January 2026 Meeting

We will meet on Saturday January 17th at 9am in Issaquah. Those wanting breakfast will meet at the Egg & I at 8am.

Well, let’s start another year of the Northwest Atlantic Salmon Fly Guild. As I reflect on things, I am elated to see the real interest in tying the Classics from our membership. What’s more important is the help our group lends to others, any time I can look out and see help being offered, techniques shared and discussions with each other about our hobby. It’s awesome to see, and to be part of.

That being said, we will have our January meeting demonstrated by Dareld Thompson a long tome member of the Guild, who is an excellent tier. When I asked, there was no hesitation from Dareld. I think you will gain valuable tips from watching him tie. Dareld chose the Butcher from T.E. Pryce- Tannett, the recipe above will be our guide. The Butcher, like the Gordon will have many different recipes and options for the fly tier, it’s a very old Salmon Fly.

I took the liberty to tie up the pattern so we would have something to complement the listed recipe from Linda, it’s only a way to tie this fly, the options are up to you, as Dareld will demonstrate.

I would encourage you to elevate your tying by utilizing proper hooks, which will compliment your progress and proportions. Choose a style which you like, order them in reasonable sizes, say 2/0, 3/0, or 4/0 one with a standard length for that wire size and one with a longer shank, for extended flies. These hooks are at our meetings every month, take some time to sit down, pull them out and make an informed decision while talking to Byron about them. He’s the Master and he knows the history about them better than anyone! Trust me, these hooks will elevate your tying, guaranteed.

Also speak to Joe Kristof about weighted bobbins (a must) along with lots of other tools, vice attachments and beautiful bases, he also makes the wing setter! Another member of the Guild providing excellent products.

If you need fly tying materials please reach out to member John McLain at Feathers MC.com. Quality stuff from a very reliable and trustworthy vendor.

Remember our Library and all of the books, videos and thumb drives of meetings, and guest tiers, which are all up to date. Call Dareld, secure your books and he will bring them to the meeting for 1 month, then returned them to Dareld.

Flies can be donated to Hunter for the Guild Archives, also if you have any tips or things for the Newsletter Hunter puts together, please get them to him for inclusion for the next Newsletter, or can be archived until needed. Having things for him to include makes the work a little easier by having several articles to pick from. Hunter donates his time and energy to put this together for our membership, so any help is appreciated.

If you haven’t put in your paperwork to tie in Albany it’s not too late, it’s so much fun and very well attended by Guild members every year, come join the fun. As usual, Todd Yorke and his lovely wife Linda open their house for a Food Extravaganza not to be missed, resident Life member and Chef Steve Morton always puts on a feast and story telling not to be missed. I will have my notebook handy in Albany so please stop by and sigh up for the dinner.

I am not sure about doing the white board this month, unless I speak with Dareld and get his thoughts about it and if it’s necessary. He has his own steps and

techniques while he’s tying, so we will see how this pans out.

As always Mark will be setting up for the demonstration and allowing our on-Line members to watch and participate in the meeting. Any feedback helps to streamline the session into a nicely viewed production, as well as tweaking as we go along. So thank you Mark. The session will be posted as we draw closer to the meeting date for anyone wanting to tune in. I believe this part of our meeting has really made a huge difference in the quality we try to bring you every month.

Thanks to all who help set up the tables and chairs every month, as well as tearing it down when we are done. Helps to keep us off the Naughty list!

See you all on Saturday January 17th at 9 am. Coffee will be on, beverages in the cooler. See you soon, Happy New Year!

Butcher – Pryce-Tannatt

December 2025 Meeting

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First thing is I want to thank those who commented to me about Saturdays meeting, I had reservations about the program contents due to the large amount of information. That being said, I think it was a good day spent among friends sharing thoughts and raising questions about this hobby of ours. I want to thank Mark for constantly working to raise the bar and provide a good viewing program for all of us, thankfully, Mark has sent out through email, the meeting so you can view it again to clarify the things you might have missed.

