Fly of The Month....

[Darian]

During the tying session by Jay Murakoshi, today, we talked about having a "fly of the month" area on the BB. It was agreed that we should explore the possibility for this.

I'm wondering if there's any interest in establishing a fly of the month Forum/Topic area on this BB :?: :?: If so, please suggest a format for the submission/acceptance of patterns, content of the information provided, who would be responsible for posting the pattern/info and any other info you think might be helpful. Waddyuguysthin' :?: :?: :?:

If we determine that the interest is adequate, would you see a need to establish a new Forum area for this activity :?: :?: If so, I'll take the responsibility to speak to Bill K., to get approval. 8) 8)

[Matt Frey]

Darian

Sounds like a really cool idea. As you explained it to me, one fly would be selected. People could add bits of history ... maybe stories about the fly or when they have used the fly ... maybe even a few pics of the fly???

Do you mind explaining in a bit more what you were thinking.

I was also thinking that it might be fun to have this overlap a bit with the photo section ... Maybe a subject "My Favorite Fly" or "The Fly That Catches the Most Fish for Me" ... and everyone posts a pic of the fly ...

Anyways, I am totally into learning how to tie flies, and it sounds like many others are too. There are a lot of outstanding fly tyers on this site with lots of great information to share.

More posts in this section could definitely help some people with the learning curve. I know it has helped me tremendously!

Lets her your thoughts guys.

[Darian]

I hadn't thought about the connection to the Photography Forum. Good idea.

The thread about the Burlap Pattern is what suggested this to me. Since there doesn't seem to be a great deal of interest/response to volunteering for this activity, it could be done by one person who does all of the prep and posts the info, monthly, or in the alternative, BB members could post their own patterns.... Actually, after thinking about the latter, I don't see any way that could be kept to a timing schedule or last very long given what happened to Fly Swaps.... :roll: :roll:

It seems to me that what might be required to make this work is for the responsible person to choose/suggest a pattern, provide a recipe, something about the intended usage and a brief history of the pattern (who, where, when type stuff). Attach a photo of the fly. 8) 8)

[Gregg Machel]

I think we can create a new category for this. What I would ask though is to have a defined owner of it (aside from the admins here) and then post some rules in a "sticky" on top so that everyone knew what the category is for.

Let me know how you want it run and if you want to manage this category and I'll create it.

I am thinking something like this:


Start every post with the month and year Subject: Novemeber 2007 - Fly of the Month - etc. We would not want just one topic, or it would get really long. We could use the subject line to organize into the proper format to keep all the months together.
First post is to announce the fly of the month and some pictures/information.
Replies and new information can either be in the first thread of if it is significantly different start a new thread.

All of this is just off the cuff but just a few suggestions to get the gears working and come up with something better.

I can probably give the person who runs this moderator (subject to Bill's Approval) and they can keep things going and on track.

I like this idea. Even made me want to break out all the old tying gear! :)

Maybe we can do a monthly swap on this theme too? We could create some ground rules for a swap and put it up in a sticky too.

Darian, would you be interested in running this category?

[Darian]

Wow!!! Gregg, thanks for the suggestions. There's lot more to this than I thought. :? I'd be willing to run in it, initially. Maybe after we get it up and going, others would want take a turn at being the moderator....

Maybe we should meet and discuss requirements/structure, etc. We should have an outline together for Bill's review/approval....

Let me know what you think. 8) 8)

[Hairstacker]

Darian, I think this is a GREAT idea too, particularly if folks are willing to participate and do write-ups on their killer, go-to patterns.

I like the idea of having a separate thread for each fly of the month, with comments by viewers kept within the same fly pattern thread where they will be easiest to find and associate with the fly. Also, this way, the thread can be simply titled with the name of the fly and it will be easy to open up the "Fly of the Month" section and just see a listing of fly patterns by name you can easily find and click on. What do you think?

I think it would also be nice to have a standard overall format for each fly pattern, such as:

1. Picture of the fly.
2. Identification of target fish species.
3. History of the fly.
4. List of materials in the order attached to the hook.
5. Step-by-step tying instructions, pictures optional but encouraged.
6. Concluding remarks, such as comments concerning the materials used, identification of effective variations, where and how to fish the fly, a picture of a nice fish taken on it, etc.

My only concern is the photography part, as I take lousy fly photos. :lol:

[Flycanoe]

Great idea. Looking forward to it.

[PaulC]

Sounds like a great idea.
With all of the excellent tyers on this board, it will give me something to look forward to each month.
-Paul

[sculpin]

I like the idea of a fly of the month. It sounds like a great topic that would be a great resource when be archived over time. FAOL has a similar topic that I use often. I'll let better typers/writers than I figure out the details.

