Fly-tying and competition times

I did some more work en plien air, in the garden today, until the wind picked up and started blowing the easel over that is....oh the trials and tribulations! After returning to my studio I sat at my Fly-tying bench and tied up a few spider patterns and bead-head nymphs for my fishing competition on Sunday, it is the Leinster river championships- qualifier for the National championship & International team selection, I really should be out practising, but I don't bother anymore, if I get it right I'll do well, if I don't I won't. At this stage I've enough experience to know what should work and what won't...added to the fact that I don't have the same drive to win as in my youth (been there, done that.) I prefer to enjoy my fishing now rather than work at it. I still have a fair chance of winning, I'm just not going to figure in the favourite's stakes anymore. There were years when others would be watching to see where what and how I was approaching a fishery, they don't now-a-days, it is somebody else's problem- keeping their hard work and practice to themselves-
I am glad I succeeded at the top level, but I don't miss it now. One of the problems fishing competitively, as in other sports, it is hard work. It takes much time and comitment, so much so that it ceases to be a 'sporting' endeavour, it becomes work-enjoyable work, but work none the less. I reached the stage where I wanted to be able to go fishing and enjoy being out there, see the wildlife, the views and the beauty again. They had got lost in the drive to succeed, the need to be prepared, to win. Now I can go out and not worry about catching fish, but enjoy being there.
These days I enter the competitions to take part and possibly do well. If I do great! if I don't it isn't the end of the world, I've done it before, but I don't feel the need to do it again. I would like to do it, but not to the extent that I'm willing to give it the same commitment I used to.

These are some of the flies I tied up.

The bead-headed ones are designed to sink quickly and to keep the flies deep in heavy flowing water. The others are designed to fish just below the surface.
I will possibly fish others on the surface but I have plenty of those already, I didn't need to tie more up.

Incidently the flies are actually only about half the size of the pictures, but if I didn't re-size them the pic wouldn't really be much good due to the lack of detail you would have.


Tomorrow I have to go over to Blessington to help put the club boats on the lake...I may even do a little fishing while I am there...although I really should do some river fishing I feel I'll be fresh on Sunday if conditions are hard.