FrequentTyer
Member
- Joined
- Dec 17, 2009
- Messages
- 927
I picked up a copy of “Become a Thinking Fly Tier: The Way to Rapid Improvement" by Jim Cramer a few weeks ago and finally had a chance to finish the book this evening. The author expresses an opinion that I agree with, that the best way to improve your tying is to think about what you are trying to accomplish. The book is loaded with helpful tips that will probably not surprise any intermediate or advanced tiers, but would likely benefit beginners. There are interesting discourses on things like fingernails, and even a Rube Goldbergish design for a sliding bobbin that just might be crazy enough to work.
I really had high hopes for this book. I know Jim's reputation, the book came highly recommended, and I love the title. Unfortunately, I think the author just tried to do too much. His focus on thinking and mastering the fundamentals seems at odds with his encouragement to experiment and somewhat bizarre suggestions (rubber legs on dry flies). There is some very interesting information in the book, most notably a comprehensive examination of methods of adding weight with details like grains per turn of lead. If you are a beginner, you will likely learn a lot from this book, but I would not consider it a sole resource. It would make an interesting companion volume to something like Charlie Craven's book. If you are intermediate to advanced, its probably a worthwhile read, but I'm guessing you will feel a bit disappointed by the focus on beginner tips.
Mike.
I really had high hopes for this book. I know Jim's reputation, the book came highly recommended, and I love the title. Unfortunately, I think the author just tried to do too much. His focus on thinking and mastering the fundamentals seems at odds with his encouragement to experiment and somewhat bizarre suggestions (rubber legs on dry flies). There is some very interesting information in the book, most notably a comprehensive examination of methods of adding weight with details like grains per turn of lead. If you are a beginner, you will likely learn a lot from this book, but I would not consider it a sole resource. It would make an interesting companion volume to something like Charlie Craven's book. If you are intermediate to advanced, its probably a worthwhile read, but I'm guessing you will feel a bit disappointed by the focus on beginner tips.
Mike.
