International Fly Tying Symposium 2011

This year, just like in 2010, I attended the International Fly Tying Symposium in Somerset, NJ in mid-November.  This trip meant a little more to me than the trip last year because I had planned on going since mid-summer, but then I lost my job in September, and I really couldn't justify the expenses of a hotel room, food, and gas at a time where I really had to stretch my limited funds to make ends meet.

Then, at the very end of October, just a few weeks before the show, I got a new job.

As it turned out, I got my first paycheck from my new job they day before the Symposium.  I could justify the expense again, and it seems like a bit of a karmic reward.

The show was fairly similar to last years show, and while I'd highly recommend that any fly tyer go at least once, there wasn't enough different to make me immediately say that I want to go again next year.  For the cost of the trip, I could easily add a rod, reel, or new piece of photo equipment to my arsenal, and now that I've seen what there is to see, I'll likely go that route instead.

That being said, I did have a great time at the show, and had a lot of fun in New Brunswick Saturday night.

I'm not sure how much I talked about it here last year, but when I went in 2010, I had only just bought my SLR, and at that point, I had no lens to use on it, which limited me to taking my compact camera to the symposium.  This year I got to take my SLR and get some pretty decent shots.  Hopefully you'll enjoy these images as much as I enjoyed taking the shots.

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International Fly Tying Symposium

Last weekend I attended the 20th International Fly Tying Symposium in Somerset, New Jersey.  It was a great time, and I learned a great deal as well as bringing home a pile of nice material.  It's the first time I've attended a show like this, but I'll definitely be looking to attend more.  Seeing so many experts in one place, it was impossible to walk away without learning something.

I got the chance to talk with many of the tyers, and those were the times when I learned the most.  Being able to ask how or why a particular technique was used is something that you really miss out on when you go to YouTube.  Also, the simple ability to check out a fly from all angles really helps the learning process.  I learned without ever asking a question, just by inspecting ties from all angles.  It's definitely a show that I'd recommend any tyer to attend.

There were also several vendors there, selling all kinds of material and equipment, and it was a nice change of scenery compared to the usual selection at local shops.

The show seemed to be dominated by one of three types of tying: classics, realistics, and synthetics.  While some may have found this disappointing, I think that, alternatively, a room full of tyers refilling their nymph boxes with PTs and scuds would have been utterly boring (there's a reason you put it off until you absolutely have to).  Those three fields are the logical progression of technique, artistry, and innovation carried to their fullest extent.

Since my new camera (more on that in a later article) was here but it's new lens was not (I'm looking at you, Adorama), I only had the Pentax with me for the weekend, and the lack of the new toy put a serious damper on my zest for photography.  That being said, I still managed a few shots, which I'll share below.

As with most of my reactions to major events, here's the high points and (pretty marginal) low points:

Low Points (not many)

• Vendor booths quite crowded on Saturday, making it hard to check everything out
• Using a Fish-skull in place of a conehead is not innovative or original, its just a minor enhancement
• How about a few signs to remind people not to bump or lean on the tables while the tyer is trying to tie a fly?
• The lighting in the room really stinks for such a visual event

High Points

• Spanish CDL wet flies
• Being able to watch a classic being tied, asking questions along the way
• Materials you don't see at your friendly local fly shop, and being able to inspect them in person
• Making contacts beyond a simple customer making an order

Overall, I'm very glad I got the opportunity to attend.  I still haven't had a chance to tie with all the materials I brought home from New Jersey, but that will come in time, and you'll be among the first to see the flies here at Dharma of the Drift.

I did use some of the seal dubbing and spey hackle I picked up, and next on the list are some spanish CDL wet fly patterns.

Without further ado, here's the pictures I promised.  Not much, but better than nothing:

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