by Mark Kalin
from the December 2014 Newsletter
Seen at the New Mexico Trout Fly Tying Symposium on Saturday, 15 November 2014: Two ladies tying nice flies without using bobbins (shades of Helen Shaw)
Margaret Roybal and her daughter Ramona Lopez were tying very nice flies without using bobbins. Rather they each were controlling the tying thread with their fingers. For a pictorial portrayal of the technique, check out the 1979 book Fly-Tying by Fly Fishing Hall of Fame member Helen Shaw. Of course, Margaret and Ramona also whip finish their flies by hand. I was among a number of individuals with whom they very generously shared information.
Margaret and Ramona have taught fly tying classes at Pecos Independent Schools and at their shop. The family also breeds from 25 to 50 hackle-producing chickens, which they harvest at about two years of age.
Margaret’s father, Bob Roybal, started the fly tying business in 1955 and at one time provided flies sold at several Santa Fe stores as well as the store on the Rio Pecos in Terrero, NM. While no longer selling wholesale, Margaret and Ramona still tie flies to order for private individuals. They can be contacted at:
ramonamariaalinalopez@gmail.com
Roybal Flies offers dry flies, nymphs, true wets, hair flies, and streamers, along with recommendations for fishing about 20 flies on the Pecos: “The Right Fly at the Right Time,” by Bob Roybal.