Viking Lars | Saturday, 18 September 2021
A couple of weeks ago I saw a handful of flies in a Facebook-group on historical flies. Many of you who read my FPs will know why I’m a part of such a group. It really is one of the best Facebook-groups I know. Full of knowledgeable, nice people, excellent fly tiers from all over the World, even though most (I think) of the posts are in the Scandinavian languages.
Fly fishing is steeped in tradition and when reading older literature, from Halford and onwards, it’s obvious that a big part of fly fishing has always been exchanging ideas and flies. It’s quite a revelation to think about how much easier that has become with social media, YouTube and online messages. The only aspect of it that remains the same is that flies and materials still has to be mailed. The time it takes a letter to cross the Atlantic probably hasn’t changed either, but that’s another story. Some 50 years after Halford and company, I know that American flymph legend, Vernon ‘Pete* Hidy had a lively exchange with like-minded people in Sweden.
Back to the flies I saw in the Facebook-group, posted by the administrator Halvor Røberg. They had tails of capercaillie, and suddenly I remembered a small bag of capercaillie feathers given to me by Rune Stokkebekk from Norway. I saw him using them at a show in Denmark 20 years ago and he gave me some - lovely, mottled, black/grey feathers, perfect for tails on dries, nymphs, softhackles. I hold Halvor responsible for the three hours I spent looking for the feathers before I found them :-). And of course I had to tie some flies. I initially just used them as tails on a soft hackle I’ve been fishing for years. Then I changed the dubbing. Then I remembered a great Whiting Coq de Lean hen cape I wanted to try and changed the hackle as well. So I suppose it’s now a completely new fly (great looking one, if you ask - in the PoD. Not the tails - capercaillie).
Capercaillie isn’t easy to come in Denmark. The bird (indigenous to Denmark) is now extinct here, but still abundant in Sweden and Norway, where it’s also legal to hunt them. Halvor kindly offered to send me some capercaillie feathers (and included other feathers new to me) and they arrived earlier this week. I love that tradition that not only closes the loop on this FP, but also keeps alive a very long tradition. Now of course I have to think of something to return Halvor’s favour.
The sharing aspect is one of the reasons I like the fly fishing community. We’re good at sharing! You can dins Halvor's group here.
Keep sharing and have a great weekend!
Lars