We are moving into that time of year when we outdoor types start spending less time outdoors pursuing game and fish and more time indoors.

We still have some small game hunting and muzzleloading hunting left, and hopefully, if we get enough ice, we diehard fishermen can start hitting some local lakes as well.

These winter days are also a good time for the fishing crowd to start reorganizing and assessing fishing gear, and if you are into fly-fishing, now is when a lot of flies get tied to replace those lost in the past season.

That being said, it’s probably safe to say that when it comes to outdoor pursuits, those involved in fly-fishing are probably a fairly small number, but each year, I see more and more people getting into fly-fishing. I know over the past couple of years, I have had the opportunity to take several men and women out onto a local stream to teach them the art of fly-fishing, and I look forward to more of those opportunities this coming year.

Of course, once you get bitten by the fly-fishing bug and you begin to master fishing techniques, you must begin building your fly collection. Certainly, you can add to your collection by purchasing the flies you are interested in, or you can go to the next step and begin tying your own flies.

Here again, I am finding more and more people are getting interested in tying flies, and if you are going to get serious about fly-fishing, it’s probably a good idea to get into tying as well. Tying your own flies is a very satisfying activity and, in the long run, can save you a lot of money.

I advise getting with somebody who ties their own flies, and most fly-tiers are more than happy to show a beginner the ropes.

Just recently, a friend of mine told me his grandson played a major role in starting a fly-tying club at Hughesville school, and twenty-some kids are participating.

I also found information that several beginner fly-tying classes, presented by the R.B. Winter Chapter of Trout Unlimited, will be offered at the Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lewisburg. For more information on the classes, you can call Ted August at 570-274-0289 or Rod Jones at 570-259-7205.

Of course, if you plan to get into tying your own flies, you have to have the right specialized equipment and the materials to work with for constructing a variety of fly types. I’ll admit that purchasing flies and fly-tying material is a little more involved than walking into a Wal-Mart and picking a couple of bass lures off the rack. Fly-tying tools and materials are more specialized, and even most stores that offer fishing equipment don’t offer much in the way of fly-tying materials. However, we are fortunate to have an excellent location to find these specialized goods: Blue Heron Sports on Route 405 just south of Milton. Blue Heron is open Wednesday through Friday from 9 to 6 and Saturday from 9 to 4.

You can find beginner fly-tying kits at Blue Heron for around $50; that will get you the tying vice and other tools needed to tie a variety of flies. Probably for around another $50, you can buy enough tying materials to get you started tying some nymphs and wet flies.

Granted, when you get into tying floating dry flies, materials can get a bit more costly, but in the long run, you still come out way ahead by tying your own flies, and you get the satisfaction of catching trout on something you made yourself. If you need more information on Blue Heron Sports, you can call them at 570-742-3228.