My buddy Cory Gale is going to be hosting a deer hair clinic at Corens Rod and Reel this month. So mark your calendar for March 26th. This event starts at 9:30 and runs until 4:00 or whenever Cory puts his head on the table and says, "That's it, I'm done."
If you have never tied deer hair, or have had trouble with stacking, spinning and keeping hair on the hook, this is an event for you.
I have known Cory since he first showed up at Fly & Field and thought maybe he'd watch people tie flies. But I have a rule "NO WATCHING!" You must sit and tie. And so that night he sat and tied, faced all the same problems we all face when we first start. As he improved he found his passion in deer hair flies and in his pursuit, studied under the master, the late Chris Helms, an acknowledged master of deer hair.
If you asked me, when Chris passed, the mantle was handed off to Cory. His flies are not only aesthetically pleasing, but durable. So the techniques used to tie a hair bug that make it float like a cork, hold together after numerous fish chew on it and make it too pretty to fish with...you can learn from Cory.
He teaches the techniques and methods to tying a better deer hair popper, frog, diver or any fly where deer hair is spun stacked or strapped to a hook.
You'll learn about proportions, best practices for keeping deer hair on hook, and methods of handling the material that will improve not just your deer hair but any hair that you use whether it's elk for caddis, or you're having trouble with the head of your muddler minnow.
What you should bring: a package of double edged razor blades, an adjustable bobbin like the Rite Bobbin, while not a necessity, it does make tying easier because you're putting a bit of muscle into stacking the hair, a strong vise, good scissors- curved ones if you have them, while there is GSP thread at the shop, it sells out quickly, so bring a spool or two of GSP. Cory usually brings a good supply of deer hair but if you're looking to buy deer hair, Corens' has a good supply or you can check with the good folks at Whitetail Fly tying materials: http://whitetailflytieing.com.
And come to have some fun and plan for a few hours. Deer hair is as much sculpture as it is strapping hair to a hook. So first you have to get the hair on the hook. Then you have to carve, cut and shape it. This is not a two minute fly. So plan accordingly.
I plan on being there to assist where I can. Cory is an excellent teacher, demonstrator and all around good guy. The last flies he donated to an event brought fifteen dollars apiece. A collection will be taken up to help defray the cost of the materials as Cory graciously shares with those who don't have either good materials or few materials.
So mark your calendar for March 26th, the event starts at 9:30am, seating is limited, that is, there ain't a lot of seats, so if you were to put a folding chair in your car, you might or might not have to use it. And watching shouldn't be an option.
So see you there, I promise if you follow Cory's instructions, you'll have a deer hair fly you can either fish with, or put in a frame.
Stuart Van Dorn