I have been asked about Decembers Fly for the meeting, it will be the Yellow Doctor. The recipe is not in most books, but is available in the Compendium, I will list the fly recipe below for those who want to practice prior to meeting again. (Great idea)

YELLOW DOCTOR

Tag: Silver oval- Yellow floss

Tail: Topping-Yellow Toucan (sub with CDC-Yellow Hen or similar structured feather)

Butt: Red Wool

Body: Bright Yellow Floss

Hackle: Yellow

Rib: Oval Silver (Medium)

Throat: Jay (or Gallina dyed Blue)

UW: Tippets

Wing: GPTail, Lt.Mottled Turkey, Yellow, Lt. Blue, Ibis

Bronze Mallard Roof

Topping

Sides: Married Gallina and Pintail

Cheeks: Chatterer (Double Kingfisher)

Horns: Blue and Yellow Macaw

Head: Red Wool (Band)

Hook: 3/0 Harrison

I will send out the formal email as we get closer to our meeting date. I have also been asked to provide the hook I use to tie the monthly pattern, which I will start to do. Remember the hook choice is totally up to you and your materials at hand, while I usually stay under 4/0, my hook choice is up for debate for each of us, our style and of course budget.

Remember to pay your Dues for the 25-26 calendar year, they can be paid using Paypal through Megan at brocco.megan@gmail.com

Dues remain at $40.00 per year. We want to update our roster by the end of December, so I don’t want to remove anyone from our list, but rules are rules.

November 2025 Meeting

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Just letting you know about our upcoming meeting on November 15th, at the King County Library Annex Building, in Issaquah. We will meet at 9am, those wanting breakfast prior to the meeting will meet at The Egg and I, in Gillman Village, Issaquah at 8am.

We have all been drawn to Classic Salmon Flies for their beautiful, balanced bodies of silk, or fur, and the gorgeous wings framing out the fly. While we have dug into tying the flies, explaining the points to remember and what you should be looking out for in the construction of these beauties. One thing that we have not covered are the wings… while I prepare for our meetings I spend the time to gather all the materials for the fly to be demonstrated that month, I tend to build the wings here at home. This makes for a smooth transition from part to part, but I thought to myself, we have never spent the time on explaining the wings. So that will be the focus for our meeting in November.

We will talk about and discuss the materials needed, their preparation, and what to do to make a wing for our fly. I will list the materials required to build a wing, show how to marry, shape, hump and align the wing slips making a nicely shaped skin to mount on a fly. Although we will not be tying a fly, I will show you 4 of the major types of wings seen in the books we use to tie Classic Salmon Flies. This, I hope will be a perfect time to have members chime in on their perspectives and thoughts about how to decipher a recipe. We all have different ideas, skill levels and artistic interpretations where we arrive at making up our wings. I will list some materials so you can gather your stuff and build wings along with the group.

Winging Materials:

Turkey tails both dyed and natural are the most common I have found while being in the Guild. Swan, while being tougher to find work well for smaller and medium sized flies, and Goose (shoulder) is widely available dyed, or in white so you can dye what you need.

Dyed colors include, Yellow, Red, Claret, Orange, Grass Green, Light Blue, Medium Blue and Dark Blue, Golden Yellow, Magenta. Both Swan and Goose on those shades as well. Bring what you have!!

Natural Materials would consist of Peacock Wing, Dark Mottled Turkey, Light Mottled Turkey, Cinnamon, Golden Pheasant Tails and side tails, Argus and snowflake Argus, Amhurst Tail, Florican Bustard, Kori Bustard.

Tools needed, Bodkin, tweezers, Scissors, Tooth Brush, Light and something to put your completed wings in to transport home.

After researching books and other information I have decided to take on the 4 Major Wing types you are likely to encounter while tying. While we might disagree on certain things, these are MY interpretations and thoughts about their construction and the names and methods used to describe and build them.

1) STANDARD MARRIED MIXED WING:

The most often used wing we see today for Salmon Flies. Married strips of colored material as well a Natural Materials, selected and joined together to make a Skin, two skins make up a wing. Now, depending on the author and recipe, the listing of materials can be put together in the order they appear for that fly. They will differ.

For example, T.E. Pryce-Tannett usually always have the colors lower in the wing and Natural Material higher up. Kelson will have things more blended, selecting naturals then a color etc… Here is where your individual artistic eye comes into play, are you just tying the fly as it appears in a picture, or copying someone else’s work, maybe you just have a recipe and put together a harmonious blend to suit you? Your in control here. While tying a fly I have for some time now counted materials I will marry to make up my wings. I don’t tie huge flies, mine rest in the 1,2,0, 1/0, 2/0 3/0 and 4/0 size range. My standard count rests in the 21 fiber range, depending on the recipe, and up to 26. Big wings are something we Americans do ! Lol. We will choose a fly, select our material, cut out the approximate numbers of fibers, then begin to marry them together, emphasizing the correct tip angle, humping, and finger manipulations. I always start with the bottom fibers and build upward, usually ending with GPTail on the top.

