Re: [VFB] Who is (or was) the greatest fly tier ever???

[Chuck Alexander]

Title: Re: [VFB] Who is (or was) the greatest fly tier ever???

Allan: I hear ya.. I knew there was no "right" answer when I posed the question..It just dawned on me when i read about Lord Byron passing, and thought it would make for great discussion, which I think it has, Chuck   ----- Original Message ----- From: Allan Fish To: vfb@troutnet.com Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 10:15 PM Subject: Re: [VFB] Who is (or was) the greatest fly tier ever??? Chuck asked, Who would ya'll say is the best ever fly tier??? That is impossible to answer.  Why?  Because there are so many fantastic fliers around.  I look at Cecil Guidry's Stonefly nymphs and Reggie Alexander's deer hair bugs and know that they are absolute masters of the art of fly tying.  A few of you might have seen them the year they tied at Sowbug.  Other than that, they are only known locally  in the Indianapolis area and would never be found in a "list of famous fly tiers". Then there are those with whom most of you are familar - Deb Duran, Byard Miller, Tony Spezio, Ye-o DonO,.....and the list could go on for many lines. I'm sure there are hundreds, yea even thousands more who are also true artists of fly tying in the U.S.  And then we go across the pond and look out, you've got that many more.  Just check out Hans Weilenmann's site for upwards of 200 examples of the very best.  http://www.danica.com/flytier/ Those who are the most famous tiers tend to be the ones who are best at self-promotion.  That does not necessarily mean they are the "best ever fly tier".  And if you look at the materials available today that allow a mediocre tier like me to make some flies that occasionally look good, there is no way you can compare with someone who was tying with the materials at the turn of the century - NO, Chuck, the OTHER century.  <g> So Chuck, I'd say that was an excellent question, but also one with no answer. Yoost my 1-1/2¢ worth. Allan -- Allan Fish Greenwood, IN [EMAIL PROTECTED]