Hey Eric, beautifully tied. I’ve learned much from your tying. I thank you for that. Back in 89 I went fishing in the Adirondacks and got to meet Fran in his shop in Wilmington. He was quite a character and I was camping down the road from him so I went into his store ever day for a week. If I was in there for twenty minutes he would tie ten ausable wulff s while he was talking to you. I wish I had saved some of those flies as they would be collectors items now. It’s a great fly fir the rough and tumble currents of the ausable. Be well.
Fran is one of my wifes mentors.She ment him in the 80s at his fly shop.She bought twelve of his patterns.She now has them in a shadow box in our tying room.My favorite pattern of Frans is the Usual,great fly,don't leave home with out some in my box.Glad to see you tying a pattern from Frances Betters.A little history on the orange and red thread he used.Frans dad and Ray Burgman was fishing,fly tying and drinking buddies.Ray tied a lot of wet flies with black heads.So Ray give Fran a spool of orange and red thread. Ken and Linda
Yup, that's an Ausable Wulff. Betters was sort of a hero of mine after reading about him and getting into fly fishing and tying. My girlfriend (now wife :o) took our first vacation up there in Wilmington, stayed at the KOA. First stop was Fran's shop. I learned a lot about fly fishing up there, got two of Fran's books, some materials and flies. I have a Wulff tied by him, a Haystack, and even a beautiful feather wing tied by him. We went about every year in late spring or fall. I asked him advice on tying and he told me just make them look buggy. In a video of him tying the AW he explains tying the hackle like you did. Thanks Eric. By the way, I almost went to college at Plattsburgh.
Joe, I went to the Campus School there in the late '50s for K-9th grade. It was a lab school for the Plattsburgh State Teachers College then and was one of the best gradeschools imaginable. When I left there I could research anything, had a love of great literature, art and music, and a liberal arts education second to none for a 9th grader. I loved that school.
@@traditionalfliesanddries5962 Wow, not that I'm unhappy with my elementary school education, K-6th, but you make me wish I went there for "grade school" and college. I have similar interests developed at an early age too. Love that area and caught my first fish at Old Forge with a stick for a pole. At first I had kite string for line and a safety pin for a hook, lol. But a nice neighbor camper rigged up some mono and hook for me. Caught some nice perch too. I had to be 10 or younger. I think you and I are in the same age group too. Thanks Eric.
Fantastic story and tie. I never met fran myself, as I am just 18 years old. I tie these as well as many more of Frans patterns for The Hungry Trout Fly Shop in Wilmington!
Eric I tie my catskill flies with the wing tied frist. That is including my wulffs. It is much easier to create the tapper that way. A longer cut from the wing would of been better for your body. I like a tight body on my drys.
The short cut from the body was just as Fran did it in his book "Fran Betters' Fly Fishing-Fly Tying and Pattern Guide". He tied his tail in first, chopped it level, then matched a level cut from the wing butts to it. I just reversed the process. The fly was done in Fran's style, not mine. As to the robust body I can only surmise you don't fish the Ausable very much, if ever. You need that bulk and dense hackle to float the fly in the near rapids conditions there.
@@traditionalfliesanddries5962 ok eric thanks . I enjoyed the zoom meeting I saw you in. I enjoyed the conversation and hope I wasn't to annoying towards you guys.