Examples: Green Highlander, Silver/Black Doctors, Benchill, Mar Lodge

2) KELSON MIXED WING:

Usually built in the order of materials listed in the recipe. This calls for 1 strand of each material, in order usually repeated at least 3 times, depending on the size of hook. Now, marrying a single strand to another single strand can be impossible, it can be done, but I don’t recommend it. So figure out the recipe, the size you going to attempt, then cut out 2 fibers more than required. If it calls for 5 strands of each material, cut 7, it will provide you with enough material to handle safely as you progress. Now on top of the first strip, marry your second material, join them, hump them, then using your bodkin strip off all but 1 strand. Grab the third material, again marry them and strip off all but 1 strand. Complete all the materials until you get to the first material, leave 1 and strip off the bottom fibers. When your done, you will have 2 fibers remaining, put them in a box so they can be used later on a different fly, remember 2 marry better than 1. As you go along remember to taper the tips as you build, just don’t make a long taper, more square. You will make up at least 3 or 4 strips of materials to constituent a wing skin, then do the other side. It will take you around 30 to 40 minutes per wing to make up, but they are pretty!

Examples: Silver/Black Ardea, Kneecap, Barefords Fancy

3) HALE’S MIXED WING:

Again,1strand of each material, laid down on a table separate lefts from rights, grab a strand lay another next to it, tips even and stroke from butt to tip to marry, add another, do the same, repeat for the number of materials required, that would make 1 Bundle, set aside. Make up at least 2 more bundles the same way, depending on the hook size. When completed, take a bundle and lay another on top of it, but slightly longer, stroke them together. Do the same with another bundle stroke outward marrying them all together, you now should have a skin, do the same with the other side, one thing about this method is that the Left side fibers make up the far wing, and the Right side fibers make up the near wing. So it’s “Tips Down” construction.

4) IRISH MIXED WING:

Grab assorted strips, depending on how bright you want it, natural materials will tone it down. Perhaps 5 strands of a natural, and 2 or 3 of color. Lay them down on top of each other, sandwiched so to speak, Lefts will make up the Far wing and Rights will become the near wing, Tips Down again. When the materials have been laid on top of each other place a strip of Bronze Mallard on it, pick it up with your tweezers, hold the wing in the middle or by the tips and using a tooth brush, brush out the butts first, change and hold the butts and brush out the tips. I place them in material clips to hold them until I’m ready to mount them.

I use GP side tails for Irish flies, goose for the colors, and don’t be afraid to trim the ends, to remove wispy ends, or sanded fibers depending on the type of bird.

Whew, that’s it, It will be fine, trust me!

Lunch will be provided, the coffee’s on, beverages in the cooler.

Remember Dues are Due, you can use Paypal and send it to Megan at: brocco.megan@gmail.com

October 2025 Meeting

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Hello everyone, and hope your summer was a good one! You couldn’t ask for better weather in the PNW.

Well, it’s that time again to dust off your tying bench, break out the books and get motivated. Remember RUST is the enemy of fly tying, be it a Hare’s ear, a Woolly Bugger or a Classic Salmon fly, laying off will show itself. That being said, I have been putting together things to get us moving forward, practicing techniques and understanding the complexities of the Salmon Fly. Now is a good time to evaluate yourself, and what are your goals as far as fly tying is concerned. There has to be some things you want to know, or do better to make that step forward and elevate your flies to where you think they should be. As we have said before, I am by no means an expert in this hobby, just somebody who has played the game long enough to be dangerous! But also remember the Guild’s promise that “There are NO Secrets”, I and others will tell you everything we know in order to help our members construct a better fly, interpret the books and fly recipes to make this more fun.

Thanks to our ever present hammer and won’t let a stone be unturned guy, Mark Spaur, we will be meeting back in our old haunt in Issaquah. The King County Library Annex Building located at 960 Newport Way N.W Issaquah, Wa 98027. Thank you Mark for your unrelenting work towards securing this site for our meetings, Bravo!

