Friends: show

Dariusz Ptak, pictured at left, found me through the Internet and I'm sure glad he did. My first contact was December 2006 in an email titled "Fly from Poland".
The message simply said:
"Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Best regards.
Dariusz Ptak"
It also contained the pictures of some rather unusual flies ([first row below] one of them I used as my Holiday Greeting to all on my Home Page.
In April 2007 Dariusz wrote he was busy until May but included a picture of the Easter Fly at the beginning of the second row.
Dariusz was also kind enough to supply some biographical information:

"Dariusz Ptak (pol. Bird), Gdynia citizien, seaman and flyangler, easy could achieve a membership of Crazy People Fancy Club. For more then twenty years he designs, tyes Ã¯Â¿Â½ or (as common name between Polish flytyers) twists salmon full dress flyes. But nearest true is to state he creates them using imagination and professionalism together based on deep knowledge and reverence to history. His creations go far beyond typical salmon flyes sold everywhere. Such mastery handicraft can be easly counted as a pure art.

The collections of salmon flyes are highly estimated and sought around the world by fly fisherman and collectors. The achieve quite high prices from few up to more then ten thousand dollars.

Darek started from tying flyes for his own use and for nearest friends. On the rivers of Pomorze used them for brown trout, grayling and seatrout.

On the fields and between trees of many forests often he gathered different feathers. The city parks and bird ranches were not omitted in this search. Feathers of condors, ostriches and other exotic birds were available sometimes at Oliva (part of Gdansk) zoological garden under permission of staff. And always Bird was attracted by birds.

In 1987 he sent few flyes to World Atlantic Salmon Fly Tying Championship held in Canada and has got 2^nd place in mandatory fly category for amateurs. Two years later he repeated this acheviement as single representative of all non anglosaxon countries.

When not on the sea most of his free time Darek is busy with vice inventing new flyes or changing and improving previously tyed ones. Carefully selected feathers are dyed and many other materials are under special inspection to prepare them for new fly models.

This is his personal remedy and recipe for recreation after multiweek hard work on the sea. His BirdÃ¯Â¿Â½s asylium."

Below are thumbnails of flies Dariusz has created. Click on them to see a larger Image: