Meeting 20-Feb-07 : Ready, Steady, Tie
Unfortunately our scheduled speaker Mr Steve Thornton had transportation problems on the night and couldn’t make it, his car broke down on the way. So at the last minute our Chairman, Mr David Gordon and Secretary Mr Chris Watson stepped into the breech.
The evening premiered the next TV epic, “Ready, Steady, Tie”. Two tyer’s with the same materials going head to head to create new works of art.
From choice of materials given to the tyer’s a wide range of interesting flies were concocted.
The evening also introduced our new presentation aid, a wireless audio system to compliment the video projector. This allowed Peter Bowcock to be our roving Presenter for the evening.
As with all chef’s they changed the recipes to match what they were after
All in all an interesting evening that may well be repeated. Any volunteers out there willing to take the challenge!
Meeting 20-Mar-07 : David Palmer
David is a member of the North West Branch and is also very established Instructor in the art of Fly-tying. In fact quite a few of our the branch members have all learn their skills under David’s tuition.
However, he also enjoys tying flies that will actually catch the fish! His demonstration today was on the Mayfly patterns that he uses himself on the Rivers he fishes including the Peover eye and the river Ceiriog.
David has a relaxed way of tying flies and the simplicity in the way he demonstrated the patterns gives even novices like myself the belief that I can do that!
During the evening David tied various examples of the Mayfly from the nymph stage, through the emerger and to the spinner stage. The main materials used were rabbit hair, silver badger hackle, “yellow” antron dubbing and for the tails, cock de leon.
After the mid way interval David completed the evening with a few more of his favourite flies including a spider variant and a Daddy long legs.
As with all the demonstrations it’s the little things that make all the difference, i.e. put a little varnish in the stalk to make it more pronounced, tie in the tail feathers at 45° as the first turn will bring them round. To the expert tyer these and other little tips may be obvious but for the novice they are invaluable.
Good natured banter with the audience (Les doesn’t really remove the dressing from old flies to re-use the hook again does he?), ensured that the evening was very enjoyable for all.Many thanks David for a very interesting evening.
Meeting 16th January 2007.
The following officers have tendered their resignation from the committee with effect from the AGM on 16th January 2007. Mr N Taylor and Mr D Pollard.
.Agenda for the 36th Annual General Meeting of the North West Branch of the Fly Dressers Guild to be held at 20.00 on Tuesday, 16th January 2007 at Timperley Sports Club
1. Apologies for Absence.
2. Minutes of the 35th Annual General Meeting.
3. Matters Arising from the minutes of 35th Annual General Meeting, not covered by the Agenda.
4. Correspondence.
5. Chairman’s Report.
6. Secretary’s Report.
7. Treasurer’s Report.
8. Competition Secretary’s Report.
9. Public Relations Officer’s Report.
10. Election of Committee.
11. Any Other Business.
Paul Little – Master Fly Dresser 20th September 2005
What can one say about Paul Little? He is without doubt one of the finest fly dressers in the world, who very obviously enjoys sharing his talent with other fly tyers.
When I booked Paul’s services back in 2004, I knew our membership were going to see a master class in fly dressing. I deliberately use the terminology of fly dresser rather than tyer as there is a difference just as there is between an angler and a fisherman. Paul offered to demonstrate the intricacies of how to dress a classic salmon fly, namely the Wilkinson (Francis Francis version from the early 19th century). My only worry was how would our membership react to this demonstration, as the majority of them would not even attempt a classic salmon fly. But thinking about it, I was sure there were many techniques Paul would use that the audience could use within their own tying.
On the night Paul brought a number of his own framed flies along with some photographs of Marvin Nolte’s work which created a lot of interest. I knew from the chatter and buzz around the room that I shouldn’t have been worried.
When Paul started and throughout the demonstration you could have heard a pin drop, never had our membership been so quiet for so long. We were all astounded with the total precision of Paul’s technique and the amount of care he takes with his material choice combined with their preparation and dyeing. Having attempted to tie classic salmon flies in the past, I realised how totally inadequate my efforts have been. I fully intend to put a lot of time and practice in with classic salmon flies after this inspirational evening.
In conclusion, I am sure our membership will agree that Paul’s demonstration was something very special. My words are not enough to describe Paul Little’s fly dressing genius, suffice it to say he is better than brilliant and so modest about it. I am sure there are a lot of fly tyers that wished that they had half the knowledge and technique he possesses. My thanks go to him for sharing a small part of his immense talent with us, and his very generous donation of the framed Wilkinson fly. This will be auctioned for guild funds in the near future, watch the website.
