To chant or not to chant

[Jax]

There is an important component to fly tying that is often overlooked by tiers when sitting at their vices.

This component although invisible to the naked eye can for many be the difference between a successful fly or just another fly.

This priceless component is the "MANTRA" In order to give my flies an edge when they get out on the water. I Chant an acient fly tying Mantra as follows. "When you see a fly oh most magnificient and potent fly." "GO FOR THE JUGULAR!"

I have often wodered whether I am the only Chanter of Mantras, or do some of you gentlemen have a Mantra or other means of increasing you flie's potency??? I also truly believe if you are not having Fun. You should not be playing. So. Have Fun. Jax

[gazzarowan]

haha...like it.

i dont have a mantra, but there is always the hope that something somewhere will like the look of my flies...

the odd brandy or beer whilst tying can also increase the confidence

[rols]

I also don't have a Mantra but I do tend to use a particular sentence a lot,
It goes like this - "Geez, that looks sh!t".....

[Buzzers]

An old fisherman story is to magnetize the hooks before using it for baitfishing in the salt.
Will it work for flies? Will it work better with chanting?

[poppernel]

Uncle Jax, I have 2 Mantra chants when tying. But you might not know the lingo.
1 st chant, ''vang 'n vissie, vang 'n vissie (catch a fishy, catch a fishy)
2nd chant, ''wys daai vaalies, wys daai vaalies (show those GATTIES, show those Gatties)

Works every time, they only catch yellows, nicks, nada, nothing else.

DAVE

[redhumpy]

Ag ou Jax of course we all have a Mantra - some are just more uhm civilised than others.

Now on this wonderfull forum called Flytalk we have two toppies - propper toppies - not pretend toppies like Pops - but real second world war toppies that still remember driving a Simca, after the war, listening to Connie Francis on their 8 track tapes on their way to have a hamburger at the UFO roadhouse where the R21 now runs to OR Tambo, or as they used to called it: Jan Smuts Lughawe.

Those were the days - long forgotten by the youth of today. Strange bunch the youth of today - rioting in London, calling for regime change in Botswana and referring to themselves, although stealing from the youth of the 90's, as Generation X. I just call them Generation X-tremely f*cking irritating!

Anyways back to the Mantra. As a young student in Communication Science I loved the word "Mantra" it sounded strong! Outlandish. And definately something you can impress a lady with! Having its origin in Hinduism and Buddhism I knew that I had to have a personal Mantra in order to score with the ladies. As you get older your Mantra gets transferred to fish and flytying as the ladies dont give a crap about your receding hairline or your waistline playing games with mother earth's force proportional to your abdominal mass.- Yes fish are more forgiving, even if you are from Vanderbijl.

So as a young student, in Communication Studies (And still trying to impress the ladies) I turned to the greatest flyfisherman that ever lived.....Jim Morrison.
Nah, just f*cking with you - Jim Morrison knew absolutely nothing about flyfishing - but wait, it will make sense just now.

So yes - I was smoking about 4 packs of Rizzla's a month () and listening to Ray Manzerek playing that Hammond on Light My Fire, Jim Morrison screaming obscenities at his mother, and hoping to have my kicks before this whole sh*t house goes up in flames, when I turned to the 1820's poet, painter, and printmaker William Blake. After all it was William Blake who gave The Doors their name from a line in his poem The Marriage of Heaven and Hell; "If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite". - Now if I never listened to The Doors I would have never been interested in the writings of William Blake and therefore would have never had a fly tying Mantra! Or score with the ladies for that matter.


Now on the subject of Mantra's and toppies. The two toppies mentioned earlier do have Mantra's that I had the unfortunate privilege to lend my ears to before.
Toppie number 1, who also goes by the pseudonymn of OMR's, Mantra is the basis of all practice of voodoo, witchcraft and blackmagic in flyfishing. If I remember correctly it went something like this:

"Frying flying eggs
Can't use them, just abuse them
Float tubes liberate"

Yep - I still don't know what it means but I believe OMR has been contacted by the creators of Wizards of Waverley Place regarding royalties....

Now Toppie number two's Mantra is even weirder - but apparently because he is from Vanderbijl it makes it "ollright". Apparently he penned his Mantra in appreciation to the makers of Namaqua wines and the fine people at Midvaal Taxidermy. I only heard it once ever when he gave a demonstration at the vise on how to tie the Tigernut Supreme Midge in a moment of soberness at Vaal trip 778 666. As I recall it went something like this:

"Met my Elbe in my hand
en bitter min verstand
vang ek 'n vis
wat 'n veer vir kos misgis"

Ja, I know. Sad but true. He has never been the same since the last episode of "CHiPs" when Erik Estrada aka "Pancharello" took off his shirt at a bike crash scene.

So back to my Mantra and Jim Morrison. So whenever I tie a fly I say the poem, you may call it a mantra, by William Blake, entitled The Fly:

"Little fly,
Thy summer’s play
My thoughtless hand
Has brushed away."

Except my understanding of the "Fly" is so misguided, almost as much as Jim Morrison's understanding of the doors of perception that everytime

"My thoughtless hand
Has brushed away."