We will be attempting a fly that has probably the most variations of many Salmon Flies, The Gordon. While I have given you two versions above (thanks to Linda) I want you to look through some things that I found through research for the Gordon. The old masters agreed that “No two tiers will tie the Gordon the same”, we have a fly with many variants. I will expose some of these to you and you can mix and match underwings, main wings and whatever you do it will still be a Gordon!! Let your freak flag fly on this one! What you will find is I have placed an asterisk by the various things you can use instead of the recipe standard item. So mix and match away!!

The Gordon and it’s Variants.

Tag: Silver oval and Yellow silk *Lemon *Lt. Orange Note; if you use yellow, the rear body section will also be yellow. If you use Lt. Orange tag, the rear body section will be Lt. Orange

Tail:Topping and Tippet in strands *Indian Crow

Butt: Black Herl

Body: Rear *1/3rd-1/5th, or 1/4 Yellow silk-remainder Claret silk *Remember if the tag is Lt.Orange so is the rear body section.

Hackle: Claret

Rib: Flat Silver and Silver Lace

Throat: Blue Hackle *Lt.Blue- *Sky Blue- *Medium Blue

UW: 2 Red Claret Hackles with Herl over *GPSpears under Tippets. *GPSpears over Tippets. *Tippets with Herl over. *2 Large Tippets. *1Tippet and 1 GPSpear

Wing: Many Variations:

Garden; Lt.Grey Tky, GPTail, Bustard,Yellow, Blue, Claret

Kelson Land & Water; Bustard, Pea Wg, Blue, Red, Yellow, Herl

Brown; Bustard, Lt.Blue, Lt.Green, Red/Claret, Amhurst, Herl

Grimble; GPTail, Pea Wg, White, Yellow, Red, Blue

Fishing Gazzette; Bustard, GPTail, Blue, Red, Yellow

Gordon; Bustard, Lt.Blue, Lt.Green, Red/Claret, Amhurst, repeated 3 times

P.E.Tannatt: Orange, Scarlet, Blue, GPTail, Bustard

Kelson: Lt.Mottled Tky, Dk.Tky, GPTail, Bustard, Yellow, Blue, Claret

Hale: Bustard, GPTail, Pea Wg, Blue, Red, Yellow, Herl

Topping

Sides: Jungle Cock *Small Tippets over wing & Jungle Cock

Horns: Blue Horns *Optional

Black Wool Head

So…Pick something you like, throw it on there and you’ll have a Gordon!! You now have options, so you can use several techniques to help you practice things you might need to conquer, all in one fly!

I have Guild Shirts for those who have paid for them.

Don’t forget Ray’s Raffle Feathers, anyone who has won, will have to sit the rest out, Lol. Nice Bustard feathers, Thank you Ray!

I will be demonstrating how to make Faux Gut (Mono) during our lunch break for those wanting information on how it’s done.

Coffee will be on, beverages in the cooler and Lunch will be provided for our members.

Mark thinks that the Online presentations should be good/Better in this location, we will make sure our out of state members have a good clear presentation.

Again, we will meet on Saturday October 25th, at 9am. There are locations in Issaquah for breakfast I’m sure, but I am not familiar with them yet.

King County Library Annex Building 960 Newport Way N.W. Issaquah, WA 98027

Remember Dues are due for the 25-26 year, they remain at $40.00, Payable online with Megan Brocco at brocco.megan@gmail.com

Don’t forget our Library through Dareld Thomson, ask him for what you want and he will bring them to the meeting, one month turn around. This is for MEMBERS ONLY.

Hunter will still collect flies for the Guild, so please donate your work to him for the Archives. Remember, this highlights where you are now, don’t hesitate to donate your work, you will get better!!

Meetings

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Our guild’s new Zoom meeting equipment allows far away members to participate in the monthly meetings.

A close-up of the demonstrator’s vice is also projected on the large screen in the front of the room allowing everyone in the meeting to see clearly the fly tying methods being demonstrated.

Screenshot

May 2025 Meeting

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Mays meeting will be on Saturday May 17th, at the Fall City Fire House at 9am. Those wanting breakfast will meet at the Raging River Bar and Grill at 8am.

