Fly Fishermen Who Don't Tie

This silly fly was created by Bryan Webb partly as a joke, nonetheless I still
took it with me to Costa Rica to see if we could coax a fish to take it.

Sometimes ridicule is warranted,  for instance if you showed up at an Estate Shoot in all camouflage or in blaze orange coat. Certain traditions dictate certain rules that should be followed.  As such is the case with fly fishing and fly tying. 

In my time as a fly fisherman, I have met and fished with several so -called "fly fishermen" that don't tie.  Can one call themselves a "Fly Fisherman" if they don't tie?  This article was linked on a forum I follow and it made me think of all the guys I've met in the past that don't tie yet wax poetic about how they are a "fly fisherman."

Personally I think if you don't tie, you aren't a fly fisherman.  You are just a guy who fly fishes.  Tying is an essential part of this sport/hobby.  It connects you with not only the fish you catch but the history of the sport.  Every time you tie a Royal Wulff (or any fly for that matter), it connects you with history and not only Lee Wulff but the 1878 fly which it was a derivative of, the Royal Coachman,  that John Haily invented. 

Tie or don't tie I really don't care.  It doesn't make you a better fly fisherman or better person for that matter if you tie.  But if you consider yourself a "Fly Fisherman" you should tie.  You don't even have to good at it.  Ugly flies catch fish too.  In fact my friend Joel, who ties the ugliest flies ever (even he admits it), can probably out catch just about anyone with those god aweful creations of his.  In this day of youtube and the web, learning how to tie is easy.  Before the proliferation of the Internet, I self-taught myself using books and videos.  Tying kits can be had for less than $100, so what's stopping you.  Quit buying those stupid $0.75 chinese-made flies and join the ranks of fly fishermen. Join the tradition, the history and you too will quickly realize why tiers "look down" on nontiers.