Delayed hello from Guelph, Ontario

[Heff2 0]

Hi folks,

 Been on here a few months now and I suppose this is a little over due.  I’ve fished my whole life, my parents gave me a cheap fly rod when I was teen and a wapsi tying kit the next year.  Never caught much but I kept the stuff at my parents forever. I’d still fish every frequently but I was more interested in catching lots, spinning gear and float fishing mostly.  

Started fishing a Spey rod when a friend and I saw a guy get into a few steelhead in water we couldn’t get too with  centre pin.  Took a few years to get the Spey rod figured out but the tug is the drug as they say. My buddy got way into Spey fishing and kept me in intruders and streamers for a couple years.  

Sadly my dad past away years ago and my mom moved and got remarried last year.  This led to me to getting my fly stuff and tying gear back with me some 20 years later.  My dad and I fished together a lot but he had gotten into fly fishing and tying a few flies on his own and I got that gear also.  Got casting a 4 wt for pan fish this past year and wanted to tie my own flies for that.  The reward of a fish on a self tied fly combined with that connection to my dad was something I couldn’t understand until it was accomplished.  Needless to say my spinning gear has taken a back seat. 
 

Life’s busy with a 2 and 5 yr old  I don’t have the time to fish that I used too. I get out every few weeks but I find time at the vise clears my head similarly to fishing itself. I’ve moved from a shoe box at tying at the dining room table to tying daily at a permanent station in my office expanded my collection of materials about to expand into a second shelving unit in the past year.  My wife got me a new vise for my birthday and a Jungle cock cape  and a copy of the Carrie Steven’s book for Xmas, my girls come down to tie with me and the 5 yr old ties a heck of a squirmy worn.  They like my new hobby or at least me with a new hobby.  
 

I found the fly forum looking for a pattern one day and noticed the challenge section. I know the common advice is to master a pattern at a time but this really struck a chord with me and I’ve been excited to learn more and more everyday. I’ve found the forum really helped my tying progress.   Taking pictures really helps you notice flaws and sharing them motivated me to try a little harder. I have been getting more into batch tying a bunch of  flies recently. I’m working my way through the FFI bronze and now silver books.  It’s helped focus on consistency and that takes practice.
 

Thanks to all for the tips and tricks. I quite enjoy checking in on the forum day to day, it’s a great community.  
 

regards, 

Arthur Heffernan 
 

[cphubert 0]

Nice intro Heff the girls will be a welcome addition to your fishing with time, great you include them in tying.

[Philly 0]

Welcome.  I've been in Guelph many times in the past, but not recently.  For several years it was a stop on my way to a lodge in NE Ontario.  I knew some folks in the area and sometimes I would get together with them to fish the Grand.  Otherwise, I would fish it by myself.  Then I would head east to get back to the 400 and stop and fish the Upper Credit River.  Picked up some materials at the fly shop that was there then.  Materials I couldn't find in the States.  Nice area.  The Grand was tough at times but held some really nice browns.

[WWKimba 0]

Welcome to the site from a born and bred central NYer.  I've been tying flies for over 50 years and hosting fly swap for the past 14 years.  Check one out if you'd like.  Google Holly Theriault and the Maple Syrup fly pattern she designed when she was 12 years old!  It's quite a well known pattern!  A nice story to tell your kids.

I look forward to seeing your posts.

Kim