We are hoping to welcome Paul back in 2006 to give us another evening demonstration and a workshop day. Details will be announced with our 2006 programme in the near future.
Chris Watson - Secretary
Paul Little – Master Fly Dresser 20th September 2005
What can one say about Paul Little? He is without doubt one of the finest fly dressers in the world, who very obviously enjoys sharing his talent with other fly tyers.
When I booked Paul’s services back in 2004, I knew our membership were going to see a master class in fly dressing. I deliberately use the terminology of fly dresser rather than tyer as there is a difference just as there is between an angler and a fisherman. Paul offered to demonstrate the intricacies of how to dress a classic salmon fly, namely the Wilkinson (Francis Francis version from the early 19th century). My only worry was how would our membership react to this demonstration, as the majority of them would not even attempt a classic salmon fly. But thinking about it, I was sure there were many techniques Paul would use that the audience could use within their own tying.
On the night Paul brought a number of his own framed flies along with some photographs of Marvin Nolte’s work which created a lot of interest. I knew from the chatter and buzz around the room that I shouldn’t have been worried.
When Paul started and throughout the demonstration you could have heard a pin drop, never had our membership been so quiet for so long. We were all astounded with the total precision of Paul’s technique and the amount of care he takes with his material choice combined with their preparation and dyeing. Having attempted to tie classic salmon flies in the past, I realised how totally inadequate my efforts have been. I fully intend to put a lot of time and practice in with classic salmon flies after this inspirational evening.
In conclusion, I am sure our membership will agree that Paul’s demonstration was something very special. My words are not enough to describe Paul Little’s fly dressing genius, suffice it to say he is better than brilliant and so modest about it. I am sure there are a lot of fly tyers that wished that they had half the knowledge and technique he possesses. My thanks go to him for sharing a small part of his immense talent with us, and his very generous donation of the framed Wilkinson fly. This will be auctioned for guild funds in the near future, watch the website.
We are hoping to welcome Paul back in 2006 to give us another evening demonstration and a workshop day. Details will be announced with our 2006 programme in the near future.
Chris Watson - Secretary
Agenda for the 35th Annual General Meeting of the North West Branch of the Fly Dressers Guild to be held at 20.00 on Tuesday, 17th January 2006 at Timperley Sports Club
1. Apologies for Absence.
2. Minutes of the 34th Annual General Meeting.
3. Matters Arising from the minutes of 34th Annual General Meeting, not covered by the Agenda.
4. Correspondence.
5. Chairman’s Report.
6. Secretary’s Report.
7. Treasurer’s Report.
8. Competition Secretary’s Report.
9. Public Relations Officer’s Report.
10. Notice of Motion: The annual branch subscription for the North West Branch of the Fly Dressers Guild be increased to £20 with immediate effect. Non members of the branch will be charged £5 on the door on all evenings where we have a guest speaker.
Proposed by Mr.C.Watson Seconded by Mr.D.Gordon
11. Notice of Motion: Committee members must retire after five years service. They may however seek re-election should they wish to do so. This will commence from the 2007 Annual General Meeting with two committee members retiring, and in rotation every year thereafter, thereby facilitating continuity.
Proposed by Mr.N.Taylor Seconded by Mr.D.Pollard
12. Election of Committee.
13. Any Other Business.
Committee:
Chairman: Mr.N.Taylor Secretary: Mr.C.Watson Treasurer: Mr.D.Pollard Public Relations Officer: Mr.D.Gordon Competition Secretary: Mr.D.Bradley
Mr.G.Hill (Life Member), Mr.B.Cotterill, Mr.N.Fisher, Mr.M.Frith, Mr.K.Newton.
Shows Sub-Committee: Mr.D.Gordon, Mr.C.Watson, Mr.G.Cotterill.
Minutes of the 34th Annual General Meeting of the North West Branch of the Fly Dressers Guild, held at 20.00 on Tuesday the 18th January 2006, at Timperley Sports Club
24 members and 5 guests were present.
1. Apologies for absence were received from Mr.P.Bowcock, Mr.P.Grourk, and Mr.S.Gait.
2. The minutes of the 33rd Annual General Meeting were duly read and approved.
Proposed by Mr.G.Hill Seconded by Mr.G.Butler
Carried unanimously.
3. Matters arising from the minutes of the 33rd Annual General Meeting not covered by the Agenda: Mr.C.Watson expressed his concerns regarding the new location of the fly tying marquee at Chatsworth Angling Fair. He pointed out that being positioned in immediate proximity to the fun fair was far from ideal. It was also noted that there was a lack of public support within the marquee. Mr.D.Gordon informed the meeting that he was currently discussing the plans for this year’s Angling Fair with Mr.C.Lloyd Owen.
