Fly tying of Daniel Seaman

Daniel Seaman

Daniel Seaman

My name is Daniel Seaman and I own and operate Bug Wild out of eastern North Carolina. I have been fishing a little here and there my whole life, but really started fishing consistently while in college with some friends. After graduation, the job search was a bit slower than expected, mostly due to the downturn of the economy (especially with an architectural degree). I needed something to pass the time while job searching…so I began fishing more and more, basically every day. Eventually, spin fishing got somewhat predictable to me so I decided to pursue fly fishing. I quickly found that fly fishing was actually more efficient at catching fish than traditional spin fishing, at least for me (I was never a great fisherman).

After two years of slinging other people’s files—mostly from online value stores—I decided to give tying my own flies a shot. I have always been somewhat “artsy”, so this was a good way to incorporate that into a useable application. Living in Rocky Mount, NC a lot of folks around here don’t fly fish at all. In fact, the closest fly shop is several hours away. I really have to rely on the internet for advice, materials and ideas.

IMG_20150811_181513

I purchased my first vise in June 2014. Needless to say, it has been slowly downhill since then (in a good way). I have never been as addicted to anything in my entire life, as I am with tying flies. Something about the mindset and process really calms me down. If you know me personally, you understand what I mean by this. I have little, to no patience for anything…..except tying flies.

When I first started tying, I began researching fly patterns and popular artists and stumbled upon Pat Cohen’s work randomly in Google Images. I thought his deer hair work was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen and knew I had to try it myself. After several hundred attempts of my own, folks were starting to notice my work and wanted to purchase flies from me. I had no intentions on selling flies, and never thought I would ever be at this point….it just sort-of happened.

I tie mostly warm water flies, specifically for targeting the larger species in my local waters, such as bass and carp. I really love when a big bucket mouth inhales a fly. I enjoy tying articulated flies and top water bugs. You can easily see who some of my major influences are in my flies (including FrankenFly). I would not be where I am today without help, advice, and ideas from the best fly tiers in the world.

deerhairwildcloseup

I am not a large commercial fly tier; I really prefer small custom orders. I work a full time “8-5” job as an estimator at a metal building company, so this is absolutely not my main source of income. I honestly don’t know how folks do this as a full time job. I have tremendous respect for the professionals. I always believe in quality over quantity, in everything I do in life. I am probably much slower than some folks, but I believe if you take your time, you can accomplish anything. People constantly ask me for advice on how to improve their fly tying and I say, “test your flies.” You can tie the prettiest flies in the world, but if you don’t test them out in the water, they could look like total garbage to a fish and not perform as expected. You don’t need anything fancy to do this, just a sink or a bathtub.

I am truly honored and humbled to have been asked to write something up for FrankenFly. I have been following the website since I’ve started fly fishing. I am very glad people are enjoying my work; it makes me extremely happy, and motivates me to continue doing what I do. I am also very thankful for certain companies for giving me professional opportunities along the way. Stay tuned for more to come!

me carp

 

4 Comments

Filed under Carp flies, Deer Hair, Largemouth

4 Responses to Fly tying of Daniel Seaman

  1. Kevin Frank

    I’ve followed this guy on NC Angler for quite some time. His ties are great.

  2. timothy a taramelli

    one bad azz dude who started and became one of the best i have seen in a long time he may not catch much but he sure can twist and pack that hair good luck in all you do my brother get em.

  3. Andy Goldsmith

    Some of the sickest patterns and flies out there. Had the pleasure of meeting him in a river once. Class act. Can’t cast worth a damn though 😉

  4. Ritchie Shiver

    Hey I’m a volunteer for Project Healing Waters in Fayetteville NC, and would like to thank Daniel for his visit and tips today at Marabou Maddness, our yearly regional event. We hope to see you again soon and wish you the best.