Oliver Edwards fly Tying masterclass

[Billy]

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

[Wildfisher]

That sounds a little disappointing Billy. For £30 I'd be expecting colour  photos I think.

[Billy]

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

[Inchlaggan]

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

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

[Wildfisher]

Is it as good as Davie McPhail's Youtube offerings?

[Inchlaggan]

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.

[Wildfisher]

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.

[Billy]

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

[Clan Chief]

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.

[Inchlaggan]

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.