Fly Fishing Christmas Gifts:
Buying a gift for a fly fisherman can be tricky. Fly fishermen collect flies like women collect shoes, or magpies hoard bright shiny objects. At the end of the day and when all is said and done, a fly fisherman can simply never have enough flies. Having said that, I have decided to make picking up a Christmas gift for the "Dearly Beloved" as simple as humanly possible, and one click is all it takes. Plus, if you pick up the wrong gift I will make it right by January 15th.

Here are three gifts which are guaranteed to make any fly fisherman happy:
1. A gift certificate for a day of guiding and casting tuition.
2. A gift certificate for fishing flies.
3. A box of fish catching flies which anyone can use to produce fish.

1. Gift Certificates
Each year from October 15th to December 20th, I offer gift certificates for a day on the river, to use the following season, at only $240 per person. My regular fee is between $350 and $450 per person. This is my way of saying, "Thank you" to all the folk who have used my services over the year. A day on the river is a great gift for any fly fisherman, or for someone who is thinking of getting into the sport.

On the day out you get.

  • A day of no bull, solid fly fishing instruction on the Grand River in Fergus. If the river is unsafe to wade, we can hit the exclusive Franklin Club near Newmarket for a day of fishing and instruction.
  • All equipment provided.
  • For all skill levels, from beginner to guide to guru.
  • Use the day to tune up your casting and your fly fishing techniques.
  • This is popular gift for couples. Be warned that many couples become slightly competitive and sometimes more than slightly competitive, when they fish. That is all I am going to say.
  • Bring your own lunch and eat it on the riverbank. I don't do lunch! The people I guide want to "learn" and they want to "fish." If you want to have a picnic with someone in the flowers and fauna on the bank ... look elsewhere. However, if you want to become a better fly fisherman, or you want to help someone become a better fly fisherman, pick up one of my gift certificates.

For more information or to pick up a Gift Certificate.
E-mail: Send me a Gift Certificate for Guiding and Tuition

2. Fishing Fly Gift Certificates
Picking out just the right flies can be painful. However, the two boxes of flies listed below are productive and they often hook "difficult to catch fish," yet each year some folk still have a tough time picking out a selection of flies, especially if they don't fish.

Now, if you want to give flies as a gift, all you need to do is pick up a gift certificate with the value that you want, most folk start with around $50 to $75, and that's that. The fly fisherman on your list simply lets me know what patterns they want, and I will make sure they get them. Most of my flies run between $2.50 and $4.50 each. This is a good option if you are truly stuck as to what flies you think the person needs. However, if you do want to wrap up some flies, pick up the Cz Nymph selection below, (Box #2) and you won't be too far off the mark.
E-mail: Send me a Gift Certificate for Flies

3. Bona Fide Flies
These are bona fide patterns which I use with my clients. From the cottage dock in Muskoka to the Loughs of Ireland or down to the Guadeloupe River in Texas, these flies get fish. And, they are tied using the highest quality materials available. If you don't like them, send them back and I will replace them. No questions asked.

I have put together two selections of boxed flies. These are very productive patterns and although they may look cute, the bottom line being . . . they get fish. The flies are shipped in a nice wee box, so all you need to do is wrap them up. Ta-Da! Done. Over the years, most folks have picked up both of the boxes of flies, with Box #1 being the most popular. At $20.00 per box for a dozen flies, (regularly up to $48 per box) you can't beat it with a stick.

If you are a fly fisherman who is stocking up on my flies, let me know and I will ship your order in one big box and not a bunch of little boxes. For the record all these flies have taken fish across North America, in Europe in the rivers and streams of the Great Lakes watershed.

The Patterns:
Box #1 Dry Flies
Elk Hair Caddis (6, size #14 and 6 size #16)

Box #2. Epoxy Cz Nymphs
Ian's Epoxy Cz Nymph (6, size #12 and 6 size #14)

Any Questions or to Order
To order a box or two of flies, send me an e-mail and I will help you out. If you are stumped on which patterns to pick up, I can help you make the right decision. Don't be afraid to ask for help in picking out which flies are the ones you need, I do it all the time, and only once in 25 years have I "duffed it."

E-mail: To Order a Box of Flies or for Fly Selection Help

Just in case I can't contact you via e-mail, please include your phone number in your e-mail. It happens more than you think!

Payment options (dead easy)
A quick word about payment. Even with the high tech electronic payment methods available, most of my clients like this one, and it works. You send me an e-mail to let me know what you would like to purchase. I send you goodies. When you get the goodies, you send me a cheque. Simple, safe and effective.

Making it right
Like last year, if you pick up the wrong selection of flies, I will make it right by January 15th. Guaranteed.

If you need help
A huge part of my work involves helping people. It might be helping you pick out the right flies, or it can be helping someone hook a fish by using the right fly. I enjoy it when I get an e-mail from someone who received a box of my flies and they caught a bunch of fish on them. No guff. All the flies listed get fish. Simple as that.
E-mail: I Need Help!

A brief note to all fly fishermen
Bookmark this page or print it out and hot glue it onto the fridge. On Christmas morning if you end up with a whack of stuff you can't use, you only have yourself to blame as now you have an option. Far be it from me to suggest you should stand up and say; "Honey, I have enough power tools, I am up to my bum in very pretty golf gloves and I could make a fine mattress from all the Argyle socks you have given me over the years. It's not that I am being ungrateful, but Snuggums, a catch-and-release fly fisherman, like myself, has no use for a filleting knife, honest!"

Please
If you have just found the "perfect gift," please take a few seconds to e-mail all your buddies and tell them about it.
Thanks you.

 

Each season hundreds of fly fishermen gleefully head out to their local waters only to receive an aquatic butt-kicking of epic proportions by the fish they are pursuing. The hurt, anguish, despair and feelings of inadequacy are devastating, they are real, they are crushing and they are haunting, but luckily there is hope. Give the fly fisherman in your life a gift certificate for a day of guiding. It truly is the gift that keeps on giving.

There is no expiration date on a gift certificate. Some anglers have used them after 8 years or more.

For the record the fly fisherman in the photograph are not wearing raccoons.
An unexpected gift of a day of fly fishing instruction can change someone's life forever. When the mist just hangs above the water and the morning sun scratches a distant tree line, making that first cast at first light is hard to beat. It's almost magical.
 
 

Ian's Epoxy Cz Nymph
My very productive Epoxy Czech Nymph is the first of its kind in the world. The pattern is featured in Steve Thornton's prestigious book Fly Tiers of the World, Vol #3. The Epoxy Cz Nymph selection is available in box #2.

Whining Fly Fisherman Syndrome (W.F.F.S)
If the fly fisherman in your life is constantly moaning and whining about not getting fish, my flies will help him. Plus, he will spend less time faffing about trying to make his own 'fish catching flies' and more time doing things around the house. Then again, that may not be such a good idea after all. Hey, at least he will be out of your hair as he will spend more time on the river getting fish instead of "washing flies." Giving a gift of a box of flies could be a life changing moment for fisherman, and you could be making a difference to someone's fly fishing success that last a life time. No kidding.