The range of fly patterns I saw was infinitely more diverse than all of the other information I had obtained about the sport combined. Flies ranged from simply hair wing presentations, to giant strips of rabbit, wrapped in marabou, with huge lead eyes.
What really caught my eye were the old hair wings, and the Syd Glasso style flies. I thought to myself,
“Why would I not try to elevate every component of this hobby to the highest level I could achieve?"
Why would I put so much focus on the rod, the line, on my casting, but not the fly? ”. At that point I decided that I would learn to tie flies for Steelhead fishing.
I would steep my knowledge in tradition and expand into the contemporary. I would learn to tie beautiful flies that I enjoyed and that I felt worthy of the Steelhead I was pursuing.