Megan Boyd
Megan Boyd | |
---|---|
Born | Rosina Megan Boyd 29 January 1915 Surrey, England |
Died | 15 November 2001 Golspie, Scotland | (aged 86)
Nationality | British |
Occupation | Fly tyer |
Known for | Atlantic salmon flies |
Rosina Megan Boyd
Early life
Megan Boyd was born Rosina Megan Boyd on 29 January 1915 in
Fly tyer
At the age of 12, Megan began taking fly tying lessons from Bob Trussler, another river keeper on the estate. Trussler's tutelage went on for many years with emphasis on precision and quality.[4] Boyd also relied on two classic salmon fly publications for tying instructions and pattern recipes. She considered How To Dress Salmon Flies-A Handbook for Amateurs (1914) by T. E. Pryce-Tannatt as her "bible". She also relied on Kelson's The Salmon Fly (1895) for pattern advice.[5] Her first paying fly tying work came when a Sir Charles Clauson requested she convert more than a dozen gut-eyed salmon flies onto the more modern eyed hooks or "irons". After seeing her work, local salmon anglers began asking Megan to tie flies for them and her reputation began to grow. Megan made her reputation by tying classic and traditional flies such as the Jock Scott, Silver Doctor, Durham Ranger and Wilkinson. She always claimed she tied flies for anglers and resisted tying for commercial fly houses. Her flies were extraordinarily durable and lasted many seasons. Over the course of her 65-year tying career, some estimate she tied tens of thousands of salmon flies. Yet despite the huge numbers of salmon that could not resist her flies, she never fished herself.
Now to disappoint all my customers, I do not fish, have no interest in fishing, and cannot even tie a fly to a cast.
— Attributed to Megan Boyd in The Women of a Graceful Rise[5]
In 1935, at the age of twenty, Boyd left her family home and moved into a small cottage at Kintradwell overlooking the North Sea just north of Brora. The cottage was built from second hand materials in 1906 and did not have electricity or running water until the 1980s. She set up a small, kidney-shaped fly tying desk in a potting shed next to the cottage where she routinely worked 14-hour days tying flies to fill orders. Visiting anglers from around the world who came to fish the Rivers Brora and Helmsdale for salmon would stop by her cottage to watch her tie flies and place orders.[4] If she was not at home, she left a small notepad and pencil under her doormat for visitors to write down their orders.[6]
Boyd for the most part tied traditional patterns, but is credited with one of her own invention – The Megan Boyd – which proved to be a very effective low water pattern in the Scottish Highlands.[7]
Awards and legacy
As early as 1938, Boyd's flies were winning awards in competitions such as the 1938
In 1971,
Dear Charlie. Best wishes to you and Lady Diana. May you enjoy a lifetime of peace and happiness. I have made a special fly for the occasion that I would like you to give to your wife. Tell her you will have the best catch you will ever have.
— Megan Boyd[12]
In 2013, filmmaker
She had the most delicate feminine hands; her creations were the Fabergés of the fishing world. You could say she wove a certain kind of magic.
— David Profumo, Kiss the Water[15]
Death
Boyd tied flies for almost six decades using only natural light or a gas lantern for illumination. At the age of 70, her eyesight began to fail and she was forced to retire from commercial tying in 1985. In 1988 she moved from her Kintradwell cottage into Brora. In 2000, Prince Charles paid her a visit in the nursing home where they discussed her favourite fly: the Popham. Originated by F. L. Popham, the pattern is one of the most complicated and beautifully constructed of all the classic dressings that Britain has given to the sport.[citation needed]
She is remembered for her devotion to her work, living by herself and working many hours a day.[7] She was a dedicated conservationist and a major supporter of the North Atlantic Salmon Fund and its efforts to preserve remaining stocks of wild salmon to their native rivers. Boyd regularly donated examples of her flies for auctions to raise funds for the salmon.[1]
Boyd died on 15 November 2001 in Golspie, Scotland at the age of 86.[16]
References
- ^ a b c "Megan Boyd". Flyanglersonline.com. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
- ^ "Megan Boyd, salmon fly-tier". Edinburgh: The Scotsman. 4 December 2001. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
- ^ Martin, Douglas (11 December 2001). "Megan Boyd, Eccentric Master of Fish Flies, Dies at 86". New York Times. New York. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
- ^ ISBN 0877018006.
- ^ a b Comar, Cathrine (Fall 2011). "The Women of A Graceful Rise" (PDF). The American Fly Fisher. 37 (4). Manchester, VT: American Museum of Fly Fishing: 2–29. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 December 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
- ^ Salminen, Ray (Fall 1997). "A Visit with Megan Boyd" (PDF). The American Fly Fisher. 23 (4). Manchester, VT: American Museum of Fly Fishing: 25–26. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
- ^ a b Ramaswamyr, Chitra (23 June 2013). "Lady of the Flies: Previewing Kiss the Water". Edinburgh: The Scotsman. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
- ^ Bates, Pamela (Spring 2002). "In Memoriam: Megan Boyd" (PDF). The American Fly Fisher. 28 (2). Manchester, VT: American Museum of Fly Fishing: 37. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 December 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
- ISBN 0811701808.
- ^ Foggia, Lyla (Spring 1996). "Reel Women: The World of Women Who Fish" (PDF). The American Fly Fisher. 22 (2). Manchester, VT: American Museum of Fly Fishing: 2–13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 December 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
- ^ Gray, Louise (18 June 2013). "Edinburgh Film Festival 2013: New Megan Boyd film explores life of 'eccentric master of flies' and friend of Prince Charles". London: The Telegraph. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
- ^ McQueen, Craig (1 July 2013). "Cast from the Past; Eccentric Scot Made Flies for Anglers around World". Glasgow: Scottish Daily Record. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
- ^ "Kiss The Water, a film by Eric Steel". Retrieved 1 December 2014.
- ^ "Fishing fly-tying master Megan Boyd's story told in film". London: BBC News. 25 June 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
- ^ Tyzack, Anna (4 February 2014). "Megan Boyd: the Scottish fishing fly maker who wove magic". London: The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 4 February 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
- ^ Hyman, Steve (14 December 2001). "Megan Boyd, 86; Renowned Crafter of Fishing Flies". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, CA. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
Further reading
- Mills, Derek; Younger, Jimmy (2016). Megan Boyd: The Story of a Salmon Flydresser. Merlin Unwin Books. ISBN 978-1-9107-232-41.
External links
- Hour long programme about Boyd, broadcast on 27 January 2015 on BBC4
- Wertheimer, Linda (26 November 2001). "NPR Interview - Remembering Megan Boyd". National Public Radio. Retrieved 1 December 2014.