Jeff Bear Andrews ties STEELHEAD Flies for the Great Lakes Region (Reviewed)

Jeff Bear Andrews ties STEELHEAD Flies for the Great Lakes Region (Video Reviewed)

Jeff "Bear" Andrews ties STEELHEAD Flies for the Great Lakes Region
Produced by OmniSports, Inc. VHS, 59 minutes

This is my first review of a video, and I will at the outset claim no expertise or even sense for the aesthetics of video production. I will say only that I have seen "slicker" and more polished fly fishing and fly tying tapes; then I’ll concentrate on the content of STEELHEAD flies for the Great Lakes Region.

The video begins with a casual and very general streamside conversation between Mr. Andrews and Chuck Hawkins, a noted Michigan guide, about steelhead fishing, about some principles of fly selection and design, and about the first pattern demonstrated here, the Crystal Egg. The remainder of STEELHEAD flies is devoted nearly entirely to demonstrations of" Bear" tying five of his favorite and most effective steelhead patterns -- the Crystal Egg, PM Caddis, Dusty’s Fuzz Buster, Bear’s Hex, and the Ben Stone.

And "slick" or not, these demonstrations are worth the price of the tape. Mr. Andrews’ discussions of the flies’ design ration-ales, his choice of materials and hooks, and tying techniques are lucid, entertaining, and wonderfully logical. Best of all, the photography in the demonstrations is excellent. Every step and process is clearly presented and therefore easy to follow and to replicate. (I tested this by tying each of the patterns as they were presented, and I turned out some very presentable flies.) To my mind, that’s what fly tying videos are all about, and on those criteria I give the tape a sincere" two thumbs up!" RWOL

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