Rare and Unusual Fly Tying Materials
A Natural History Volume 2 -- Birds and MammalsPaul Schmookler and Ingrid V. Sils
Published by The Complete Sportsman
Mills, Massachusetts 1997, ISBN 1-886961-02-6
How many times have we heard folks say, "Good things often come in small packages." Like so many other adages the truth of this one relies heavily on the common experiences of reader or listener. And, like so many other adages, its interpretation requires reason and logic. Rolling stones do not gather moss, but neither do all stationary stones; all that glitters may not be gold, but some that does is. Such is the case with Rare and Unusual Fly Tying Materials: A Natural History Volume 2 by Paul Schmookler and Ingrid Sils.
My wife gave me a copy for Christmas; it was not a small package; you couldn't roll it on a bet, and it didn't glitter until I opened it. Then, in the vernacular, the book blew me away.
How or why, you reasonably ask? I'll try to answer at least as reasonably. This is a spectacular book in my view because it exhibits the most spectacular photographs of flies and materials that I have ever seen. It was not, as I thought earlier, a book extolling the virtues (or the lack thereof) of tying with traditional though now highly regulated feathers and furs; it is, instead, a celebration of that past and a salute to the present and the future.
There is, for example, a chapter devoted to the development of genetically engineered dry fly hackle with discussion and pictures of Harry and Elsie Darby, pioneers in the field and Catskill flytiers nonpareil from Roscoe, New York. Hebert and Hoffman saddles, necks, and hen patches are featured and displayed here along with the Darbys', and some rare variations in neck, saddle, and body hackle.
After this chapter, the authors pursue a conventional pattern: a systematic introduction to the nature, habitat, characteristics of the feathers and furs -- their uses and appeal in fly patterns -- of nearly 70 animals, ranging from emu to lynx and polar bear to house cat. Along theway, they illustrate the text with paintings by Audubon, Audubon and Bachman, Cuvier and St. Hilaire, John and Elizabeth Gould, Lydeker, Wolf, and other celebrated naturalists-artists.
For me, however, the book's greatest appeal lies in those spectacular presentations of flies-dry, wet, streamer, bucktail, and saltwater. Yes, saltwater. The title and the cover nearly force the browser to think of salmon flies, Carrie Stevens' streamers, and traditional British patterns. Those are represented healthily here, but so are tarpon, striper, marlin, bonefish, redfish, and other saltwater ties. Deerhair bass patterns get excellent coverage as well. If you've mastered the fundamentals of fly tying, you'll find a treasure trove of trout, salmon, warm water, and saltwater patterns to consider, copy, adapt, and customize here.
The text ends with a section on tinsels, braids, silk, and such. The "and such" includes mylar, mylar tubing, and other synthetics, giving lie -- at least in my perception -- to the title Rare and Unusual Fly Tying Materials: A Natural History. But there's more left to appreciate: Selected Fly Dressings, 11 pages with more than 200 recipes; Citations and Selected Bibliography for those of us so inclined; and there are two Indexes: one of flies with more than 750 entries, and a general index. Both are helpful in navigating this 350 page book.
There are a few odd touches here though: the striking two page spread of silkworm moths; five full color pages of threads, tinsels, and wire; and another two page spread devoted to rare discontinued hooks from 1865 to 1930. These reflect, I suspect, special interests of the authors; ignore my cavil, then, for what it is, And consider the book on its considerable merit -- incredible photography, artful and accurate display, wonderful reproductions of naturalists' art, innovative ties, and wealth of materials. It is worthy.
Worthy! Ah, therein lies the rub. This is a big book. Coffee table-sized at 11 by 14 inches and weighing in at something like seven pounds (accoring to my bathroom scales) because it is printed on glossy, coated paper that is (a) heavy, and (b) expensive. The result -- as you might expect -- is a heavy and expensive price, $100 at full retail.
Worth it? Yes! If you can spring for it without sacrificing the firstborn child, foregoing the purchase of a high quality cree neck, or a weekend trip to Trout Creek. If not, do as I did with the first volume. Look at advertisements for the book with jaundiced eye, wonder why anyone would write and publish such an esoteric treatise, and, above all, avoid looking at it in your local fly shop. In this case, to look is to buy -- or to wish you could -- because the product is that enticing. (Well, perhaps not for the sacrifice of your firstborn.)
As for me? You'll find me haunting bookstores and fly shops in search of volume 1, which now is out of print. RWOL
© Copyright 1998 - , Anglers of the Au Sable, Inc. All rights reserved. Last modified: January 31, 2002
