Citrus: The lure of fly tying

The lure of fly tying

The making of the feathered fishing devices is an art dating back to the third century A.D. in Macedonia

By MIKE SCARANTINO

Johnnie Lures -- John Capozzi of Spring Hill -- has struck again.

While not a father himself, children and animals adore him.

Through that adoration and a strong desire to be a positive role model for children, he uses fishing -- his lifelong love -- as a medium to that end.

Anthony, our youngest son, recently celebrated his 12th birthday. Joining us for the celebration was Johnnie Lures and his lovely wife, Carol.

Their present to Anthony was a beginner's fly-tying kit.

Unbeknownst to me, John and Anthony had been having substantial conversations about fishing and lures months before his birthday.

During that time, John had uncovered a side of my son even I hadn't -- his love of flies.

Though he never has fished with a fly rod, my son absolutely loves the look of a well-wound fly and has collected quite a few while attending different fishing shows and gatherings.

The two had been showing off their collections of lures to each other.

While away on long weekends to Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, John and Carol began searching for a moderately-priced fly-tying starter kit for Anthony's gift.

They found what they were looking for and asked that we find him a book to accompany their gift. My wife and I purchased for him a CD-ROM of the book, The Art of Fly Tying.

It covers topics such as the history of the sport, the basics of fly tying, along with complete instructions for getting started right down to the proper finishing knots.

Its volumes, though for the most part are geared to freshwater flies, are quite in depth, readable and understandable.

This particular starter kit is a basic bass bug kit, but with a little imagination, knowledge of local saltwater baits and the addition of a few materials and tools, saltwater flies can be fashioned from it.

We chose to start with a simple popper.

Freshwater species eat them, so do sea trout, redfish or snook if of fair quality and they're presented properly.

The quality of our first endeavor might be questionable. Like many people, we have not fully finished reading the directions, but we're raring to go.

Referring to the CD-ROM often for rudimentary skills such as thread-winding techniques, we decided to jump right in and learn together by wasting one hook, a few wraps of thread, and some hackle in the pursuit of our first creation -- no matter how good or bad.

The easiest place to set up our first work space was right next to the computer so we could have the CD-ROM playing alongside the vise.

On it one can view quick-play movies that show -- in good detail -- the wrapping methods needed to accomplish our task.

Out came the vise and basic tools, the deer hair, feathers, foam popper forms, artificial eyes, the paints and extra instructions. In went the CD-ROM, and we were off.

Those wanting to learn this ancient art should make a substantial investment of time.

Fly tying requires much patience and practice in the beginning to become good. Like many outdoor activities, it's something that can be practiced over a lifetime.

Though the author, Izaak Walton, is credited by many for the sport's beginnings with his book, The Complete Angler, published in 1676, the earliest written accounts of fly tying date back to the third century A.D. in Macedonia.

Modern-day anglers find references from the Catskill mountains of upstate New York to the movie A River Runs Through It.

Fly tying has been a way of life for many anglers.

Start with the bare essentials and build success one step at a time. From bare hook to finished product, fly fishermen strive to create lures of intricate design that attract fish by imitating naturally available baits.

Yet many times it's the simple undulating or pulsating motion of a fly free-falling through the water column that invokes a strike from many predatory fish.

Matching flies to Mother Nature's complex array of food sources is how fly anglers pursue their quarry, but even beginners using the most basic of patterns can produce results.

When you finally become good, you're good.

Accomplished fly tiers can whip up an attractive offering in a few short minutes. Some have been known to tie a fly right at the water's edge when needed.

Neither Anthony or I am up to whipping out a few choice imitations at the water's edge, but we have crossed a small milestone in our beginnings.

We have completed one small step in what I hope will be a lifelong adventure with my son.

Anthony has made me aware that a first fly rod is on his holiday wish list so we can move forward in our new adventure.

- If you have a question or comment, call Capt. Mike Scarantino, (352) 683-4869.