| The few times I watched Al make this classic fly he stressed
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| the importance of the fine gold wire, wound back over the
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| Palmer hackle in the opposite direction. He didn't say exactly why
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it was important, he just said it was.
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| Al talked often about "learning how to tie a fly." He said for each
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| new pattern he decided to bring into his repetoire he would devote
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| 3 or 4 days of tying just that one fly.
|
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| Then, once he got the routine down pat, he seldom changed it.
|
|
| Al is a strong beliver in the concept of perfection, I think. He strove
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| hard to make perfect flies. He came as close to it as anyone who ever lived,
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| I think.
|
|
| Al once told a story about a phone call he got from Japan once. The caller
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| wanted a special set of flies, for mounting in a shadow box. The caller
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| insisted on paying extra money, so Al would be sure to tie the flies
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| extra well. Al complained. He said that was impossible, because every fly
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| he ever made, he tied as well as he possibly could.
|
Comparadun
Elk Hair Caddis
Goddard Caddis
Goofus Bug
Gulper Special
Mac Salmon
Mac Salmon above
MacSalmon
Parachute Adams
Parachute Adams Below