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February 2026 Meeting

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Our meeting will be held on February 21st, at 9am, in Issaquah at the Library Annex Building. Those wanting breakfast will meet at the Egg & I in Issaquah at 8am.
 
This month Hunter will take the helm and lead us into the world of William Blacker, one of the earliest of the Masters! His flies were not unlike little bits of jewels, this coming from his customers. Equally talented in the dying of Salmon Fly materials, where his colors were fast and did not bleach out in the peaty, acid waters of Ireland and Scotland, which spread into the fabled waters of England. They say his dye was neutralized with male Donkey urine. The birth of brilliance and the use of many of the beautiful plumages throughout the world was due in part to the influence Britain had around the world, where species were shipped back to the fly houses and shops and utilized by seasoned fly dressers. His fly tying was ahead of its time and his sons became fine dressers in their own right,
 
Hunter has put together a few pages of information about Blacker and his methods used to tie “in Hand”, and encourages those willing to try it without the aid of a vice! If you recall Piero Sistino had come here as our guest to tie in hand, and put on a very good program for the Guild. Hunter will explain the methods and special techniques required to tie this style of winging, something I have no experience in, so I will be learning with you.
 
I hope you all enjoyed the Winter Newsletter also put together by Hunter, if you have any helpful tips, ideas or techniques you think the Guild would benefit from, please forward those to Hunter so he can stockpile them for future use. Also consider adding a few flies to the Guilds Archive to showcase your tying and advancement from our meetings.
 
Please contact Dareld Thompson for any of our Library needs you would like to check out, contact him directly to have those items at the meeting, where you can have them for one month. We also have thumb drives of our guest tiers, available for checkout as well. A complete list is available for you.
 
If you have any desire for custom tools, vice upgrades and solid bases for your tying room, Joe Kristof is the man to contact. Wing setters, weighted bobbins and other cool tools are made in house by Joe. Very well made stuff!
 
John McLain has now settled into his new home in New York, and I encourage you to check out his vast materials and custom dyed feathers and more. Your dealing with top shelf stuff, hard to find plumage, furs and more. Check out his website at feathers mc.com thanks John.
 
If there is any desire from the group to play around with wax, let me know, sometimes its just too hard or soft, doesn’t hold well, it’s time to tweak it. I play around with wax all the time to get exactly what I want. Everything is available online, bees wax, rosin, oils, and it’s pretty easy to do. I usually just melt a wax that isn’t doing what I want, add rosin, to create tackiness , or wax for pliability, and oil for softness. I melt the components in a small aluminum candle holder over a flame until melted then it’s poured into a small lid covered with aluminum foil with a little oil to help get it out when hard. I don’t do big batches. But if isn’t your game, there are plenty of ready made waxes available today, a quick search and your all set. Just a thought. 
 
If you have not signed up for the Albany Fly Expo, which is held on March 6th and 7th it’s not too late. The Guild always puts on a great showing down there and this year should be no different, be there! As always Todd and Linda Yorke put on their food extravaganza in Salem which is amazing, resident Chef and lifetime member Steve Morton will be cooking for us again this year, not to be missed! Come find me when I’m tying for directions and can chat about the dinner.
 
Beverages will be available, coffee will be on and look forward to seeing you all on Saturday the 21st.
 

January 2026 Meeting

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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

Butcher – Pryce-Tannatt

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

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

The Silver Doctor – 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

The Smith

October 2023 Meeting

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Hello everyone! Getting fired up for our October meeting this Saturday the 14th at the Fall City Firehouse at 9am. Hoping for a big turnout and sharing some useful tid-bits of information to help your tying. I was asked to resend the Pattern of the month, so here it is.
 
Remember, Dues are due. You can send it to Megan online, or pay Steve or I, this way we can get our roster updated for everyone.
 
Anyone who did not get a bottle of Shellac at the last meeting, please let me know so I can make them up for you, I’ll bring them with me.
 
We should have our meeting set up for our out of state members viewing online.
 
Looking forward to seeing you all there, coffee will be ready for ya’!
 

Albany 2023 Expo Photos

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Here are some photos from the 2023  Albany Expo: