Tying Trout Flies with Don Bastian

Don Bastian is hosting a Tying Trout Flies - Fly Tying Class on March 2 - 4, 2012 at Fishing Creek Angler Fly Shop and Bed & Breakfast.  I highly recommend Don's classes (see Tying Classic Wet Flies with Don Bastian).

Your instructor Don Bastian.

Fishing Creek Angler Fly Shop and Bed & Breakfast

Don's students hard at work.

Here is the write-up Don sent me.

Fishing Creek Angler provides a perfect location in a lovely north central Pennsylvania rural setting for a winter weekend fly tying class. The Fishing Creek Angler Bed & Breakfast is beautifully appointed with solid wood walls, floors, and trim, with an open cathedral ceiling and spacious Great Room and dining area. There are four bedrooms to accommodate eight guests. Participants can enjoy the fly shop, bed & breakfast, and classroom without leaving the building. Bring your slippers!

These classes provide an educational and fun opportunity to learn from Don Bastian’s instructional expertise, knowledge, techniques, and commercial fly tying experience acquired during 48 years of fly tying. A wide variety of specialized procedures and material applications for tying all types of trout flies will be presented in this class.

• Dry flies – Comparaduns, parachutes, Marinaro Thorax Duns, Spinners, Catskill drys, Wulffs, etc.

• Multiple methods of applying and using hackle, tailing materials, and dubbing. Tips, tricks, & techniques for working with a wide variety of tying materials. Proper proportions, material selection, grading, application, & use. Instructional expertise to help solve your fly tying problems, challenges, and difficulties. Student requests welcomed!

• We will be tying drys, soft-hackles, nymphs, spinners, streamer & bucktail patterns, emergers.

Package price of this class is $350.00 based on double-occupancy, and includes room tax. 50% deposit required to secure reservation. Credit cards accepted. Call or e-mail Fishing Creek Angler to make your reservation. Package Price Includes:

•  Friday evening dinner featuring Mary-Ann’s lasagna with salad, garlic bread & home made dessert.

• Full breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast - Saturday & Sunday.

•   Lunch on Saturday.

•   Lee’s Saturday evening steak Bar-B-Q with baked potato, salad, & home made dessert.

• Two nights double-occupancy lodging at the Fishing Creek Angler Bed & Breakfast.

• Relaxing evenings in the B & B with your favorite libation; lots of fly tying talk and informal tying sessions.

Saturday class runs from 9:00 to 5:00 PM with a break for lunch. Sunday session is from 9:00 until noon. Attending students must bring vise, light, tools, and a list of materials (provided upon reservation). Check-in is anytime after 1:00 PM on Friday March 2nd. Come early to browse in the Fly Shop or simply relax, meet new friends, tie a few flies, and enjoy your favorite beverage. Feel free to bring beverages of your choice.

Contact Don Bastian via e-mail at: dwbastian@chilitech.net with specific questions or requests.

Don Bastian has forty-eight years fly tying experience including a decade long stint as a commercial tyer. He has nearly 765 classic wet fly, streamer, and bucktail patterns published in the book Forgotten Flies. Tying Classic Wet Flies was released in November 2004. In August 2007 two more Don Bastian DVD’s were released - Advanced Classic Wet Flies, and Traditional Streamers and Bucktails. He has been a fly tying instructor for over twenty six years. References are available.


Attending students are required to have some fly tying experience.

Don Bastian to offer a Tying class in Febuary 2012

Selection of Don's Wet Flies for Bergman’s Trout

It's no secret that I'm friends with Don Bastian. I've taken his classes in the past and raved about them. I'm excited he's offering more - February 3-5, 2012.

Don's New Post:

Fly Tying Class at Fishing Creek Angler

Tying traditional wet flies
Selected Carrie Stevens style streamer techniques
At least one blind-eye wet fly pattern from the 1800′s

Fishing Creek Angler Fly Shop and Bed & Breakfast
570.925.2709 / infofca@epix.net

My post from Don's 2011 class: Tying Classic Wet Flies with Don Bastian.

Tying Classic Wet Flies with Don Bastian

Flies tied by yours truly at Don Bastian Classic Wet Fly Class

This passed weekend I had the opportunity to learn how to tie winged wet flies with one of the best wet fly tiers out there, Don Bastian. 

The Jersey Angler and I headed out to Fishing Creek Angler Fly Shop and Bed & Breakfast in Benton, PA for a weekend for tying to learn how to marry wings and the techniques to tie classic winged wet flies.  I have to say straightaway it's one of the best class I've taken. I don't know any one who comes close to Don's knowledge of Ray Bergman, and Classic Wet flies.

