2011 saw me fish much less than I would normally but also had some of the most enjoyable sessions. Blanks were rare and my best four hour session of 12 fish at Sharpley Springs made it a memorable year.
My time at the vice was proportionately lower too, as I pulled the on line shop pending a diffrent approach to my marketing which has yet to happen. I will be tying for the market place again this year but rather than the production tying, I will be offering a more bespoke service and leaving more time for tying the flies I love to tie, North Country Spiders and Traditional Wet Flies.
Traditional wet fly style tyings were responsible for the succesful year on the still water in 2011 and I'm comfortable that they will do it for me in 2012, after all this tying style has lasted for centuries and believe me still works. This doesn't take away from the search for that new special pattern (I've got a few) as there are many new materials to use or even try applying traditional tying styles to newer patterns.
So back to 2012; I'll tie and fish, grow Practicalfly and Fly Directory online as well as develop FlyDresser.com (FlyDresser.com has sat waiting for a few years now). It will all take time and needs to fit around my full time job so there can't be any rush, but who needs to rush; patience, thought and observation all take time and are the qualities I believe are needed to enjoy and find success with the fly whether beginner, improver or expert.
More importantly: Enjoy it, it's supposed to be fun.
Regards
Ian Akers
