DIEPPE – With the patience and precision of a man three times his age, 10-year-old Julian Furlaga carefully ponders every move of his thread.
“So my tail and my topping touches perfectly and my wings are not too long too tiny,” Furlaga said in an interview with Global News.
While his friends play Xbox and sports, Julian spends hours in his room choosing the perfect feathers to thread into his classic fishing flies.
He started the old-school hobby at the age of 7, but his father Karol says Julian became obsessed with tying intricate pieces after the two attended a trade show.
“There’s not many kids that do what he does and the level at which he is doing it was a surprise to everybody,” Karol said.
A surprise, especially to master fly tyer Davie McPhail of Scotland. Julian learned most of his skills from McPhail’s YouTube videos.
McPhail was so impressed with the 10 year old’s work, he was willing to share with Julian some trade secrets.
“If the body is a little bit lumpy and you want to fix it, you can take the top of your nail and rub it against it,” he said.
Julian can spend up to three days tying a single fly. He has a focus that seems to defy his age, and it’s earned him a trip of a lifetime.
Julian and Karol are packing up to head to Scotland and England – the birthplace of classic fly tying.
The two will be meeting some of the top fly tyers in the world. And the first stop will be to see Davie McPhail.
“He’s going to tell me places to go where the fish sit so I can catch salmon there,” Julian said.
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