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A new way to fly the flag This "Freedom Fly" was created by master fly-tyer Gerald James of Grants Pass as his tribute to victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. By MARK FREEMAN GRANTS PASS - Gerald James long has been an excellent fly-tyer as well as a flag-waving patriot. Now he's a flag-tyer with a patriotic fly, the likes of which he hopes President Bush will soon see. James, a master fly-tyer from Grants Pass, has melded his passions for tying and flag-waving into a commemorative collector fly fashioned as an American flag as his personal tribute to America's victims of terrorism. "I've always been a pretty patriotic person, and a fly-tyer," says James, 61. "So it's all come together with this." The fly is like a traditional Atlantic salmon fly, but its wing sports a small flag. The first flag-fly, which James calls the "Freedom Fly," was tied two weeks ago and fetched $500 in a Grants Pass fly-fishing club auction. The second, which he tied last weekend, was mailed Wednesday to Bush. The third and final Freedom Fly will go to Wayne Liska, a Medford auctioneer to whom he owes a few favors, James says. The fly is a mixture of manmade and natural materials. It takes James, who once tied for the legendary tyer Polly Rosborough of Chiloquin, about 12 hours to create one fly. The red and white stripes of the flag are dyed swan wing feathers blended together. The stars and blue field are actually dyed blue guinea feathers, with the feathers' natural white dots serving as the stars. "There's a lot of guys who can't do this," James says. "Or won't." The fly is tied on a large gold hook, and the one sent to Bush is mounted in a frame and signed by James. The fly may not pass muster with Old Glory traditionalists because it has just five red stripes, four white stripes and five stars. "This," James says, "is really hard to do." James tied a Golden Demon steelhead fly eight years ago that he sent to the other Bush president, who sent back a nice letter that James has framed in a small private fly-fishing museum he has in his garage. And he hopes the junior President Bush will do the same. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.