Fly tyers trade tips, barbs in Brewer

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Just seconds after Dave Klausmeyer clamped the first bare hook of the day in his fly-tying vise, the editor of Fly Tyer magazine found out what kind of crowd he’d be working with on Sunday.

“It’s missing a fly,” Douglas “Cap” Introne cracked, drawing the first of many laughs during the day-long advanced tying class offered at Brewer Auditorium.

To his credit, Klausmeyer took the ribbing in stride. He is, after all, a member of the club that sponsored it, the Penobscot Fly Fishers.

And he obviously knew what to expect from Introne … and the others.

Those looking for a quiet, peaceful day of tying were likely disappointed. Those looking to let off a little steam, laugh a lot, and learn some new fly-tying tips, however, were in for quite a day.

Klausmeyer, the winner of the inaugural Poul Jorgensen Golden Hook Award for his contribution to fly tying, flew solo for the clinic, which was billed as a two-instructor, two-session class.

But when the other celebrity tier, Selene Dumaine, bowed out due to travel concerns with a storm bearing down on Eastern Maine, Klausmeyer readily agreed to stick around for the afternoon session.

“There’s a lot of interest in the community for some advanced fly tying,” said Don Corey of the Penobscot Fly Fishers, who helped organize the event. “We do some beginning fly tying courses, but we never seem to go after that [other group of tiers] with advanced [classes].”

A year ago the PFF hosted Maine guide Dan Legere for an advanced class. While club members often pitch in to show beginners how to teach, they’re also willing to accept instruction when they get a chance.

Klausmeyer demonstrated three flies: a case caddis, a Czech nymph and a Thunder Creek streamer. Some or all of the techniques may have been familiar to some in the group of about 20 veteran tiers … and some may not have.

“Everybody ties a little different. You pick up a few techniques and tips and how to handle materials and what to look for in materials,” Corey said. “I think that’s one of the big benefits of a course like this.”

Klausmeyer, who began tying flies back in Oklahoma when he was 12 years old, agreed with Corey’s assessment.

“It’s like some guys say, some come, they want to learn to tie an entire fly. Some come, they just want to learn one or two tricks [or] tips, and they figure the day’s worth it.”

Most of the class attendees were PFF members who already knew each other. Many had spent time on the water with those pals. And everyone seemed to know where to aim their frequent wisecracks.

Introne was one good-natured target. So, too, was Mike Curtis of Hermon.

Curtis spent equal time on both sides of the laughter. Sometimes he was the joker … and sometimes, the brunt of someone else’s attempt at humor.

He didn’t seem to mind much, either way.

“I’m not sure, but I think we did this at the last advanced fly-tying class, too,” he told his buddies after one of them covered his balding head with a makeshift toupee.

The toupee, in classic fly-tying fashion, was actually a large patch of green craft fur pilfered from Klausmeyer’s tying bench.

Among the tips Klausmeyer shared with the tiers was one he wasn’t entirely sure was going to work.

After tying a Thunder Creek streamer, Klausmeyer showed off a technique he’d never tried with the materials at hand.

Attaching stick-on eyes to the deer hair can sometimes be bothersome, he said, but he had learned that by using transparent monofilament thread, a wrap or two around the eyes held them in place while the tier applied epoxy to the head.

With only white thread on hand, however, Klausmeyer was a bit skeptical. As it turns out, the epoxy turned the white thread transparent.

“Actually, I made that [technique] up here. I wasn’t sure it was gonna work. But I tried it,” Klausmeyer said. “People were talking. We were throwing some ideas around, and all of a sudden we had something new to do. That’s what really makes the day nice.”

Klausmeyer and some of his students have already braved the weather and gone fishing since open-water season began on April 1, while others are still waiting, more or less patiently.

But with a few new flies in hand, some anglers admitted they were getting anxious.

“Another couple of weeks, we get rid of some of this ice, get the sun a little higher in the sky, I think it’ll be a lot better. I look forward to getting into the water,” Corey said.

John Holyoke can be reached at jholyoke@bangordailynews.net or by calling 990-8214 or 1-800-310-8600.