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Fly Tying Group
Design Strategy and Construction of Museum-grade Fly Plates
Steve Jensen
(first posted November 6, 2008; last updated November 10, 2008)
Background
I have been producing fly plates as fund raisers for the Federation of Fly Fishers and selected councils of the Federation since 1996. The first project was the "International Fly Tyer" [sic] fly plate project, with Darwin Atkin. I did the framing and Darwin handled the paperwork until that project ended in 2000. The next project was th “Legends of Fly Tying”. Although the project officially ended in 2007, I have agreed to continue to provide fly plates for the purpose of fund raising to the national organization and some councils of the Federation. Because of time constraints (each fly plate takes approximately 20 hours to complete), I am currently limiting the number of plates that I will produce to no more than 12 per year. Councils commissioning the production of a fly plate are expected to provide the flies to be framed and pay for the cost of materials and shipping. I donate my time for the design and construction of each fly plate.
I provide workshops for organizations interested in the design and construction of fly plates. These workshops are appropriate to individuals who have access to professional level mat cutters or who are willing to invest in such cutters. Currently, I offer such a workshop every other year at the FFF Conclave. At the council or club level, a few workshops are available each year provided the council/club is willing to pay actual travel expenses as well as materials costs for the production of a fly plate. Because of the size and weight of the mat cutters, workshops are generally scheduled only at venues within one day’s drive of Springfield, Missouri, where I live.
The Fly Tying Group Flyplate Project
Many people have been unable to attend one of my workshops and have asked for instructions on how to do their own flyplate. I am in the process of developing an online guide to the design and construction of fly plates that will be available on this site. This guide is currently in draft form and awaiting digital photographs to accompany the text.