4. Correspondence: The Secretary had received a letter from the Executive Committee detailing an enhanced insurance plan, which was now being offered to all branches. He was asked to obtain further details in order that it can be discussed fully at the next Committee meeting. There was also a letter from Dr.N.Giles regarding insect surveys, the Secretary invited members who were interested to contact him personally.
5. Chairman’s Report: The Chairman thanked the Committee for their hard work, Mr.D.Gordon for filming of the guest speaker nights and his work on the web site, Mr.D.Bradley for organising the outings and competitions, and Mr.C.Watson for compiling the programme.
6. Secretary’s Report: The Secretary spoke of the successes of 2004, the moves that had been made to bring the branch into the 21st Century, and how these can be used to maintain the branch profile and increase membership. He also commended the branch on their involvement at Chatsworth, Peover, and the David Lewis Centre College. The 2005 programme and fly tying competition were outlined. He concluded by thanking his fellow Committee members, and the membership for their support.
7. Treasurer’s Report: The Treasurer reported a deficit of £62.19 for 2004. Subscription income was £510, with a profit of £161 at Chatsworth Angling Fair. He informed the membership that all branch funds had been moved to the Alliance and Leicester Bank in order to obtain a better rate of interest. There had also been significant capital expenditure made on the new camcorder, setting up the web site, along with provision made for a replacement banner.
Acceptance of the Treasurer’s Report was proposed by Mr.C.Watson, seconded by Mr.L.Lockey.
Carried unanimously.
Mr.L.Lockey commended, and thanked the Committee for the capital investments they had made on behalf of the membership throughout 2004.
8. Competition Secretary’s Report: The Competition Secretary reported a year of mixed successes competitively. Organised outings, and the Westlow competition were well supported, he requested suggestions for future outings. He informed the membership that that the branch would not be entering the John Watt trophy this year. He had received an invitation from Congleton Branch to fish a match on Westlow Mere.
9. Public Relations Officer’s Report: The Public Relations Officer thanked Mr.G.Hill for his help. He outlined the proposed changes to Chatsworth Angling Fair within the fly tying marquee, these combined with of our newly acquired technology would be utilised to build on our previous successes. He requested that members tie flies for us to sell, and asked for volunteers to demonstrate at the show. The web site had now been running for 3 months, more contributions were needed from the membership. The use of the digital camera at branch meetings was proving to be successful, copy dvd’s now being available.
10. Notice of Motion: That, on all branch outings that require the booking of boats a full non refundable payment for boat hire will be collected from all participating members prior to the event, on a date previously designated by the organiser.
Proposed by Mr.N.Taylor Seconded by Mr.C.Watson
Carried unanimously.
11. Election of Committee: It was proposed by Mr.R.Harwood, and seconded by Mr.L.Lockey that the Committee be re-elected en-bloc. Carried unanimously.
12. Any Other Business: New members, and guests were welcomed.
The Secretary gave details of a proposed extra event following the British Fly Fair, which would be self-financing, he was given the go ahead to organise it. Next Committee meeting to be organised immediately following this meeting.
Annual Dinner was discussed.
There was a discussion regarding the use of sight bobs/strike indicators during branch competitions, and the ethics of using the same. It was decided to abide by the rules of the individual fishery. The preliminaries for the Esthwaite pairs competition are to be held on 13th March 2005, there are three teams involving four of our members entered.
There being no further business the meeting duly closed at 20.53.
1ST Annual Federation of Fly Fishers International
Fly Tying Competition In Support of Conservation and Education
As a Fund Raising event in support of its many conservation and education projects, the Federation of Fly Fishers is sponsoring an international fly tying Competition. The Competition will run from February 1, 2006, until midnight April 30, 2006. There are 39 separate categories within which to enter a fly. Judges include such famous fly tyers as David Whitlock of bass fishing fame, Ron Alcott of traditional salmon pattern fame, Bill Blackstone, the master of the “realistic” patterns, Bob Clouser, creator of the famous Clouser Minnow, Stu Apte the saltwater fly fishing legend, and Bob Jacklin, the famous instructor/guide of West Yellowstone, Montana, to name a few.
In addition to the “Judged” competition where specific flies must be tied for comparison by the judges, there will be a “Peoples’ Choice” competition where tyers may submit the fly of their choice in any of the 39 categories. These flies will be posted on the FFF website where the people will get to vote for their favorite patterns.
