The Iron Fly

The AMFF hosted its first fly tying event of the season on February 25^th. The day began with fly tying classes from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. The early event served a wide variety of fly fishing needs- children tied their first fly with Kelly Bedford, Paul Sinicki, and Mike Hulvey, Bill Newcomb and Barry Mayer showcased classic dry flies, Arlington native Bill Sylvester spun deer hair divers and poppers, and the Vermont Fly Guys (Brian Price, Kevin Ramirez, Greg Brown, James Mugele, Chris Samson, and Andrew Costagliola) gave a tutorial in tying massive flies for pike and muskie. At 6 p.m. the event moved upstairs to the Gardener L. Grant Library where pizza from Christos’ Pizza & Pasta and Free Flow IPA from Otter Creek Brewing were served. That set the stage for the museum’s second Iron Fly Tournament hosted by Pig Farm Ink, a standing room only event which featured exciting twists and turns such as the use of blindfolds while attempting to tie a San Juan Worm, tying with tape “mittens”, and incorporating a piece of a solo cup into a fly. The event paired novice tiers with experienced ones in a light and laughter filled evening that is sure to bring a few new anglers to the sport.

The night was dedicated to the late Bill Chandler, a phenomenal fly tier and an even better man. Bill volunteered his time to many AMFF events, including our first Iron Fly last year.

Thanks to Otter Creek Brewing, Vermont Fly Guys, Pig Farm Ink, Julbo USA, Scientific Anglers, Orvis, Mud Dog Flies, Rock River Rods, Costa Del Mar, Stream and Brook Fly Fishing, Christo’s Pizza and Pasta, Berkshire Bank, and the Taconic Hotel for their generous contributions.