I apologize for not having pictures for this month, but we will be having Joel Hill as our guest tier, Joel is a talented fly tier and will demonstrate the Glasso style Spey Flies. I spoke with him and suggested patterns like the Orange Heron, Sol Duc Spey, and flies with multiple ribbings and Bronze Mallard wings. Flies like the Reachs, the Black and Red kings, these flies utilize Spey like hackles wound the reverse way to the ribs, sporting tented Mallard wings. Good fishing flies, so there is a lot to learn from watching Joel.

Thank you to our members who demonstrated at the FFI show in Issaquah, lots of talent not many visitors, but thanks for your commitment.

Guild shirts should be ready by the May meeting, I will send out a separate mail to those who ordered shirts with the price.

I do not have any information on name tags at this time, but will be working on it.

I will also have more information from Ray about his material and having them on hand for our members. I will talk to Ray, see what he has then pass on that information with another email, so members will be prepared. A huge thank you to Ray for thinking about the group and him wanting to pass his collection on to those of us who tie within the Guild. Thank you!

We are still putting together a meeting for early June to have a dying session, I have not been able to contact Dave, as I do not have a current phone number, but will keep at it. Even if he is unable to attend I think we have enough members with experience to put on a session and get good results. The location, time and date are still in the works, so don’t put all your eggs in one basket…

Ben will update us on the Grewcock Salmon Patterns and the interest in securing the PDF recipes for the group.

Hunter is busy working on his Newsletter, and he can update us on his progress. If you have any ideas, tips, methods or techniques for tying or material prep, please get that to Hunter, everyone can benefit from this. Also please contribute your flies to the Guild archive, give them to Hunter, thank you.

If you would like to get something from our Library, contact Dareld for your request, he can get them to you at the meeting, he also has thumb drives available with past tiers demonstrating their talents for the Guild. This is a great asset, use it.

Coffee will be on, beverages in the cooler and lunch provided for the group.

See you all Saturday the 17th.

Respectfully,

Glenn

April 2025 Meeting

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Hey everyone,

The NWASFG will meet on Saturday April 19th at the Fall City Firehouse at 9am, those wanting breakfast will meet at the Raging River Bar and Grill at 8am.

Guild shirts have been ordered and are at the embroidery shop as we speak.

Name Tags have been given to Nick, and he said he would be working on those as well.

The FFI Casting and tying event is on April 27th in Issaquah, the guild has seven tiers and is also hosting a class from Hunter, thank you all for supporting this event, should be a fun time.

We have discussed as a group (us old timers) a lifetime membership to Steve Morton, he’s our resident Oregon Chef and co-host of the Yorke food extravaganza we all get to participate in yearly in Albany. Welcome Steve, and thank you!

Mark Spaur has been working behind the scenes for a year trying to get our old meeting location back to the Issaquah Library Annex building. Mark has attended meetings on behalf of the group and has some news to share with us on Saturday. A ton of work was put into this, Mark will talk to us about what he has found out.

Ben has, through an email to the Guild been working on a book deal from Barry Grewcock and his Encyclopedia of Salmon flies and Sea Trout Patterns. Ben shared with me some of what is in there and I have not seen this much pattern variations in any book I currently have in my library! So many patterns to choose and look over. Ben will cover more ground on this and answer any questions you might have, he has enlisted the help of Jim McKinnon for the printing duties, as anyone who attends our meetings can attest to his monthly pattern sheet is something to see.

Byron, who has recovered from that evil dentist, will give us a little talk on fly choice and proper hook selection. We are lucky to have a World Class Hook Maker in our group, and he can share some good information with us about what he knows, and the feedback he gets from tiers worldwide.

This month we will have Brett Breuel demonstrate the fly of the month, we has talked about having one of our members share with us their take on how they approach a given fly, their ideas and techniques. Brett is an accomplished tier and we can learn much from him, I look forward to it.

