New England Fly Tyers

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1 Newsletter New England Fly Tyers January, 2019, can you believe it??? How on earth is it possible that each year passes so quickly? Its interesting that everyone has their own perspective on how we look upon how a year is perceived. Perhaps most folks simply see January through December as their yearly perspective, whereas others such as accountants might see April through March as their yearly cycle. I know here in state government July through June reflects our annual cycle and for the Federal counterparts its October through September. But for me its seasons which truly reflect my annual perspective and those seasons are separated by distinctly unique activities associated with fly fishing. January to April is a time of fishing shows, open houses, meeting new members and most importantly Monday night meetings tying flies and stocking up for the upcoming fishing season. April, May and June are the prime months for us here in New England to see fish on or near the surface and have the best opportunity to encounter members of the salmonid or char families. July, August and September sees some slow down in trout activity but a great time to experience some warm water activity with bass, pickerel, or maybe a toothy monster or two such as pike. Oh yeah, even a few days of vacation with the family get squeezed in there somehow. October, November and December are espe cially full as the trout are accessible again, the great striper migration gets underway, salmon are running in New York, bird and deer hunting are on the docket and fly tying is in full swing. Now that I think about it, is there any wonder why fly fishermen tent to be such a happy group with so many things to look forward to? Ah, perhaps that s why the years seem to fly by so fast. With that in mind, here are a few reminders to get the cycle started: 1. Please sign up to tie at either or both of the shows if you can. Sign up sheets will be available at the front table on Monday Nights. 2. Our two open house events will be on January 28 and February 4 this year. Please make a point to come in and tie on those Monday nights. 3. On January 21 Tim Flagler will be with us to share his techniques of fly tying and hopefully make us a little better at what we do. Hope to see you soon. Joe Simone, President Events to plan for: NEFT Calendar February 4 - Open House, Open Tying January 2019 January 7 - Open Tying, Board of Director s Meeting, Banquet Meeting January 14 - Open Tying, Favorite Fly, Business Meeting January 18, 19, 20 - Marlboro Fly Fishing Show January 21 - Guest Speaker Tim Flagler January 25, 26, 27 - New England Fishing and Outdoor Expo January 28 - First Open House February 11 - Open Tying, Fly Tying Class, Rod Building Class, February 18 Open Tying, Fly Tying Class, Rod Building Class, Banquet Meeting February 25 - Open Tying, Fly Tying Class,, Rod Building Class March 4 - Open Tying, Hot Dog Night, Fly Tying Class, Rod Building Class March 11 - Open Tying, Fly Tying Class, Board of Director s 1

2 New England Fly Tyers Broken Tippets: Honorary Member Jack Swedberg, I m sure most if not all NEFT members saw the many articles over the past month and a half marking the passing of Outdoor Wildlife Photographer Jack Swedberg, but what many of you might not know, however, is that Jack was a long time Honorary Member of the New England Fly Tyers. Most of the accolades focused on Jack was a true outdoorsman, independent wildlife photographer, photographer for Mass Fish and Wildlife, and perhaps best known as the Eagle Man as he supported and recorded the re-introduction of Bald Eagles to Massachusetts. His big, booming personality and rock hard handshake were his trademarks and once you met him and was exposed to his dogmatic support for conservation and preservation of our outdoors, you d never forget him. However, there was a part of Jack that didn t seem to get mentioned in all those accolades but of which he was unquestionably equally skilled and deserves equal recognition for which was his obsession with fly fishing. I m honored to say that I ve known Jack my entire life as both a family friend and fly fishing mentor. Growing up I was indeed blessed to be surrounded by dedicated outdoorsmen and fly fishermen and the most revered among them was Jack. I hope you don t mind if I take this opportunity to tell you a little about the Jack I knew and how important having mentors like him for kids can be. I think my first actual memories of Jack were when I was very young on family outings. Sunday picnics were common for us back then and three or four families would travel to some remote location usually in northern Worcester County for a day of fun, food and fishing. Always fishing. After the cooking over the campfire was done, the food was eaten and the afternoon games had been played, no outing was complete unless the fly rods were broken out and casts on the inevitable local trout stream were made. As a young teenager, my first fly tying lessons were in Jack s basement. My dad tied a few flies but Jack was the expert, so I d get dropped of at the Swedberg home and it was up to poor Jack to try teach me how to spin fur and feather into something a trout might eat. I remember he had great patience and humor, but can recall only one comment he made one night that I ll never forget. After making an attempt at a Quill Gordon he looked at me and said You ll probably never play the piano or tie beautiful flies with those hands, a prophesy which holds true till this day! A day trip with Jack was always something to be cherished. He seemed to know where every trout in Massachusetts resided but locally his passion seemed to focus on Brook Trout. He loved to catch them and I think enjoyed eating them even more. The trips always seemed to include a canoe ride on some remote beaver pond with exceptionally large brookies for Massachusetts and we always went home with a few for his supper or breakfast. He had access to the Quabbin Reservoir property and the ride home almost assuredly would include some part of the reservation in the hope of seeing some wildlife and it rarely disappointed. Jack was a dedicated Atlantic Salmon Fisherman and it was he that got me hooked on fishing for these elusive and beautiful fish. As always seemed the case, he not only knew the best fishing spots, he knew the most beautiful as well. Back when Atlantics were a going fishery in Maine, he took my dad and I to a spectacular tidal river section with a reversing falls. On that trip he taught me the importance of putting yourself in the best position 2

