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Steelhead (BC) Bee

Fishing Flies

Stamp Info

Name Value
Date of Issue April 16, 1998
Year 1998
Quantity 2,000,000
Denomination
45¢
Perforation or Dimension 12.5 x 13
Series Fishing Flies
Series Time Span 1998
Printer Ashton-Potter Canada Limited.
Postal Administration Canada

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Stamp Price Values

Condition Name Avg Value
M-NH-VF
Mint - Never Hinged - Very Fine Only available to paid users
U-VF
Used - Very Fine Only available to paid users
* Notes about these prices:
  • They are not based on catalogue values but on current dealer and auction listings. The reason for this is that catalogues tend to over-value stamps.
  • They are average prices. The actual value of your stamp may be slightly above or below the listed value, depending on the overall condition of your stamp. Use these prices as a guide to determine the approximate value of your stamps.

Stamp Supplies on Amazon

Layouts

Booklet of 12 Stamps

Quantity Produced - 1,000,000
Current Purchase Price: Only available to paid users
Original Purchase Price: $5.40
Perforation: 12.5 x 13
Printing Process: Lithography
Gum Type: PVA
Tagging: General, 4 sides
Paper: Tullis Russell
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Official First Day Cover

Quantity Produced - Unknown
Original Purchase Price: $1.65
Cancellation Location: Montreal QC
Perforation: 12.5 x 13
Printing Process: Lithography
Gum Type: PVA
Tagging: General, 4 sides
Paper: Tullis Russell
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Set of 2 Official First Day Covers

Quantity Produced - Unknown
Original Purchase Price: $3.30
Cancellation Location: Montreal QC
Perforation: 12.5 x 13
Printing Process: Lithography
Gum Type: PVA
Tagging: General, 4 sides
Paper: Tullis Russell
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About Stamp

It requires no canvas, no paint, no clay, but fly tying is an art form nonetheless. Working with an array of tools and accessories - vices, magnifying glasses, pliers, needles, scissors, tweezers, threads, hooks, feathers, furs, wool, silks, metallic tinsels and more - anglers create not just an implement for sport fishing, but a thing of beauty as well.

Six of the most attractive flies used in Canada are captured in Canada Post's colourful Fishing Flies domestic-rate stamp set: the Lady Amherst, Coquihalla Orange, Cosseboom Special, Dark Montreal, Coho Blue and Steelhead Bee - some of the best known and most popular in the sport.

Given the tremendous interest in sport fishing (or "angling") in Europe, Canada was a fisherman's paradise for early settlers. Nineteenth-century writers described Canadian trout and salmon fishing as some of the greatest in the world. Incredible catches in the thousands were recorded. It is said that the rivers were so filled with fish it seemed possible to cross the water by walking on their backs. Though not as abundant now as before, Canadian fish still attract about a million tourist anglers, in addition to the 5.6 million Canadians who enjoy the sport.

Fly-fishing is one of four traditional methods of sport fishing. Bait fishing - with worms, larvae and minnows; trolling or trailing bait behind a slow-moving boat; and bait casting and spinning with lures and minnows are the other three. With fly-fishing, the angler uses silk, feather, hair, wool and other materials to imitate the flies and insects that live in or near water - the prey that many fish seek out for nourishment. But fishing flies are more than simply artificial copies of food forms. In fact, many are fanciful, gaudy creations unlike anything in nature! There are different flies for different sport fish and favourites exist for specific geographic locations. Canadian fishing flies, as the sport of fly-fishing itself, owe much to Scotland and England. Nineteenth century texts, which did much to standardize and promote fly "dressing" or tying, originated in the UK, so more than 1,000 recognized standard patterns for salmon and trout flies are mostly based on historic Scottish and English patterns, according to Canadian angling and fishing-fly authority David Lank. With changing tastes and materials, a whole range of new flies has evolved, Lank says. In many of the classic patterns, the feathers of exotic or rare bird species have been replaced, and new flies have been created by local tyers to meet local conditions.

The Canada Post Fishing Flies commemorative stamp issue features six of our nation's finest fly patterns. The Fishing Flies issues are delicate montages that fuse images of colourful fishing flies with backdrops of relevant water surfaces - the "books" of the flyfisher - and subtle images of the coveted game-fish these flies are intended to tempt. The development of this unique stamp collection was almost as intricate as the creation of the flies themselves! Each of the flies was custom made by an eminent fly-tyer from one of the principal centres of fly fishing in Canada. The flies and the water patterns were then photographed by James Steeves of Halifax. Finally, designer and illustrator Paul-Michael Brunelle of Halifax created the fish illustrations that provide the backgrounds, and incorporated all elements into the final designs.

Steelhead Bee by Roderick Haig-Brown

One of the most productive - and therefore popular - dry flies, the Steelhead Bee, also known as the BC Bee, was developed in the 1950s by Roderick Haig-Brown for use on the Campbell River.

Creators

Based on photographs by James Steeves.

Similar Stamps

Reference

Canada Post Corporation, Canada's Stamp Details, Vol. 7, No. 2, 1998, p. 12-13, 16.

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