Okay, this might seem like a stretch for some of you, but
spring is here and the lakes are starting to ice off which can only mean one
thing: fishing season is right around the corner. I am an avid fly fisher and fly tier, so any
extra hours at night—after dishes are done, the stories have been read, the
kids are in bed, my school work is done—are spend hidden away in my basement
man cave tying flies and filling up my fly boxes for the fishing season that
lays ahead. And, as I tie, my worries
slip away, and my focus is re-energized, and I do a lot of
thinking. In fact, for the last few
nights I have been mulling over a post from a fishing forum I participate in
where the author offered up some tips to becoming a better fly tyer. Of course, I added a few comments and tying tips to the conversation, and then began to see some parallels
between the advice and encouragement that I was seeing offered to less
experienced tyers and that offered to less experienced teachers.
So, here are a few tips for fly tyers that I think apply to educational
pedagogy.
Don’t Crowd the Hook
Eye – I was always taught that every wrap should have a purpose. Often, I see new tiers securing their
materials, then giving another 6-7 extra wraps to cinch things in. This adds extra bulk and contributes towards
that "materials creep" towards the eye. Make
each wrap count, and you will go a long way towards building a fly that is not
crowded or over dressed.
Pedagogical Connection: Don’t get caught up in busy work that is
unnecessary. Raise your standards; learn
how to do something correctly, do it correctly, and then move on to the next
task at hand. Don’t let yourself get
cluttered up because it is your own habit to do so.
Plan Ahead To The Next Step - I can get bored tying the same thing
over and over and over. To get over
this, I have been tying my chironomids in an assembly-line style. I start with a pack of 25 hooks and a pack of
25 beads. One by one, I debarb the hooks
and then slide the beads on, and that might
be all I do in a sitting. The next time,
I add the gills on each hook. At this
point, I open up my box and see what colours of chironomids that need to
tie. Now I just prepare the appropriate
thread and wire combinations and get at it.
The next time, while debarbing another pack of hooks and adding the beads, I might
start painting the completed flies from the previous batch with whatever clear coat I will be adding.
An assembly-line style of tying
also helps to develop proper proportions in your tying, resulting in more consistency in both your tying skills and your
finished product.
Pedagogical Connection: Find ways to stream
line your work and become more efficient.
Efficiency will buy you time that can be better spent on mastering
activities instead of simply completing them.
Start With Flies That You Know Will Catch Fish. This is a great piece of advice because as
you have confidence fishing with particular patterns, you will develop the patience required to keep
tying those patterns (and to tie them correctly!).
You will have higher standards for how you want that particular fly to
look--with all of your personal tweaks and improvements--and this will help you
to develop the tier's eye critical to being a better, all-around tier.
Pedagogical Connection: Always start with
something that you have confidence in, and branch out from there. If your strength is storytelling, tell
stories in your lessons. If your class
works best in groups, design activities and ways of learning that maximize the
group dynamic.
Be A Learner. I have worked very hard to develop my fly
tying skills, to the point that tying flies is a passion that is almost equal to fly fishing. Most of my
knowledge is self-taught, however, I read books and magazines, talk to other
fishers and tiers and attend seminars where possible. When I lived in Calgary, my local flyshop
would bring in guest tiers every Saturday morning during the post-Christmas
freeze up. We would meet, have coffee
and learn something—a new pattern or tying technique—from another tier. Last year, my local fly shop brought in April
Vokey [an expert] for an intruder-style tying session, and she gave me at least
three significant technique improvements that have made a big difference on my
tying for all styles of flies.
Pedagogical Connection: No matter how good you get, there will always
be something to learn from someone else.
Sometimes it just takes a new perspective to see something with new
eyes. Enthusiasm is infectious. Old dogs can learn new tricks, and the best
teachers are the people who are always willing and open enough to try something
for the first time.
Tie For Fun. I have boxes full of bonefish patterns,
feather-wing dries and assorted “fancy” flies that may never get fished, but I still have fun tying
them. And, I still get to practice proper
proportions on legs, wings, hackles, etc.
Pedagogical Connection: If you aren’t having fun, you aren’t in the
right business.
Don’t Be Afraid To
Start Over. Don’t be afraid to back
up. I was tying a chironomid the other
night, and nicked the thread on the hook point.
It didn’t break the thread, but it did start to fray. At first, I tried to save the fly with an
extra wrap, and then to pin the fray down with the wire ribbing. Eventually, the scissors came out to try and
trim off the “mess”, and I realized that I really just needed to lose a few inches of inexpensive thread
and back up. I started over and was left
with a fly that I was proud of. Would it
have made a difference when fishing? Would that messy fly have made any difference to a fish? I
don’t really know, but knowing me I would have never, ever fished with
it; it would have stayed in my box forever.
Pedagogical Connection: Don’t be satisfied with just getting by. If you feel that you are “just surviving”,
stop and take stock of what is in front of you.
Often, with some pause, you will see that a little extra material or time spent
getting something down properly will pay huge dividends for you in the future. The best lesson makes no contribution if it
stays hidden in a binder on your shelf...
Look At Real Bugs. I remember a day fishing on the Bow River and taking
out a dandy golden stone nymph that I was really proud of. My mentor, looked over (and past the
perfect colour and materials choices I had made...) and asked me why I stopped the wingcases
¼ way down the fly. I didn’t have an
answer so he kicked around some rocks and pulled up a stonefly nymph from the river's bottom. The wingcase went almost halfway down its
body. Hmmm...I realized that I had to rethink, and then
retie, my stonefly patterns. Anyway,
that fly went back into the box (it has never been used since) and my stonefly
patterns look much better.
Pedagogical Connection: Class rules don’t need to be changed if a
seating plan switch up is what you need.
If lectures about behaviour aren’t generating the appropriate responses,
then maybe you should imbed values of inclusion in your day plans and build community in your
math class. A neat (and shiny) job is
great, but it is far more important to make sure that you are actually doing it
correctly. Substance trumps appearance.
Develop A
Relationship With A Local Fly Shop. These are the people who can help you
the most. Make a habit of popping into
the shop, buying something small and talking to them. They will have the most current information
about what lakes and rivers to fish and what to use, and they will be able to help you
improve your tying. I have never found a
flyshop where someone wouldn’t stop to show you a new material or demonstrate a
challenging tying technique. Get to know them on a
personal level, listen to their advice, and then share your own timely intel
back when possible.
Pedagogical Connection: Build yourself a large web of connections to
support you both personally and professionally.
Lean on them when you are in need, and offer support when you have it.