The Fly Pattern for April is The Black Dog, from Kelson, Hardy, and Hale. There are many variations of this fly, this one seems to be the one seen more often. I feel that a longer shanked hook gives this fly a more “racy” appearance, perhaps a Sunday or Playfair hook? Given the ribbing scheme, of two oval tinsels and a band of silk floss the longer shank spreads it out giving it more flow. A long Heron Hackle or suitable substitute feather really gives the Black Dog a recognizable look. Again, there are many other variations available to tie, so keep that in mind, Blue, Claret, and Red dyed heron was regularly used. As you can see in the recipe, the underwing utilizes 2 red/orange hackles enveloped by 2 extended Jungle Cock feathers. Remember, that the underwing is part of the wing, so when building the main wing don’t go too crazy! A medium sized wing (fiber count) should be used, otherwise it get too big, so just keep that in mind when building your wing. Simpler is better I think, use your discretion. The last thing to consider is the application of the unbarred Woodduck sides (lemon) you can use strips, from a really big lemon Woodduck feather. Or strip down the feather to use the whole tip, your choice. I have found that by dying Pearl Mallard tan/cinnamon it looks acceptable as it has larger fibers.

I will still use the White Board for my thoughts on the fly, even though Brett will be demonstrating for us, if its useful, and you want to see it?

Coffee will be on, beverages in the cooler, and lunch will be provided.
Look forward to seeing you all on the 19th!

Respectfully,
Glenn

Black Dog

March 2025 Meeting

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Our monthly Guild meeting will be held on Saturday March 15th, at the Fall City Firehouse at 9am. Those wanting breakfast will meet at the Raging River Bar and Grill at 8am.

This weekend March 7th and 8th is the Oregon Albany Fly Expo held at the Lane County Fairgrounds, hope to see many of you there, it’s always a great time. If you are attending, don’t forget to wear your Guild shirt to promote our group. Also if you plan on attending the food extravaganza at Todds house please stop by and see me, I will be collecting the money for our contribution toward the food, it will be $20.00 per person and BYOB. I have a list and directions as well. We will also collect 2 flies, one for Todd and one for Steve, our chef!

The FFI fly casting and tying event on April 27th in Issaquah will have several Guild members demonstrating at the show, if interested, please see me or talk to Hunter, who will be conducting a class, thank you Hunter.

This months fly has changed, we were going to do a Purple Emperor, but I saw that we did an oval silver body and tapering for the Smith. So, I thought it would be good to learn how to fully gut a hook, tie an underbody (tapered) and do a flat silver tinsel bodied fly. So we will be tying a Silver Doctor by James Wright as seen in Kelson. As usual, start with a shortish tip/tag, a topping for a tail, nice and low with decent fiber count, also calls for an optional Kingfisher tail veiling. I will use that in this fly, and you should double the kingfisher, it really gives much better color saturation. Red wool but, tied elliptical, and nice and tight. Flat Silver body, cut a long taper with the cut end facing down and tied in at 5 o’clock then the oval silver rib at 6 o’clock. NO body hackle, but 2 throats, a blue and Gallina. With no body hackle I think a longer throat really accents the flow of the fly, so extend it a little, it’s a style thing so it’s up to you. The underwing calls for Connected strands of tippets, which means with the rachis attached, so like normal. You can tie them in as whole tippets and trim them, or strip and set them in as you would do whole tippets. I usuall tie in tne tippets right after the body, then the throats, then the main wing. It’s up to you. Create whatever type and style of married wing, see the recipe above. Woodduck and Pintail sides, Mallard roof, horns, a topping then finish with a Red Wool Head “Band”, not a whole red head, again that’s up to you.

I think it’s a clean pattern and a recipe that has enough materials to keep us busy!

If you need anything from the Library, please contact Dareld for your selection, you take it for a month, then return it the following month.

Flies for the Guild Archive can be given to Hunter, we appreciate your contributions.

Mark will send out the online information for those not attending the meeting, we appreciate those watching from home.

If there are any members who want to purchase a Guild Shirt, please let me know so we can put in the order. Will be approximately $83.00

Coffee will be on, beverages in the cooler and Lunch will be provided as usual.

Looking forward to seeing you all at the meeting on the 15th of March.

Thank you Linda for providing us with the recipe card for the Silver Doctor.

The Silver Doctor – Kelson

February 2025 Meeting

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We will be meeting on Saturday February 15th, at the Fall City Firehouse at 9am. Those wanting breakfast will meet at the Raging River Bar and Grill at 8am.

I hope those going down to Albany are getting ready, I think it’s the best fly tying event on the west coast, so plan on being there either to watch and learn or to tie. The Guild has always had a great showing of tiers, so be sure to wear your Guild shirt to support what we have to offer. If your a first time tier tie what you want to, Spey flies, Classics or whatever suits you. See you there!

