Tying The Ausable Wulff - with an original Fran Betters fly скачать в хорошем качестве

Tying The Ausable Wulff - with an original Fran Betters fly

Skip to 1:45 if you’re just here for the tying! The Ausable Wulff; one of the many patterns developed by Mr. Francis Betters, a fisherman of renown in the Adirondacks, and who knew the West Branch of the Ausable like the back of his hand. One of my favourite patterns of all time, in no small part due to the impact it’s creator had on me during a serendipitous visit to his shop. In the summer of 2008, 14 year old me had been fly fishing for a few years, and during a family holiday to the USA we stopped at Fran’s fly shop near Lake Placid. I had grand plans to fish the West Branch, and was looking for both some flies and some advice. As soon as I stepped through the door I was greeted by a rather small, very elderly gentleman, seated behind a three sided desk piled high with tying materials. Fran Betters - as he identified himself - invited me to watch him tie some of his patterns whilst he talked to me about tactics for ‘his river’. Up to this point, fly tying had never crossed my mind. Flies were something I ordered online or bought, and I’d never really given a thought as to how they were made or that I might fancy trying it myself. But watching Fran tie, I was mesmerised by how he manipulated fur, feather, and thread, producing fly after fly of his own design. I left the shop with some of those flies he tied for me, and Fran’s book - kindly signed by the author - but also with a fresh curiosity about this mysterious art of fly-making. Those flies, and in particular the slightly bedraggled Wulff shown in my photo above, caught me a great many fish during that trip, and I have kept them to this day. Once we were home from our holiday, I bought myself a Veniard starter fly tying kit, and proceeded to tie absolute **** for several years; I was self taught, and this was before online tutorials were really a thing! Nonetheless, I produced some serviceable flies that caught me fish, and I’ve kept up the hobby since then (and have hopefully improved somewhat!). Fran Betters died in 2009, the year after I met him. His shop closed, and fell into disrepair before being demolished. But he left a seed in my mind, which grew into a hobby I enjoy to this day and which continues to both entertain and challenge me. Perhaps he would be amused at how safely I’ve kept those flies he tied for me; after all, they were tied to be fished (given Fran’s philosophy of “if a fly can’t catch 50 trout before falling apart, you’re tying it wrong” I think this particular one was due for retirement!). But for me, it’s a small reminder of how a master of his art took time out of his day to teach a curious teenager something new. I hope he would be pleased. ***** Hook - heavyweight dry fly, size 8-14 Thread - fluorescent orange Tail - woodchuck guard hair Dubbing - rusty orange possum underfur (or sub; here, hares ear) Wings - calf tail Hackles - brown and grizzly, tied bushy