how do swaps work

[chrisfish 0]

I was wondering how does a fly swap work?

 

what is it?

 

[Gary Madore 0]

I was wondering how does a fly swap work?

 

what is it?

 

Heya Chris!

 

Well, it's like a quilter's swap or a bake swap, but in a manly way!

 

Seriously, here's how it works:

 

- Someone starts a swap and choses the genre of flies and the number of participants

 

- Everyone who signed up ties a number of identical flies equal to the number of participants minus one (you don't have to tie one for yourself) SEE NOTE BELOW

 

- The paricipants all mail their flies to the person who started the swap (usually called The Swapmeister) who takes each package of identical flies and divides them among all the participants.

 

- The swapmeister then sends packages back to the participants, but instead of the whole bunch of flies you tied, you get back one from each of the other participants.

 

Example: Someone starts an egg swap for 12 people. You tie 11 (SEE NOTE BELOW) "Chartreuse Chris Special Eggs" and send 'em to the Swapmeister. A couple of weeks later you get a package back and it has 1 each of everyone else's ties in it. You send in a "bulk pack" and get a "variety pack" in return.

 

NOTE: It is considered normal and usual practice to tie at least the same number of flies as there is people in the swap: That way, the Swapmeister gets an extra fly or two from everybody for his/her effort in coordinating the swap and dealing with the inevitable problems (and that's a whole other subject.)

 

Here on FTF it is necessary to successfully participate in at least 3 swaps before you're allowed to host one.

 

Hope that answers your question. Now, pick a swap and jump in with both feet! :yahoo:

 

Cheers!

 

Gary

[chrisfish 0]

That sounds great .

 

Thanks alot gary

 

I hope we fish each others ties one day.

[Gary Madore 0]

I hope we fish each others ties one day.

 

Well, that'd be as easy as joining the same swap :thumbup:

 

Cheers!

 

Gary

 

[fly time 0]

Well put Gary, might I add, check out the rules and regulations at the top of the swap page, they are in the pinned section, this should get you ready for any swap you wanna join, hope to have ya in one soon

[Gary Madore 0]

Well put Gary, might I add, check out the rules and regulations at the top of the swap page, they are in the pinned section, this should get you ready for any swap you wanna join, hope to have ya in one soon

 

Excellent point, my Blue-hills friend :thumbup:

 

And I see Chris wasted no time and joined a bugger swap yesterday: Good on ya!

 

Cheers!

 

Gary

 

[deeky 0]

One more important note -

 

Make sure you include a self adressed, pre-posted return envelope with your submission to the swap. That's how the flies make it back to you. It took the guys at the post office a little while to figure out my double postage purchases and why I was sending something to myself, but it's getting more smooth each time I go in.

[Mustang Mike 0]

The one thing I'm curious about is how the participants figure out which flies they will tie. My tying experience is limited and there are many (many) patterns I haven’t yet tied, and wouldn’t know how to tie. For example, I haven’t tied an egg pattern yet, so I’m assuming that if there WAS an “egg swap” I couldn’t join that swap, correct? And if that is correct, how do I find a swap where my limited experience would allow me to join a swap?

 

Thank God for this forum!! :innocent: You folks have shortened my learning curve dramatically!!!

 

[Gary Madore 0]

Hiya Mike!

 

Nobody is looking for perfection or art (see note below) when they hold or join a swap: It's more of a social thing and beginners are welcomed with open arms.

 

I was SO terrified for my first swaps because I knew my ties would look like crappe next to the rest of the tiers' efforts. And they did look like crappe, but nobody cared. All I ever got was words of encouragement and some well-needed (and friendly) coaching.

 

With only a couple of exceptions, all of my swaps have been the first time I've attempted a certain pattern and I haven't had anybody say anything negative yet.

 

Note: Exceptions to this general rule would include things like full-dress salmon flies and realistics, which are in a class all by themselves.

 

So, while you may want to avoid swaps that require extraordinary skill (OK, guys let's have a dry fly swap: your favourite Caddis pattern in a size 20 or smaller... ) for a while, there will be no problem joining a swap as a first-timer. Find something that interests you, say "I'm IN!" and then search the internet (right here on FTF is a great place to start) for instructions on how to tie that pattern.

 

Cheers!

 

Gary

[deeky 0]

Right on. Swaps are a great way to learn a new pattern. I think for anyone, regardless of skill level, their 12th fly of the swap always looks better than their first. It's good repetitive practice.

[Hairstacker 0]

Mike, I think attempting a fly pattern you've never tied before for a swap is actually one of the greatest benefits of joining in on fly swaps. In order to tie the dozen or so flies for the swap, you may end up tying 2 - 3 dozen just to get the dozen YOU feel are at least minimally acceptable to send in. In the process, though, you will not only learn how to tie that pattern but you will have experienced little improvements in your approaches and tying techniques along the way, especially since you'll be trying do your very best under the circumstances. And by tying for others, you may surprise yourself to find that you will begin to see aspects of your flies you may not have noticed before, which will in and of itself raise your game to another level. Rest assured, by joining a succession of swaps in this manner, your tying skills will improve drammatically. Besides, not to worry, no one will take your flies seriously unless they stand out as being particularly impressive.

 

-- Mike

[Mustang Mike 0]

Thanks for the encouragement and additional info. I've had my flies critiqued by one of the tying instructors at Bob Marriott's and at least he didn't end up like this ... :hyst: after looking at them!!

 

In fact he actually liked a couple of them!! Maybe I'll see what's out there and jump in the deep end of one of the ponds!!!

[fly time 0]

Swaps are a great way to improve your tying skills, think, you are tying up usually 12 of the same pattern, and that will build your skill pretty quick, after a few swaps you will be able to tell a big difference in your skill level.

[chrisfish 0]

thanks alot guys!

 

I am getting a little stoked . It sounds like quite a learning experiance as well as a lot of fun

 

TIME TO GET TYING :headbang:

[madkasel 0]

Definitely jump into one that interests you!

 

It makes you a better tier, because you want to be really careful with something that's being shipped off to so many great tiers.

 

It also forces you to tie 10 or 12 of something in a row. By doing that, you get better. If a swap requires that I sent in ten, I generally end up tying 15 or so, and send the 10 best ones in.

 

Also, it really makes you feel a part of a larger community, and that doesn't suck.

 

Just do it!