I have selected a Classic Salmon fly from Kelson that has Steelhead colors but stays true to a full dress pattern The Manchester Swell. While it is pretty straight forward, as always, remember the things we have been pounding on like short antique style tip and tag, and a LOW tail. The body itself is 1/3 buttercup yellow silk then Magenta silk, with a Magenta hackle running from the second turn of tinsel. I use a flat silver and silver twist (see Ben) or you can use a large oval if you choose. This calls for Blue Jay throat, and I like the look a full Jay throat up front, so leave enough room for 2 feathers. Again, thats your choice. Tippets in strands and Gallina are called for so remember to raise your tying platform to keep those strands lying flat over the body. I also tie in Gallina strands to brush in with my fingers before tying down the tippets, so the both get tied on together, keep them low! Pretty straight forward wing so nothing too crazy, just make up whatever kind of arraigned strips you like. Mallard roof and short sides of Jungle Cock finishes it off. I hope we get a good turnout and lots of activity at the vice.

As usual we will have the coffee on, cold beverages in the cooler and lunch provided for you.

See you all on the 15th.
Respectfully,
Glenn

Manchester Swell (Kelson)

January 2025 Meeting

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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a chance to relax with family and friends over the Holidays, and it’s time to meet again!

Our January meeting will be on Saturday, January 18th at the Fall City Firehouse at 9am, those wanting breakfast will meet at the Raging River Bar and Grill at 8am.

Don’t forget the Albany Fly Expo in March 7th and 8th at the Linn County Fairgrounds, they are still accepting tiers if your available, its a great time.

This month we will be tying a Tay River pattern, The Smith, this fly was tied up to a 10/0 and used by Harling, a method like today’s use of Hot Shot’s. A fisherman payed out a long line and the Ghilly rowed the boat over known lies, back and forth and then dropped down little by little. It was also tied large for tidal waters and high Spring fishing, where 3/0 to 7/0 were common. So if you like tying a little larger here is a fly for you! The only real problem was the length of your winging materials. I am going to tie either 5/0 or 6/0, so see Byron for those hooks, the Harrisons are awesome. This fly as you can see from the photo and recipe (thank you Linda) it has an oval silver body separated by hackles. As with a body hackle we want to have a taper and flow, so each hackle should be a little longer than the last one until you reach the throat. I will have more information written on the white board at the meeting. If you have Rooster necks or colored Saddles they will work well, in Yellow, Red, and Blue, also have Gallina hackles too. This fly uses GP Spears for the underwing, which I can’t stand due to them being stiff as a board, thin and have no shape. So, you can substitute hackles in red and claret, 2 of each, they will lay nice and low for you. Or be traditional and use the spears, I’ll have them with me also. When it comes to the wing, if you do not have Grey Mottled Turkey tail, substitute with Amhurst, if your GP Tails are not long enough, use Brown turkey tails, you can be creative and still stay within the recipe. It doesn’t have a lot of add on’s so that’s nice for a change! I will bring along some nice long Brown Turkey Tails for those needing them.

I would look over the pattern card and perhaps spend a few minutes selecting hackles in the colors stated above. You can use either medium or large oval tinsels for this fly, I have seen it tied with flat and an oval rib too. See Ben for all your tinsel needs, give him a message.

Don’t forget to ask Dareld for any book or thumb drive in our library, a great resource for our members, so use it.

Bring a fly for the Archives if you haven’t done so already, Hunter is busy trying to get it updated and your help is appreciated.

Also you might contact Garren Wood, he takes care of our Salmon Guild’s online presence, and send him pictures to up date the flies on the site, I plan on doing so in the weeks to follow. It’s nice to have it refreshed for those looking into our group, as we have so much to offer tiers interested in tying Classic Salmon Flies.

A shout out to our resident I.T. guru Mark for working hard behind the scenes to have our on-line members up and running, he has changed the format and camera’s to bring everyone a better experience for our meetings. From the feedback I have received, it seems to be much better for in house members, as well as those at home. As you can see this whole thing is not a one man show, so many contribute to our meetings and all that entails, Mark, I thank you.

Coffee will be on, beverages in the cooler and lunch provided as usual. I look forward to seeing you all on Saturday the 18th!

Respectfully,

Glenn

The Smith