Most fly anglers love to learn about flies and patterns they have never seen or heard of before. Sometimes, we are just like other anglers, whether it be spin, baitcasters, and pluggers in that we like collecting new flies even if they haven't been productive. Who knows, on some slow day, that fly just might be the ticket to raise a sluggish fish!
Often, anglers in different regions or parts of the world will develop flies that are productive for them, and frequently, these same flies are successful elsewhere.
A great way to build up your fly box with different varieties of to learn new patterns is to take part in a fly swap. Because anglers from all over the world can connect through the Internet, there have been quite a few internet based fly swaps that have been very successful. Part of the reason for this is that there is a greater chance of a wide variety of flies that are tied for the swap.
Some, like one of our visitors who posted a question in the bulletin board, may be wondering what exactly a fly swap is, and you may participate in one.
As far as participation goes, there are several sites and fly fishing mailing lists that organize fly swaps. Some swaps may focus on a particular genre, such as bass bugs, while others are more general.
I would like to invite you to participate in the first About.com flyfishing fly swap! Here is how it will work:
First, the number of participants will be limited to the first 20 individuals that commit themselves to the swap.
The fly swap will be of a general nature, and not specific to any particular type or group of flies. You can choose whatever fly you wish, however, we don't want duplicates. Therefore, when you advise me of your intent to participate, please provide me with the name of the fly you intend to tie. This will be on a 'first come first serve' basis, and I will ask anyone who has named a fly already chosen to select another, or a different version of it. We don't want 5 people sending in a Mickey Finn!
After we have the participants, we will set a deadline. Because we don't want to discourage those who consider themselves to be a novice from participating, I will consult with the participants to determine how much time they will need to meet their committment. Naturally, we don't want to have lots of people waiting either, so it will be a reasonable amount of time.
Each participant should also include the pattern and instructions for tying their fly.
After all of the flies have been submitted, I will send each participant one of each fly that I have received. In other words, if you participate, you will receive 19 different flies to add to your own fly box arsenal. As well, you will receive tying instructions for each fly.
After the swap, I will photograph all the flies and post them on the site along with they tiers name and the pattern for each fly.
If all goes well, and there is enough interest, we will continue the fly swaps and develop a really great fly pattern library here!
As an added incentive, I will send out a fly brooch/hat pin, hand tied by Ian James to the first 6 people who commit themselves to this swap. These are worth $15.00 each, and are truly beautiful. They make great gifts, but you will probably want to keep it for your own collection.
So, what are you waiting for? Decide what fly you are going to tie, and email me now!
Last Year On:
The Muncher is a favorite of Ian James for carp, smallies, more. 
Thoughts of a Chicken Rancher. Doc tells it like it is.