officially gets underway on Sunday, Jan. 16, so it's not too late to sign up.
The course costs $45 for those 16 and over, which includes $25 for a Fredericton Fish and Game membership. For those under 16, the course is $20 an
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