3 New England Fly Tyers Broken Tippets: Honorary Member Jack Swedberg, continued. possible to present your fly with greatest likelihood of inducing a strike. Something I ll never forget and I m sure has put more fish on my line than I ever would have without it. (By the way, the greatest part of being at that location was that on the in coming tide, when the current stopped before reversing to flow upstream, every salmon in the pool would jump clearly out of the water! An exciting but humbling experience after 6 hours of casting without so much as a rise to a fly.) In later years, Jack and his wife Thelma would visit my parents at their cape house and when I knew such a visit was scheduled, I d do everything in my power to take a day and get Jack and my dad on the boat for a day of fishing and stories. With a fly rod in his hand, he was as at home on the salt water as he was on a brookie stream and managed to catch almost everything available on the lower cape. Whether on the water chasing stripers or sitting on the back deck watching him pop cherry stones, I absorbed his stories like a sponge. From encounters with bears while photographing eagles in Alaska to hooking up on salmon on the Mariachi in New Brunswick, he had an endless supply of adventures to relate. I ve imposed this story on those of you who have chosen to read it for two simple reasons. I was disappointed after reading all those tributes about him that never really mentioned him as a fly fisherman and wanted to recognize what a significant part of his life it was. He was truly an artist with a fly rod. But I think more importantly I wanted to share with you what a significant impact we can have as mentors when we take a youngster under our wing and expose them to the wonderful opportunities our sport has to offer. You don t have to be a teacher, just a good friend willing to share not only your knowledge but experiences that will have a lifetime of impact, much as Jack did for me. He left many wonderful legacies, but to me, the most important one is Take a kid fishing. Your NEFT Editor. Call to Membership for Assistance: We are in need of members to help staff our station at both the Marlboro Fly Fishing Show on January 18, 19 and 20 and also the New England Fishing and Outdoor Expo on January 25, 26 and 27. The strength of our club is our membership and these events represent our best opportunity to demonstrate who we are and what we off to encourage new membership. Please sign up on at Monday evenings at the front table. Business Meeting: There will be an abbreviated business meeting on Monday evening, January 14 to discuss the two upcoming shows, donations and organizing a banquet committee. Please make a point to attend the meeting and lend a hand where ever you can. 3

4 New England Fly Tyers Notice: On March 17 from 10 am to 4 pm the 12th Annual Fly Tying Demo and Introduction to Bamboo Rod Building will be take place at the Historic Longfellow s Wayside Inn, 72 Wayside Inn Road, Sudbury, Ma. 10 am to 4 pm. For more information contact Armand at This event is free and everyone is welcome. 4

5 To Promote Fly Fishing and Tying NEFT Our mailing address is: PO Box 164 Worcester, MA The NEFT meets every Monday evening at 7 PM from the Monday after Labor Day to the Monday before Memorial day. We meet at the Singletary Rod & Gun, 300 Sutton Ave., Oxford Ma. NEFT is a non-profit organization of fly fishers and fly tyers. The purpose of the organization is to foster the art of fly tying, to promote the challenge of fly fishing, to encourage conservation and sportsmanship. NEFT began in Worcester, MA in Our current membership comes from over 50 cities and towns in Worcester County. We believe that the NEFT is one of the most active clubs of its kind. We meet every Monday night from the Monday after Labor Day to the Monday before Memorial day, a total of 36 meetings in 9 months. We re on the Web 5

6 New England Fly Tyers Membership Renewal Form Last Name: First Name: Regular Member: $30.00 Junior Member: $15.00 Life Member: Donation Paid by Cash: Amount: Paid by Check: Check # Amount: Personal Contact Update: Mailing address: Phone # Membership Questionnaire: Please Print all Information so it is legible In an effort to keep NEFT activities current with the interest of membership, please take a minute to fill out the following questionnaire: What species of fish do you primary fish for? What type of flies do you most often tie? Do you travel to fish and if so where? What s your Favorite Fly Shop? What is your Favorite Style of Fishing? Would you be willing to share your fly fishing knowledge with other members of the New England Fly Tyers: What fly fishing or fly tying experience would you like to try that you have not yet to experience or learn: ADDITIONAL CONCERNS OR COMMENTS THAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO SHARE: As you all know, a club is only as strong as its membership. Please check off any of the following volunteer activities you might be willing to assist in: Board of Directors Club Greeter at Activities Favorite Fly Favorite Fly setup and take down Banquet Committee Banquet Set Up or Take Down Membership Outreach Youth Outreach Program Monday Night Setup or Take Down Coffee Setup and Take Down Newsletter Contributor PLEASE COMPLETE THIS FORM AND HAND IT TO US AT OUR MONDAY NIGHT MEETING OR MAIL IT TO THE FOLLOWING CLUB ADDRESS. NEFT P.O. BOX 165 WORCESTER, MA