By Lori Gula
UNH News Bureau
603-862-0574

February 6, 2003

As the temperature struggles to climb above freezing, it is not too soon to turn your thoughts to grabbing that fly rod off the wall and heading for a nearby trout stream. Starting Saturday, Feb. 22, Fly-Tying Saturdays, a series of three workshops at the University of New Hampshire’s Dimond Library, will help both beginning and intermediate fly-tiers get ready for the approaching season.

Bill Cass is lead instructor for the workshops. A lifelong fly-fisher, Cass was once technical director at Orvis in Manchester, Vt., and taught in its world-famous fly-fishing school. He will be assisted by Bill Ross, head of the library's Milne Special Collections and Archives Department. They will introduce the basics of fly-tying: the selection of materials and equipment and a number of standard patterns that each participant should master. The workshops will offer intermediate tiers a forum for exchanging fly patterns, ideas, and new techniques.

Sessions are as follows: Feb. 22: Simple Flies that Catch Trout; March 22: Classic and Not-so-classic Trout Flies; and April 19: Streamers, the Big Fish Flies. All sessions will run from 1 to 4:30 p.m. in the Milne Special Collections and Archives Department, on the first floor of Dimond Library.

The series is being offered in honor of the late Dick Surette, noted fisherman, fly tier and founding editor of Fly Tyer magazine. Surette’s family recently donated his large collection of angling books and fly-tying supplies to the Milne Angling Collection. The Milne Special Collections and Archives Department maintains the Milne Angling Collection, one of the largest collections of angling literature in the United States.

There is no charge for the series, but a donation of $10 per session is suggested to cover workshop costs. Participants are expected to supply basic equipment and tools, including a vise, bobbin, dubbing needle, and scissors. The workshops will be limited to 12 participants. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.

To register, call (603) 862-0346.

News Editors: For information about Fly-Tying Saturdays, or the Milne Angling Collection, contact Bill Ross, 862-0346, or visit www.izaak.unh.edu.

Back to UNH News Bureau