[ Mustad in action ]

Prizes:
For seniors: The 10 best flies in a category are entitled to an MSO diploma. The 3 best flies in a category will be awarded the prestigious Mustad Scandinavian Open Medal, in gold, silver or bronze.

For juniors:The 3 best flies, independent of categories, will receive medals. The 10 best flies independent of categories will receive diplomas.

I am the technical organizer of the Mustad Scandinavian Open, not a member of the jury. One of my responsibilites is to listen carefully to what the jury says and write the comments for each fly.

Tying errors:
Some tying errors are present in too many of the flies. I have listed a few of the most common errors below:

Head
The head is the first thing the jury studies. One of the most common errors is that the hook eye is covered with tying thread or lacquer. It should be lacquered to a shining, glossy finish without any bubbles. The end of the tying thread or part of fly-tying materials should not stick out in front of the head. There should be no lacquer on the fly-tying materials behind the head.

Slanting wing, antennaes, tail, etc
Study your fly from all directions: From right, left, above, below, behind and from the front. Are any of the elements of the fly slanting to one side? Are antennaes, tail, legs, etc. symmetrically tied in? How is the symmetry of the whole fly? Look at the wing from behind – is it slanting to one side? Is it tied on top of the hook? The fish does not care if your fishing flies have some minor errors. The flies will still catch fish. But we can all improve our fly-tying skills, and we hope that the Mustad Scandinavian Open Flytying Competition can help you to become an even better fly tier. We look forward to receiving your flies!

Flyfishing greetings
OT. Ljostad.

The results 2010: