Lefty anGler & flies

UPDATE SPRING 2021: It's here!!!! Perhaps the biggest project I ever accomplished in my life and my Master's Thesis for my Atlantic salmon flies career, "Past Master's Treasure - Atlantic Salmon Flies of Major Traherne" is available in book and PDF. Click to see my Online Store for a bit more information. Or jump directly to the sales site. 

 

Let me introduce briefly about my engagement with Atlantic salmon flies, a near forgotten art. 

By spring of 2013, I developed series of effective flies for Livingston's spring creeks and Yellowstone Park waters. I'm always learning and still developing more patterns since, so don't get me wrong, but at that point, I kind of felt "stuck" or "hit the wall" regarding technicality and inspiration. I just felt it might be a time to challenge something new. I had some interests in Steelhead flies. They are beautiful and someday I may actually fish with them. However several coincidences (very long story) lead me to pursue the art of Atlantic salmon flies. This is one of those things: easy to be said but hard to be done!! Boy, it was way different from tying trout flies in spite of I had studied with books and videos in advance!! Hours and materials - some were rare and expensive! - were flying nowhere but to the waste basket. However I have the greatest mentor in the universe for this subject and at least I had gut and determination to learn. So with my mentor's tutorial and my relentless pursuit, one by one it came to me. It has been one of the most satisfying and gratifying things in my life. 

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Next I came to be interested in framing. This is another subject that has no perfect answers or solutions!! I learned and developed a couple of different methods. By doing this, some people = online and in person = started to find my works as art. 

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Since winter of 2013-2014, I dedicate myself to this life-time pursuit from winter till spring. I was just a regular "fly-tyer", then became an "apprentice", and now stepped up to a "Fly Dresser". If someone call mine art and pay for them, that'll be great. However, I swear making profit is not the purpose or reason of me doing this. I just want to dress good looking salmon flies and keep learning from other like-minded people. 

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Here are just a part of my works. Click each photo for a larger view and fly name. 

Also follow my Facebook and Instagram (look for @leftyangler!!)

Note: You'll see the same pattern/name with somewhat different appearances to each other. That is because each of different author published the same name fly with different components in his own book. With due respect to each author, our predecessor, modern dressers denote whose pattern the fly may be. Below, I add author's name in parenthesis. For each author's book, please check up my book introduction page.