Mark

[Matt Frey]

I like the idea of a specific "Fly of the Month". In addition to that what do you think of flies organized by genre too. For example a thread on "Striper Flies", another on "Bass Bugs", "Trout Flies", "Flies for the Surf", "Steelhead Flies" and others. Everyone could post their flies in those sections. That would be an awesome resource. How many times does someone post a question like "First time steelhead fishing ... any suggestions for flies?" Maybe they can be Stickys on the top for easy reference?

Just a thought
Matt

[Darian]

Matt,.... I think the need for separate threads would be answered by establishing a thread for each new fly of the month. It seems like archival would be easier that way. I like Gregg's suggestion for the subject line, Fly of the Month - Oct. 2007 and the flies name. It's probably too early to organize the archival by fly type.

Using Gregg's idea, the boards search function would be able to bring up a particular fly pattern by name, by date and type if included in the text of the post. as the archive grows over time, this could be a very good reference library for all of us.

We still need to determine how a particular pattern will be selected from those submitted each month. In the instance where there are multiple entries, does the moderator make the decision about which to post :?: :?: :?: Another question is whether to require a recipe for patterns submitted :?: :?: :?:

We might be getting ahead of ourselves here.... :? We still have to get Bill's approval. :) :) :)

[Hairstacker]

We still need to determine how a particular pattern will be selected from those submitted each month. In the instance where there are multiple entries, does the moderator make the decision about which to post

Darian, are you suggesting this will be some sort of contest each month? If so, I will bow out myself, as I wouldn't want to spend the time doing a write-up for nothing. But, if that's the approach everyone wants to take, that's fine with me, I'll just watch from the sidelines. :)

[Darian]

Hi Mike,.... Actually, I was thinking out loud not making a suggestion. I wouldn't want to discourage anyone before we start.

Again thinking out loud, it seems to me that one direction (accepting multiple pattern descriptions each month) will make this more of a member participation Forum at the risk of becoming a contest. The alternative would become, essentially, a one person activity....

There'll only be 12 patterns selected each year. we have a large number of members who're tyers (some professionals) who would like to have their patterns selected. So, unless the moderator does it all, there doesn't seem to be any way to avoid receiving multiple entries and it's going to be difficult to satisfy everyone. Of course, all patterns/write-ups submitted will be retained for potential use at a later date. (Maybe a pattern DB????)

Remember, we're not locked into anything, yet. I'm open to suggestions.... :? :? :?

[Matt Frey]

I think that this should not be a contest at all. I think that it should be a useful database. I am unsure about which fly should be presented and by who, except for the fact that I think it should be seasonal. November's Fly of Month would be a fly that you could use to catch fish in November ... etc.

[Darian]

OK,.... Here's some observations. After checking, this type of subject is kept separate from the Discussion/Bulletin Board areas on other websites. This allows discussion (if any) of the patterns in the BB area only. We're attempting to do something different here. 8) 8)

The major concern, here, would be keeping the number of the discussions/posts from becoming too long without missing significant additions/comments. 8)

How about this scenario outline :?: :?: 1. Moderator suggest a pattern for the month (with a seasonal or other emphasis (fresh or saltwater, etc.). 2. Members submit their patterns for that month.

3. Moderator selects/enters a pattern that meets the mninmum criteria for posting and fits the season.

All patterns submitted to be kept for potential later use and/or development of a BB archived resource.

Proposed minimum criteria:

For Moderator: Select a pattern. post message to Forum soliciting resonses, receives submissions, makes selection and posts the pattern to the forum, reviews/edits responses (if necessary).

For tyers: Submit title of pattern, written description of pattern (recipe) and tying instructions (can be cryptic), digital photo of the pattern (if unable to provide a photo, moderator to try to get one elsewhere). To be done on E-mail/personal message.

I certainly don't want to make this into a fly tying contest but honestly don't see how we can make this a BB member participation project without allowing mulitple submissions each month. Like I said before, I'm still open for suggestions. 8) 8) 8)

[Matt Frey]

I have an idea on how to select the Fly of the Month ("FOM").

What if we just have a poll that starts a month in advance asking the board "What should next month's FOM be?"

The fly that is chosen will be the fly of the month. This way we can ensure the fly is one that people are interested in. Then once the FOM is chosen, everyone can add their own info. They can post their version of the fly recipe, how to fish it, where it works for them, and even the history if they know it, ... anything that they want.

Just a thought.

