The Feather Mechanic: Book review - Ian Cox A Fly tying philosophy

A Book Review by Ian Cox

Now and again a book comes along that changes the rules of the game. Gordon Van Der Spuy’s “The Feather Mechanic” is such a book. Those who have been privileged to have attended Gordon’s flytying courses or who have seen his DVD Fundamental Fly Tying will know of his passion for the idea that form follows function.

But this book is much more than that and indeed much more than any flytying book you will have ever read before. Gordon is not only a superb fly tyer, he is also a superb communicator. So, it should come as no surprise that this book is as entertaining as it is informative.

Flytying books are not meant to be pageturners, but this one is. Written in Gordon’s unique vernacular style, it does not just tell you how, it also explains why, while at the same time expressing Gordon’s tremendous enthusiasm for life.

It has been said that knowledge can be described as the process of piling up facts, but wisdom lies in their simplification. Gordon’s knowledge of his subject is at a level where he has made it all seem so effortlessly simple.

Gordon writes of tying flies as a story. And like all good stories, he starts at the beginning with his own childhood. He speaks of memories that will warm the cockles of any person who has tied flies from childhood. But in doing so he also encourages the newbie. Everybody, even the very best, starts at the beginning making do with very little but nonetheless while still having fun.

He then expands on his story chatting as if over a beer about what works and what doesn’t and, most importantly, why. I have read much of want has been written about fly designs and the basics do or don’ts of flyfishing. But no one, I can think of, has done it as brilliantly and briefly as Gordon does in chapter 1 of his book. It is a masterpiece of dense summation and makes this book a treasure, if for nothing else.

When I spoke to him about writing this review, he warned me that the next three chapters which deal with the basic tools, materials, and mechanics made for dry reading. Nothing could be further from the truth, even for those who have looked at this stuff a hundred times before. The genius of the first chapter is replicated in the brilliance of his insights in these later chapters. Gordon is both wise and entertaining.

But he leaves the best for last. A good two-thirds of the book is devoted to tying various patterns. But again, this is no ordinary recipe book. Each pattern is revealed as a story that engages the reader in a way that learning about the pattern becomes a conversation with Gordon. He starts with the good stuff, what caused the pattern to catch his notice and why and how he fishes it. T he pattern itself is a postscript to this conversation, revealed to you intimately using Gordon’s sketches and handwritten notes. It is as if he is standing over your shoulder, helping you through the process.

“Fly tying, I’ve come to appreciate, is not just about tying flies. Fly tying is about dreaming. It’s total therapy. I disappear to my happy place when I’m tying. A place where my mind can breathe. I see the fly in the drift whilst I’m tying it and I’m transported back to the river. I usually find myself propelled to go fishing after a good tying session. That’s where the fun with this stuff lies. Going to the river. Getting skunked. Going home. Tying up something that you think will work. Going back to the river and doing it all over again. The next time hopefully with a measure of success.”

For more information check out Gordon’s Instagram account, thefeathermechanic. Alternatively visit his Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ gordon.vanderspuy

You can contact Gordon directly at gordon.vanderspuy@gmail.com"It

The book will also be available at fly fishing shops in RSA or from Coch-y-Bonddu Books https://www.anglebooks.com/