Fly Tiers Needed to Help with Annual Tie-A-Thon Project

South Bend - On April 18th, 2020, many avid fly tiers will come together to tie as many flies as they can for the great cause, Reel Recovery.

All the flies tied from the Tie-A-Thon 14 will be distributed to Reel Recovery, an organization that helps the emotional rehabilitation of men dealing with cancer.

Reel Recovery was founded in 2003 by a group of avid fly fishers, inspired by their fishing buddy’s on-going battle with brain cancer. After witnessing the beneficial impact fly fishing provided their friend, they created Reel Recovery to provide the same opportunity for other men battling the disease. Combining expert fly fishing instruction with directed “courageous conversations,” the organization provides men with all forms of cancer a unique opportunity to share their stories, learn a new skill, form lasting friendships and gain renewed hope as they confront the challenges of cancer. For more information, check out https://reelrecovery.org/.

For more Tie-a-thon information, visit sjrvff.com or Tie-a-ton on Facebook.

The premise of the Tie-a-thon is like an old fashion barn raisin’, with several tyers tying as many flies as the can for the cause.

Joining forces again this year to tie flies are members of: St. Joseph River Valley Fly Fishers, The Little Elkhart Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Duneland Fly Fishers, DuPage Fly Tyers (DRIFT), Flygirls of Michigan, Kalamazoo Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited, The Brotherhood of the Jungle Cock; Reel Women, Reel Men of Indianapolis, Grand River Fly Tyers, Anglers of the Au Sable, and many more individuals tyers.

A bunch of tyers come together to tie 100 flies per person on a Saturday and at the end of the day, we try our very best to surpass our previous all-time high of 15,500 flies.

If you are interested, pick just one pattern to tie, buy a box of 100 hooks, the materials and get tying! To get you through the day, Chef Terry Wittorp will have a spectacular lunch for all the tyers, worth at least 200 flies, but we will provide it to you for free! 

Everyone is welcome, but please let us know so we can plan for lunch.

Also, so you’re not too bored just tying, we will have a guest tier every other hour show off his or her special pattern. We will have a video system set up to view from your tying station. The Tie-a-thon will last from 9:00am to 5:00pm.

If you are not a fast tyer and can’t complete your 100 flies in that time, this is a good time to get a jump on your flies. We would certainly take more than 100 from anyone if they are ambitious and want to tie flies in advance.

You don’t have to be an expert tyer to donate flies. Many first time fly tyers have participated; this gives you a chance to become very good tying at least one fly. If you need help learning a pattern, contact Tim Scott, and he will be happy to give you a lesson or you can see many videos of flies being tied on the Tie-a-thon Facebook page.

As in the past, the Elkhart Conservation Club has graciously donated the use of their main building for the Tie-a-thon.

The previous 13 Tie-a-thons distributed over 129,000 flies to the following 15 groups: Kalamazoo Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited Youth Camp, The Brotherhood of the Junglecock Youth Program, Reel and Heal of Toledo, Casting for Recovery of Indiana, Project Healing Waters, Reel Recovery, National Fishing in Schools Program, Warriors and Quiet Waters, Flyin’ Heroes of Michigan, Casting for Recovery of Michigan, Illinois Trout Unlimited Youth Camp, Trout Unlimited Teen Summit, Anglers of the Ausable Youth Program, The Mayfly Project and Camp Kita.

Pick a pattern, tie it up and donate to the Tie-a-thon!

Any questions, contact:

For directions, search Elkhart Conservation Club, 55515 Riviera Dr., Elkhart, IN 46514

If you cannot make the Tie-a-thon, please mail flies to:

Tim Scott
711 Forest Ave.
South Bend, IN 46616.