[Darian]

Hmmmm,.... Everyone submits their own choice, the pattern for the month is settled by unanimous choice, the chosen pattern is posted and everyone adds their own info.... The positives are that we don't need a moderator, don't need approval from Bill, don't have to set up a separate Forum and nothing else changes. The negatives are in our collective perceptions. Assuming that we use a uniform title for each thread, the search function will still be able bring up all of the flies entered.... Cool 8) 8) 8). Forgive my ignorance, but isn't the only difference between this suggetion and what we already have is the need to designate a pattern :?: :?: :?:

Of course, someone will have to be in charge of requesting the submissions. Then, everyone who wants to post a fly of the month can do so under that months thread. I like it.... 8) 8) 8)

Once again, forgive me, but I'm not sure that there is any real interest in doing this. Suggestions have gone from withdrawal from the process prior to implementation to adoption of, essentially, the same thing we already have....

Past experience tells me that trying to satisfy Gregg's suggestions about the keeping the length of these threads relatively brief, means that we aren't going to be able to get this going. Maybe some other person should get involved in this. 8) 8) 8)

[David Lee]

Just a thought here .....

Instead of a fly of the month (which would have to be voted on , thus limiting it to only one a month ...) , why don't we just add a new forum - Fly Patterns ??

Everyone could just post the photos/material list/comments , no one would be left out , and we would have a bunch of patterns , instead of just a few ??

When voting/polling comes into play , I personally think it adds an element of competiton (which I don't care for very much ...) . With a new catagory up here for nothing but fly patterns , we'd increase the amount of useful information available to everyone .

I'm not trying to be negative about a fly of the month , just suggesting a more simple way of getting more flies up for everyone to enjoy/use/learn .

David :)

[Darian]

Sounds good to me.... :D :D :D

Just a second thought but why the need for a separate Forum :?: :?: Can't this be done in this (Fly tying) Forum :?: :?: (The reason I'm asking is that setting up a new Forum requires approval from Bill/network admin. :? )

[Flycanoe]

Here's a view thoughts of my own.

I like David's idea of group participation in the fly of the month.
I think trying to have a poll every month will get tiresome.

I also think having a theme every month will help focus attention on a topic. Anyone who ties something of interest for that theme can then post it and the result is lots of info from many participants on the topic.

But, for this to work, someone or a group needs to select a monthly theme.

[Darian]

Hmmmm,.... Let's see here.... Group participation in the fly of the month.... and "having a poll every month will get tiresome." But, "....a group needs to select a monthly theme." :? :?

Meaning no disrespect here, but isn't this replacing the selection of a fly pattern with the selection of a theme that in turn dictates the type of pattern submitted :?: :?: I certainly don't disagree that polling will become tiresome, tho.

If you read David's note, he's not suggesting that we have a fly of the month. He's suggesting a separate Forum for fly patterns submitted by anyone at any time under any theme. Their individual choice. It's a good idea that eliminates the need for choosing anything by anyone. It does raise the question, why the need for a separate Forum :?: :?:

Depending on the level of participation, we could look into converting the info submitted into a database resource at later date. :) :) The only problem(s) I anticipate with the proposed forum are the inability to standardize the info posted and keeping the length of individual threads under control. 8) 8)

Frankly, I've given up on the Fly of the Month suggestion and, in no way, intend to pursue that idea (....even tho it was mine). :roll: :roll: :roll:

[Flycanoe]

Well, sorry to hear that as I still think a fly of the month theme for this board is a good idea.

After a little more thought, here's a more detailed suggestion.

Have a volunteer be "Fly of the Month" coordinator.
This can be a rotating job around the board community as needed.
This person does not need to do the writeup unless they want to do one.
This person solicites the board for fly of the month suggestions that will later be written and presented by the submitter.
Coordinator organizes suggestions into a que by month, fly and presentor with reasonable timing consistent with the time of year to use it.
No need for polling or competitive contests.
Presentors don't need to do the writeups until their month arrives.

Fly of the month suggestions can be as narrow or as broad as desired by the presentor.

Once presented by the tyer at the start of the monthly thread, discussions, pattern variations or theme variations can be input by the community in that thread.

Examples:
October - October caddis - narrow topic
January - Steelhead on the American - broad topic
March - March brown - narrow topic
April - Opening day trout patterns - broad topic
Etc.

Again, this is all food for thought from one persons view as to how this could be done.

[brun0]

This could be the first submission for "Fly of the Month"
:lol: :lol: :lol:
http://www.warmfly.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=26&topic=219.0

Mike

[jbird]

I'm kinda riding David Lees coat tail here. Maybe we could have sub topics in the flytying forum...be it, sticky posts that always stay on top. They could be seperated into...ex. Topwater bass..... Traditional Steelhead .... Trout Dryfly.... Striper....etc.

People can submit to the apropriate title at any time. It would create a fast access archive for folks looking for a pattern??? It would eliminate anyone having to commit to a job regarding this thing too.

Jay