With a fresh start just around the corner, many of us are making pacts and resolutions for the new year. Besides the “fish more and work less” mantra I’m adopting this year (sorry boss!), I have also decided to add a new skill to my fishing repertoire. Fly tying, the final frontier of becoming a truly dedicated and self-sufficient fly fisher.

During the holidays when I was visiting home, I picked up a few basics from an expert fly-tier; Bruce Ajari, otherwise know to me as “Dad.” He taught me how to tie a wooly bugger and a basic streamer. Just a few days later and I’ve already got a serious case of “fly tying” on the brain.

I have begun to see my fly box in a completely different light. In my mind I deconstruct flies and strive to understand how they are made; each wrap of the bobbin and placement of hackle a puzzle to be solved and later replicated by my own hands.

I wait with anxious anticipation to catch a fish on a self-tied fly. Regardless of size, that fish will be a milestone, (at least in my eyes), a symbol of accomplishment, if you will. It will mean that I have successfully confounded a fish with even greater skill; from a blank hook into a successful imitation of a natural creature, along with the always imperative, accurate presentation of the fly. I’m looking forward to sharing its catch and release with everyone.

Happy New Year!!!