by David Klausmeyer
Tell us who you think should win this prestigious award.
Who is the best fly tyer in the world for 2022? You tell us!
Learning to tie flies doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time and practice, and usually the help of a good instructor.
A decent fly-tying instructor will help us learn how to start the thread on a hook, select the right ingredients, and then lash those materials in place; a great teacher will help us take our skills to a higher level, inspire us to explore new types of patterns, and leave us wanting to tie even more flies. Today, we encounter fly-tying instructors in many ways. Some write fly-tying books and magazine articles, while others lead fly-tying classes or demonstrate the finer point of tying at the many fly-fishing shows across the country. Some teachers make online fly-tying videos showing how to create almost any pattern you will find in a fly box. A few instructors use all of these outlets to share their love of the craft and help us tie better flies.
In 2021, we asked you who should be Fly Tyer magazine’s first Fly Tyer of the Year. In addition to being someone who willing shares what he knows with fellow tiers, we suggested that the Fly Tyer of the Year might also be a leader in developing new tools and materials, as well as creating the new patterns we will all tie to catch more fish. We received several hundred responses to our question, and the majority of you said Barry Ord Clarke should win this honor. You offered a lot of good reasons for nominating Barry.
Barry Clarke is a book and magazine author, and he attends fly-fishing shows throughout Europe and is beginning to visit the United States. He stars in some of the very best fly-tying instructional videos you will ever see. And, Barry’s outstanding original flies, many of which have appeared in the pages of this magazine, show us what is possible at the vise. Although he lives in Norway, tiers around the globe are benefitting from his efforts. Barry Clarke has set the bar very high for what it takes to be named Fly Tyer of the Year.
Now, we are asking that question again:
Who should be named Fly Tyer of the Year for 2022? You tell us!
Kindly submit your nomination for Fly Tyer magazine’s Fly Tyer of the Year to [email protected]. (You may nominate more than one terrific tier for this high honor.) Tell us the name of the person you are nominating, and mention the ways he or she is helping you tie flies.
Deadline for nominations is October 1.
We will announce the Fly Tyer of the Year for 2022 in the Winter issue of this magazine. So, who do you think should be Fly Tyer of the Year?