I end up with a hook in my thumb...

Sorry toppies but I am sure you are in bed by now and your teeth neatly tucked in...

[poppernel]

Ag ou Jax of course we all have a Mantra - some are just more uhm civilised than others.

Now on this wonderfull forum called Flytalk we have two toppies - propper toppies - not pretend toppies like Pops - but real second world war toppies that still remember driving a Simca after the war listening to Connie Francis on their 8 track trapes on their way to have a hamburger at the UFO roadhouse where the R21 now runs to OR Tambo or as they called it Jan Smuts Lughawe.

Those were the days - long forgotten by the youth of today. Strange bunch the youth of today - rioting in London, calling for regime change in Botswana and referring to themselves, although stealing from the youth of the 90's, as Generation X. I just call them Generation X-tremely f*cking irritating!

Anyways back to the Mantra. As a young student in Communication Science I loved the word "Mantra" it sounded strong! Outlandish. And definately something you can impress a lady with! Having its origin in Hinduism and Buddhism I knew that I had to have a personal Mantra in order to score with the ladies. As you get older your Mantra gets transfered to fish and flytying as the ladies dont give a crap about your receding hairline or your waistline playing games with mother earh's force proportional to your abdominal mass.

So as a young student, in Communication Studies (And still trying to impress girls) I turned to the greatest flyfisherman that ever lived.....Jim Morrison.
Nah, just f*cking with you - Jim Morrison knew absolutely nothing about flyfishing - but wait it will make sense just now.

So yes - I was smoking about 4 packs of Rizzla's a month () and listening to Ray Manzerek playing that Hammond on Light My Fire, Jim Morrison screaming obscenities at his mother, and hoping to have my kicks before this whole sh*t house goes up in flames, when I turned to the 1820's poet, painter, and printmaker William Blake. After all it was William Blake who gave The Doors their name from a line in his poem The Marriage of Heaven and Hell; "If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite". - Now if I never listened to The Doors I would have never been interested in the writings of William Blake and therefore would have never had a Mantra! Or score with the girls for that matter.


Now on the subject of Mantra's and toppies. The two toppies mentioned earlier do have Mantra's that I had the unforunate privilege to listen to before.
Toppie number 1, who also goes by the pseudonym of OMR's, Mantra is the basis of all practice of voodoo, witchcraft and blackmagic in flyfishing. If I remember correctly it went something like this:

"Frying flying eggs
Can't use them, just abuse them
Float tubes liberate"

Yep - I still don't know what it means but I believe OMR has been contacted by the creators of Wizards of Waverley Place regarding royalties....

Now Toppie number two's Mantra is even weirder - but apparently because he is from Vanderbijl it makes it "ollright". Apparently he penned his Mantra in appreciation to the makers of Namaqua wines and the fine people at Midvaal Taxidermy. I only heard it once ever when he gave a demonstration at the vise on how to tie the tigernut supreme midge in a moment of soberness at Vaal trip 768584. As I recall it went something like this:

"Met my Elbe in my hand
en bitter min verstand
vang ek 'n vis
wat 'n veer vir kos misgis"

Ja, I know. Sad but true. He has never been the same since the last episode of "CHiPs" when Erik Estrada aka "Pancharello" took off his shirt at a bike crash scene.

So back to my Mantra and Jim Morrison. So whenever I tie a fly I say the poem, you may call it a mantra, by William Blake, entitled The Fly:

"Little fly,
Thy summer’s play
My thoughtless hand
Has brushed away."

Except my understanding of the "Fly" is so misguided, almost as much as Jim Morrison's understanding of the doors of perception that everytime

"My thoughtless hand
Has brushed away."

I end up with a hook in my thumb.

Sorry toppies but I am sure you are in bed by now....

Enjoyed that you young prick!!!

[Jax]

Ditto; What Poppernel said. Still chuckling. Ou Toppie Jax

[Herman Jooste]

.
Now Toppie number two's Mantra is even weirder - but apparently because he is from Vanderbijl it makes it "ollright". Apparently he penned his Mantra in appreciation to the makers of Namaqua wines and the fine people at Midvaal Taxidermy. I only heard it once ever when he gave a demonstration at the vise on how to tie the Tigernut Supreme Midge in a moment of soberness at Vaal trip 778 666. As I recall it went something like this:

"Met my Elbe in my hand
en bitter min verstand
vang ek 'n vis
wat 'n veer vir kos misgis"

.Sorry toppies but I am sure you are in bed by now and your teeth neatly tucked in...

BWWWAAAAHHHAAA, brilliant.

Even though you are a Whippersnapper you have a good turn of phrase.

This must surely arise from all the idle hours spent in a so called educational institution, dreaming about catching even half the number ( or size ) of the fish that the Ou Toppies have caught, and those in locations that you don't know even exist.

But there again,you are right. I'm always astounded when I catch a fish on a self tied fly . And when it's on the Elbe, I know the current ain't gonna rob meof my fish when I'm fishing with 12lb tippet and 30 lb leader.

[redhumpy]

"Iddle hours" - seems like the toppies are jealous as well!