First the accommodation at Fishing Creek Angler Fly Shop and Bed & Breakfast were first class, Lee and Mary Ann are marvelous host.  Second, the food was out standing, from Mary Ann's lasagna,  Lee's grilled steaks, and not to mention the cheese cake.  Second, the fly shop, Fishing Creek Angler is a full service fly shop, and Lee had all the materials on hand for the class and then some.  Next, the instructor, Don is a great teacher and a authority on traditional wet flies, he was generous in sharing his knowledge and materials. Finally, the students, why the students you might ask, because we were all hard core, we stared early and finished late which meant we covered a lot of techniques.

I learn a lot from Don's class and I'm going to incorporate these techniques and flies into my repertoire.  If you ever get the chance to take one of Don's classes all I have to say is do it.  Here are a few photos from the weekend.

Don and a few Plates for Bergman's "Trout"

All 10 Plates tied by Don

Plate No. 1

My messy tying area (just like home).

Students hard at work.

Don applying the final touches on a fly.

Don Bastian is offering a second classic wet tying class.

Back in December I posted that Don Bastian is hosting a Classic Wet Flies Fly Tying Class on February 11 – 13, 2011. Well that class filled up (Jersey Angler and I took the last two spots) and Don is now offering a second class.  The dates are February 25 – 27, 2011 at Fishing Creek Angler Fly Shop and Bed & Breakfast.

The classes will cover wings (quill, mixed, married, herl, and flank feather), as well as Don’s proprietary wing quill method. You'll learn about body materials and techniques for working with floss, tinsel, wing quills, goose shoulder, and other materials. Don will cover proper proportions, material selection, grading, and working around and through any fly tying problems.

The package price of this class is $325.00 based on double-occupancy, and includes room tax. 50% deposit required to secure reservation. Credit cards accepted. Call or e-mail Fishing Creek Angler to make your reservation.

Package Price Includes:

Friday evening dinner featuring Mary-Ann’s lasagna with salad and; home made dessert; full breakfast on Saturday and; Sunday;

Lunch on Saturday.

Lee’s Saturday evening steak bar-b-que with baked potato, salad, and; home made dessert.

Two nights double occupancy lodging at the Fishing Creek Angler B & B.

Relaxing evenings in the B & B with your favorite libation and lots of fly tying talk and informal tying sessions.

For more information contact Fishing Creek Angler Fly Shop,  Bed & Breakfast:

314 St. Gabriel’s Road
Benton PA 17814
570-925-2709
infofca@epix.net 

or visit Don's Blog Don Bastian Wet Flies

 

Don with Plate No. 3, wet flies from Trout.

Don has forty-seven years fly tying experience including a decade long stint as a commercial tyer. He has nearly 765 classic wet fly, streamer, and bucktail patterns published in the book Forgotten Flies. Many of Don’s classic wets can be seen on the Complete Sportsman web page www.rareandunusual.com. His first fly tying video, Tying Classic Wet Flies was released in November 2004. In August 2007 two more Don Bastian DVD’s were released - Advanced Classic Wet Flies, and Traditional Streamers and Bucktails. Don has a feature wet fly article in the 2010 print issue of Hatches magazine, and Don’s Ray Bergman Collection, a year-long project, started in September at www.hatchesmagazine.com Don also had a feature article on classic wet flies titled Feathered Splendor in the Fall 2006 issue of Fly Tyer magazine. He has been a fly tying instructor for over twenty five years.

Again I'm getting nothing for this promotion, Don is a friend and and in my opinion one of the best Classic Wet Fly tiers out there.

Classic Wet Flies Class with Don Bastian

I've known Don Bastian for 10+ years. He’s recognized as one of the best nymph fishers in the states and an authority on Ray Bergman.

Don has been tying wet flies for 45 years and has contributed to Paul Schmookler’s 1999 book, Forgotten Flies, DVDs - Classic Wet Flies and Traditional Streamers & Bucktails, and the magazine, Hatches. His blog is Don Bastian Wet Flies.

On February 11 – 13, 2011, he's hosting a class at Fishing Creek Angler Fly Shop & Bed & Breakfast.

Classic Wet Flies Fly Tying Class

You can learn about wings, such as: quill, mixed, married, herl, and flank feather, Don’s proprietary wingquill method, materials and techniques for working with floss, tinsel, wing quills, goose shoulder, and other materials, plus proper proportions, material selection, grading, and working around and through any fly tying problems.

You can kick back and relax at the B&B with informal tying sessions, your favorite libations and home-cooked meals.

The package price is $325.00, based on double-occupancy, which includes room tax, dinner on Friday and Saturday and full breakfasts on Saturday and Sunday. A 50% deposit is required to secure a reservation.

Fishing Creek Angler Fly Shop & Bed & Breakfast

314 St. Gabriel’s Road Benton PA 17814 570-925-2709 infofca@epix.net

Below are a dozen files my boys picked out from Ray Bergman’s Trout (1938), tied by Don in 2008. The close-ups are some of my favorites.

A Selection of Wet Flies for Bergman’s Trout

Sliver Doctor

Bergman Fontinalis

Professor