Well I picked up my copy of Oliver Edwards Fly Tying Masterclass at the weekend but I am not 100% it was what I was expecting.
Its a big book. I was thinking I would have it open on my book support next to the vice but I may need to have the support reinforced a bit first.
Next thing I was expecting was a lot more coloured photographs rather than the black and white illustrations although they are large and very clear. Luckily I have a few of his essential skills DVD's which include some of the patterns from the book so I have a good idea of the patterns and his style of tying. I believe the book was written before the DVDs were produced so maybe a future version will include snapshots from the videos. I bought a cautery tool on the strength of the info on the DVDs but in the book he uses a lighter and tweezers which could also be included in a future revision.
There is lots of information in the book. Probably more than I will ever need given that I am a completely self taught amateur when it comes to tying flies. Still I think it's a good book to have in my collection and there is no doubt he is one of the best tyers in the business as well as a great fisherman. Hopefully some of it will rub off on me.
Is it worth £30? I am not sure. I think that if I had thumbed through it first I may have had second thoughts about spending that amount on a book which has very few patterns in it but what's done is done.
Hopefully some of my efforts on the vice will do his patterns justice and catch fish which is what it's all about.
Billy
That sounds a little disappointing Billy. For £30 I'd be expecting colour photos I think.
There are a few in it Fred.
Just of the finished fly right enough but I am not a fan of illustrations. Too much like Charles Jardine's articles in the fishing magazines and I tend to skip past them.
Its not as uninteresting as Charles Jardine no where near it. One good thing is that the illustrations are indexed and the text relates directly to that illustration so you are not having to search through pages of text to try and match it up.
If they could do the same with photographs it would be a great book.
As i said it is not what I was expecting or maybe I was just expecting too much.
Billy
I was given a copy for my x0th birthday 14.5 years ago, cover price then was £20.
The flies he ties are astounding, and several of the techniques described are well worth learning.
It is what is now described as a "Ronseal" - it does what it says on the tin- a masterclass.
(For which read "way beyond me"!)
There are a limited number of patterns, and I have not managed to apply the techniques to other patterns- again my limitations not the fault of the book. So I look forward to learning how you get on.
IMHO this represents the best value for money if (and only if) you want to learn a vast variety of fly tying techniques-
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fly-Tiers-Benchside-Reference-Techniques/dp/1571881263 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fly-Tiers-Benchside-Reference-Techniques/dp/1571881263)
Even at £60!
There are plenty of fly pattern resources on the web, not least on this forum, but the above book is always on the bench
Is it as good as Davie McPhail's Youtube offerings?
Which do you mean Fred?
Oliver Edwards' Masterclass is as good as a book can be in comparison with a video.
The Fly Tyer's Benchside Reference has a different purpose, it will not teach you how to tie a fly, but it will give you the techniques to tie just about any fly.
Neither is aimed at the beginner, Edwards is aimed at the already competent, the Benchside Reference will get you to the competent stage.
I just wonder how much technique you can learn from a book. Edwards' DVDs are pretty damned good and I learned a lot from them by actually seeing what was being done rather than having to interpret a written description. Don't get me wrong, I love books, but I do wonder if they have not being superseded by video for training purposes or at least for the demonstrative side of training.
I think his DVDs are great and I expected a step by step guide in book form with photographs. Don't get me wrong either, as illustrations go these are first class. I will not have any problem following what he is doing I just expected a more modern version.
I would have thought that it would have been easier to produce the book with photographs than with the illustrations. You can see there has been a huge amount of work and skill put into them.
I was really looking forward to getting the book and getting into it but when i opened it I am sure the wife heard me sigh with just a little bit of disappointment.
But at the end of the day the info is all there and I hold the man in high regard so I just really need to get into it. I'll probably start tonight. The season is only two months away.
Billy
When I first started tying I got as many books as I could on the subject. I found books to be fine for basic tying skills but found it much more informative when I went along to the the local tying classes. Have to say that I wish the tying vids such as Davie McPhail's and Edwards were around then as they are a much better than books and almost as good as having some one in the flesh.. Just my opinion, maybe its just me that finds diagrams of tying difficult to understand. I have learned so much from the McPhail and Edwards vids and believe that my tying has improved by watching these demos.
I see the place for both, but due to age, have a hankering for books.
At the risk of over egging the pudding, the step by step photographs in the book that I appear to be plugging work better for me than a DVD. It can (and does) lie on the bench and takes me through the process in a way that a DVD cannot unless I change the layout of my tying area.
Again age, but in much else a well written and illustrated book is my preference in many of the enterprises that I try and fail at.
A quick count gives three DVDs, two videos (age again!), and over 200 books covering woodwork, engineering, lapidary, tiling, decking, electrics, plumbing and much else.
The Masterclass book is about twenty years old, BTW.
I'veseen both of them tying flies. Oliver took absolutely ages getting everything just right and only tied a couple of flies in a couple of hours. Everything was incredibly precise and specialist techniques like using heated tweezers for legs. Davie on the other hand was much more like a normal fly tier - much faster in fact than most but everything just seemed to flow and work. Very very different.
I am a huge Edwards fan, but his tying sometimes gets too close to model making for me. Davie McPhail on the other hand ties fishing flies and he makes it look so easy! :D
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Re: Oliver Edwards fly Tying masterclass
« Reply #11 on: Today at 08:19:42 PM »
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Im with you on that Malcolm,in that Ive seen both of them,the thing that was disconcerting about Edwards was that he tied towards himself unlike most tiers
He is left handed.
Can't believe it's 20 years since he published, actually my first edition is 1994 so not quite 20 years. I've not tied all his patterns but a few, had great success with his hydro psyche pattern,but no doubt I might have done as well with a saw years killer bug, maybe with a shell back but no legs. They are described as super impressionistic, they do take time to tie, is it worth it?
His book is very well illustrated with sketches of all steps and photos of the final fly, it is easier to flick through the pages at the tying bench than refer to a video/DVD, maybe that doesn't suit everyone and time to tie these super impressionistic flies might not be for everyone.
He is an expert tier and if you learn his skills you might even be able to tie Davie McPhail flies as quickly and neatly as Davie. Each to there own I suppose!
Like Inchlaggan I bought the book ( I have now sold it) when it was £20. In fact if I remember right just about when it first came out. Ah I remember now. Oliver Edwards did a demo in Glasgow promoting the book & I bought it then so was some time ago.
I suppose you could call it "A Masterclass" well at least for the few flies it shows you how to tie.
It is not a book for the beginner or even an improver but more for the more experienced.
Some of the flies depicted are in fact useless for actually fishing as they do not lend their self to be on the end of a line.
Not that they are technically bad, far from it but they just do not cast properly due to imbalance or simply bad design.
The" new" book I believe is just the "old" book with a new cover & £10 dearer.
Tight Lines
I had a wee go last night with one of his patterns. Not using the exact materials but it was just a trial to see how hard it was.
I just need to find 2" long nymph hooks to give me a fighting chance.
Billy
I have a few Oliver Edwards DVDs but have never read this book or any other he may have written. The DVDs are very good. :D