Awards include beautiful 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place medallions in each of the 39 categories, and prizes totaling over $11,000US including Orvis, Thomas & Thomas, Loomis, and Winston fly rods, Islander and Abel fly reels, the famous Oasis tying benches, the incomparable Wasatch custom tools, among many other valuable prizes. To learn more about this great event linking dedicated tyers from around the world, go to the following website where you will find the link to the Fly Tying Competition: http://www.fedflyfishers.org/begin.php.
Join in….have fun, and at the same time help support our sport and preserve its heritage.
The answers to some previous questions are stored here...
The Guild used to sell a booklet for about £1.50 that gave 20 or so different recipes for cooking trout. I'm not sure if they are still available but I am sure one our members must have a copy but unfortunately since I don't eat fish I never bought the booklet. Hugh Whittingstall at River Cottage recommends baking trout in tinfoil with butter, a bay leaf and either dill or fennel inside the gutted fish. My mother always cooked trout by grilling them but they were first dipped in a beaten egg, then rolled in oatmeal, butter, salt and pepper were spread inside and the whole fish was then wrapped in streaky bacon and generously sprinkled with sliced almonds. It was my father's favourite meal.
Enjoy,
Les.
If you insist clean & gut the fish, leaving the head and tail on. Take a generous portion of parsley and coriander and chop quite finely. Mix the herbs with butter (which for this stage will need to be quite soft). Put the butter in the fridge to solidify and then pack the cavity with the butter/herb mixture. Wrap the prepared fish in good quality foil and either cook on the barbecue, turning every five minutes for about 15 to 20 minutes or in an oven at 170 deg C for a similar period.
If fancied Fennel (small quantity) can be added to the herbs.
Alternatively take your trout along to a local smokery and have it smoked, which is a far more satisfying way to eat it. Thanks for this one Norman.
Berwi Gwyniedyn mewn Llaeth
Sewin (Salmon Trout) cooked in milk
An interesting recipe from Dyfed (Carmarthenshire)
Sewin, a piece weighing 600-700 g [1¼ - 1½ lb], cleaned to provide 4 good steaks
Milk, ¾ - 1¼ litre [1½ - 2 pints]
Pinch of salt
Sprigs of Fennel [optional]
Farm [or other] cream, 0.2 – 0.3 litre [about ½ pint]The amount of milk needed will depend on the shape of your cooking pot.
If the piece[s] of fish fits it snugly, the smaller quantity will do, but you must have enough to cover the fish.
Bring the milk to the boil, add a little salt and lower the fish gently into the pot. If you wish , you can wrap it in a muslin first, so that it can be got out easier later.
You can also add the Fennel sprigs if required.
Let the milk come back to the boil, then keep it gently simmering for a time (about 30 to 50 minutes) which will depend on the greatest thickness of the fish.
When the Sewin is done, lift it out, let it cool a little, cut it into four thick slices and serve it with hot baked potatoes and fresh farm cream.
You can also add lettuce leaves and a sprinkling of finely chopped fresh Chives.
This dish is also very good if served cold.
An extract from `North Atlantic Seafood’ by Alan Davidson
Sunday 28th November, 2005 at Wal Goch.
Unusually for Wal Goch, it didn't rain all day, although there was a bitter wind at one end of the lake the sun made it through for the best part of the Day. The first hour saw some brisk action with one member catching three fish in his first four casts. Most people caught during the day though it was reported 'tough' by several anglers who waited until the closing sessions before catching. Well done to all anglers who caught and a special thanks to Dan for organising the trip.
NORTH WEST BRANCH OF THE FLY DRESSERS GUILD ANNUAL FLY TYING COMPETITION 20/05/08
Over the last few years the branch annual fly tying competition has enjoyed varying degrees of support, dwindling to only two entries last year. As a result of this your branch committee has thought long and hard to produce a new format for the 2008 competition.
This year’s competition is being sponsored and judged by Pat from Flytek. The competition will be judged by category and experience of the tyer. Each entrant will be provided with three materials selected by Pat and must be included in the dressing of each fly. You will be expected to provide your own tools, vice, hooks and any other materials that you may want to use. There will of course be the opportunity to beg, steal or borrow from other members.
You will have the chance on the night to use your imagination and tie as many flies in as many categories as you want – Trout, Salmon, Grayling, Pike, Saltwater etc. All prizes to be awarded at the end of the evening.
Pat will also be bringing a selection of materials to sell on the night and we would ask you to support him. If you have any specific requirements please contact Chris Watson, 01625 535046 or chrisw.fly@btinternet.com, and he will pass them on.
The success of this year’s competition and the possible future of the annual competition is wholly dependant on your support.
Sponsored by:
|
