What better thing can a dad do on Father's Day if he can't make it out fishing with his son? Fly tying comes to mind, but instead of that, David (who will be ten years old in August) and I sat down together and watched a fly tying DVD. I should point out that I have had this video since December and was going to provide a review back then, but things got busy, and life goes on and unfortunately the review was put on the backburner. I must apologise to Phil Rowley for that.

Phil has been tying flies and fishing stillwaters for over 20 years and recently came out with his own DVD, Tying Fly Patterns for Stillwaters. I knew it would hold my attention, as I certainly have an interest in successful patterns for lake fishing, but I was also curious if it would hold my almost ten year old son's interest as well. The answer? It sure did! I believe there is more than one reason for this, but what seemed to get David really interested was the fact that there is an entomology section on the DVD that demonstrates what the live "bugs" look like when they are underwater with a description of how they move. There is footage of

• Two varieties of dragon fly nymphs
• Damsel fly nymphs
• Callibaetis nymphs
• Chironomid Larva and Pupa
• Water Boatman
• Leech
• Scuds

After watching this, David enjoyed watching Phil Rowley create immitations of these using 18 different patterns. It was interesting to see how observant he was and how he was able to discuss what Phil was doing in the video to make the immitations look and act like the real thing.

I enjoyed the video very much and Phil's style as he discusses the different materials he is using and why. There is also another unseen person in the video that every so often will ask Phil a question about some step he is on or why he is tying something a particular way. In addition, there were a couple of tips that caught my attention in the way Phil ties and in the order he does some things.

The video covers eighteen different patterns that will catch fish in stillwater (as well as rivers too) and I am definitely going to be adding most, if not all, to my own arsenal in my fly boxes. In total, the running time of the video is a hefty 2hrs and 33 minutes, which includes the patterns and the Entomology sections.

What were David's favorite patterns that he wants to try to tie up? Well, he liked the "Immature Boatman," "Mohair Blood Leech," and the "Bunny Dragon" as well as the "Black Sally," a nice looking chironomid. I think the next time David is staying overnight, we'll be tying some of these up!

In conclusion, if you enjoy fly fishing stillwater, this is a great video that you'll want to have and refer to often. Although the video suggests that these are "stillwater" patterns, many of them will also produce in rivers, and for species of fish other than trout. It's an excellent addition to Phil's book, "Fly Patterns For Stillwaters."

You can purchase the DVD video at Phil and Brian Chan's online store, here.