Dick Talleur passing brought back memories when I first began
attempting to tie flies for the first time.
I did some work for a friend once and wouldn’t take payment,
so he gave an LL Bean gift certificate. After months of him asking
if I used it yet, one Saturday I opened a catalog and saw the
LL Bean Tying kit for $54.00 since I just purchased another three
season jacket, hey why not give it a shot.
It arrived later that week where it sat around for months unopened,
I had lost interest in tying flies right after I ordered it on line.
One morning while drinking my first cup of coffee I spotted it there
and said to myself, hey what the heck at least open it and see
what it looks like.
I hate to use a cleshay, but I was hooked. I have never been
able to draw, sing, paint, I had no artistic abilities what so ever.
It didn’t matter with creating flies, color and design came slowly.
I stopped in to the fly shop Down and Trout and asked the owner
to recommend a good fly tying video (before the advent of YouTube)
and she recommend Dick Talleur’s video Classic Dry Flies.
I learned and began to appreciate it with the skill it took to
create it by watching his videos.
One video lead to another, then I started buying his books.
It was at the Somerset Fly Fishing Show where I first met the
man in the video, I found him to be very kind, and chock full
of information that he freely shared with me. It didn’t matter
if it was the FF Show or the Fly Tying Symposium, Mr. Talleur
was a staple at the shows and one I always liked to go his
table and watch, listen, and learn about tying.
My father worked for Ma Bell and Mr. Talleur was with AT&T,
so we would talk about the old phone companies with fondness.
After speaking with him at a few shows I commented that I
learned even from his mistakes in the videos, he just gave
me a look. At the time I should have expanded a little more
than I did, what I meant by that was in one scene he broke
his tying thread, something new tiers and those who been
trying for years will do from time to time. But Mr. Talluer
showed how to recover from a broken thread. I was just trying
to say maybe he should have a video for new tiers who make
mistakes, and how to recover from them. I have never
suggested to a professional fly tier what he should do or not do since.
Mr. Talleur will be missed by many in the sport, but he will
always have a special place with me because of his books
and videos where he taught me much more about fly tying and fishing.
Fair winds and following seas my friend.
attempting to tie flies for the first time.
I did some work for a friend once and wouldn’t take payment,
so he gave an LL Bean gift certificate. After months of him asking
if I used it yet, one Saturday I opened a catalog and saw the
LL Bean Tying kit for $54.00 since I just purchased another three
season jacket, hey why not give it a shot.
It arrived later that week where it sat around for months unopened,
I had lost interest in tying flies right after I ordered it on line.
One morning while drinking my first cup of coffee I spotted it there
and said to myself, hey what the heck at least open it and see
what it looks like.
I hate to use a cleshay, but I was hooked. I have never been
able to draw, sing, paint, I had no artistic abilities what so ever.
It didn’t matter with creating flies, color and design came slowly.
I stopped in to the fly shop Down and Trout and asked the owner
to recommend a good fly tying video (before the advent of YouTube)
and she recommend Dick Talleur’s video Classic Dry Flies.
I learned and began to appreciate it with the skill it took to
create it by watching his videos.
One video lead to another, then I started buying his books.
It was at the Somerset Fly Fishing Show where I first met the
man in the video, I found him to be very kind, and chock full
of information that he freely shared with me. It didn’t matter
if it was the FF Show or the Fly Tying Symposium, Mr. Talleur
was a staple at the shows and one I always liked to go his
table and watch, listen, and learn about tying.
My father worked for Ma Bell and Mr. Talleur was with AT&T,
so we would talk about the old phone companies with fondness.
After speaking with him at a few shows I commented that I
learned even from his mistakes in the videos, he just gave
me a look. At the time I should have expanded a little more
than I did, what I meant by that was in one scene he broke
his tying thread, something new tiers and those who been
trying for years will do from time to time. But Mr. Talluer
showed how to recover from a broken thread. I was just trying
to say maybe he should have a video for new tiers who make
mistakes, and how to recover from them. I have never
suggested to a professional fly tier what he should do or not do since.
Mr. Talleur will be missed by many in the sport, but he will
always have a special place with me because of his books
and videos where he taught me much more about fly tying and fishing.
Fair winds and following seas my friend.
