The Blacker Compendium
The Blacker Compendium came about as I met Bob Frandsen on a fly tying forum. When he started posting salmon flies based on those described by William Blacker in his book The Art Of Fly Making, which was published in 1855, my friend Chuck Vestal decided the flies should be recorded and shared. I wrote and made this book, Bobtied the flies, and his wife, Lorraine, took the beautiful individual and group photos.
We added tying instructions. including thing mixed wings and herl heads, Bob used to interpret Blacker’s fly descriptions. You will find comparative hook charts, copies of original Art Of Fly Making pages, and all of the flies and recipes as Bob tied them, along with each fly's recipe as described in Blacker's own words.
Below are a few flies found in this beautiful book. Take note: these flies, challenging and beautiful to tie, will work for all kinds of fish: I’ve used them to hook trout, steelhead and warm water fish.
