As some of you know, I spend time on another site where the focus is more on Classic Salmon patterns and artistic endeavors. They are a great bunch of people and it is a wonderful site. If I knew how to format the questions that I ask you, in the from of a poll, I wouldn't be surprised if the data showed a huge difference in responses.
We all use the term Beautiful. What does it really mean to us as it relates to flies? I once sugested that a perfectly cooked steak is not beautiful at all...and that if you threw it on a sidewalk, that folks would give it wide berth as they walked by. Perhaps, it is only "what it can do for us" that makes it look so good...imagining the taste as the saliva starts flowing into our mouths.
Here are a few categories that might influence your decision on whether a fly is "beautiful". In a poll I would ask you to to pick a number between 1 and 5...with 5 being "essential", and 4 being "very important"...etc etc.
1- Historical accuracy. I find patterns that adhere to the original techniques, materials, and profiles to be beautiful
2- Degree of difficulty. I find flies that exhibit superior technical skills to be beautiful
3- Practicality. I find flies that have economy of motion and expense to be beautiful. Not too labor intensive or costly
4- Catchabilty. How it looks doesn't matter. It's what can it do for me on the river that determines if it's beautiful or not. Like a steak ready to be eaten
5- Creativity. Not just a variation on the theme (an add on or use of different colors or materials). When a fly causes me to be reflective and questions my earlier positions...I find it to be beautiful
6- Inherent beauty. You can show the fly to someone who has never fished. They love it and none of the above categories has anything to do with their opinion. Strictly visual.
I'd be much appreciative if someone could structure this thread into a poll (bar graph) format. If not....any responses would be great
dave
We all use the term Beautiful. What does it really mean to us as it relates to flies? I once sugested that a perfectly cooked steak is not beautiful at all...and that if you threw it on a sidewalk, that folks would give it wide berth as they walked by. Perhaps, it is only "what it can do for us" that makes it look so good...imagining the taste as the saliva starts flowing into our mouths.
Here are a few categories that might influence your decision on whether a fly is "beautiful". In a poll I would ask you to to pick a number between 1 and 5...with 5 being "essential", and 4 being "very important"...etc etc.
1- Historical accuracy. I find patterns that adhere to the original techniques, materials, and profiles to be beautiful
2- Degree of difficulty. I find flies that exhibit superior technical skills to be beautiful
3- Practicality. I find flies that have economy of motion and expense to be beautiful. Not too labor intensive or costly
4- Catchabilty. How it looks doesn't matter. It's what can it do for me on the river that determines if it's beautiful or not. Like a steak ready to be eaten
5- Creativity. Not just a variation on the theme (an add on or use of different colors or materials). When a fly causes me to be reflective and questions my earlier positions...I find it to be beautiful
6- Inherent beauty. You can show the fly to someone who has never fished. They love it and none of the above categories has anything to do with their opinion. Strictly visual.
I'd be much appreciative if someone could structure this thread into a poll (bar graph) format. If not....any responses would be great
dave