Fly tying
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fly Tying is the art of creating an artificial lure, usually made of thread, fur, and/or feathers, for use in fly fishing (See fly lure). There are many types of patterns. Some imitate aquatic insects, others mimic terrestrial bugs, while still others are creations not intended to represent any particular fish or insect.
To produce a successful fly pattern, a fly-tyer needs to be familiar with a variety of tools and materials, as well as numerous creatures that inhabit a river, stream, or lake. With feathers, fur, hooks, wire, and thread, many tiers create very realistic imitations. Other fly tiers do not aim for extreme realism in their representation of an insect, but rather to mimic the movement and action of an insect or fish in its aquatic environment. Fly tying can be a challenging and rewarding hobby, a money-saving strategy, or even a business venture.
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[edit] Equipment
[edit] Tools
Because the average fly is typically small, certain tools are needed for intricate work. According to Skip Morris, a veteran fly-tyer, there are several tools essential to the creation of fly. He lists essential tools as being: a vise to hold the hook of the fly to be tied, as well as bobbins, magnifying glass or hood, hackle pliers, hackle gauges, lights, hair stackers, and scissors. Other optional tools are pliers, toothpicks, bodkins, dubbing twisters, blenders, floss bobbins, whip finishers, wing burners, and bobbin threaders. By using these tools tiers can create flies smaller than the size of an average human finger nail.
[edit] Materials
Fly tying materials can be almost anything. According to Morris, fly-tie material is basically anything that is placed on a fly, and there are really no limitations to the materials used. Many fly-tyers use whatever they find around the house. A few more common materials are feathers, fur, threads, wire, yarns, chenille, flosses, tinsels, and a wide variety of synthetic materials.
[edit] Hooks
The hook determines the basic size and shape of each fly. Hooks come in a wide range of sizes, shapes, lengths, and weights, and the hook must be selected to complement the pattern being tied. Additionally, if the fly will be used in salt water, a corrosion-resistant material should be selected to prevent premature rust.
[edit] Fly Patterns
Since the first development of the fishing fly, many different patterns have been created. The Professional Fly Tying manual classifies flies into five main groups. Flies are usually classified as being wet, dry, streamer, or nymph.
[edit] Dry Fly
A dry fly floats on the surface film of the water. They can imitate aquatic insects that have just emerged, insects that dapping on the surface of the water and depositing eggs, or those that have expired and fallen back into the water (spinners). Imitations of terrestrial insects that have (accidentally) fallen into the water are also tied as a dry fly.
[edit] Terrestrial
A terrestrial is a dry or wet fly designed to imitate a terrestrial ground insect, including crickets, grasshoppers, ants, spiders, and beetles. Larger terrestrial creatures such as mice may also be tied as a terrestrial dry fly for use in bass fly fishing.
[edit] Wet Fly
A wet fly is a fly that is fished below the surface of the water. They are usually tied to imitate the adult or immature form of mobile aquatic insects. The wet fly category covers a vast array of sizes and patterns, from nymphs and streamers to crawfish, leeches, and freshwater shrimp.
[edit] Emerger
The term Emerger refers to a wet fly that imitates the transitional form of an aquatic insect emerging from its nymphal cocoon into an adult, normally found anywhere from the river bottom to just below the surface. Emergers typically have small vertical wings, with a tail that trails down into the water.
[edit] Nymph
The term nymph is a type of wet fly that imitates the immature form of an aquatic insect such as the mayfly, damselfly, and dragonfly. Nymphs comprise the a major part of the diet of trout and salmon. Nymphs are normally fished subsurface, and are often employed to catch fish holding in deeper current. Nymphs can be weighted or unweighted, and with or without a beadhead of brass or tungsten. Un-weighted nymphs are employed in shallow water, while weighted or beadhead nymphs are used to reach the deeper reaches of a stream or river.
[edit] Streamer
A streamer is a type of wet fly that typically represents a bait fish. Though it can represent various creatures, streamers are usually constructed to represent minnows, sculpin, tadpoles, or other baitfish. Consequently, they tend to be fished in a more active fashion. Some are very beautiful, such as salmon or steelhead streamers. A certain percentage of artificial flies may never be fished, but are instead sought by collectors for their beauty and complexity.
[edit] Others
There are many other types of fly that may be used, limited only by the imagination and skill of the individual fly-tyer. These include bass bugs, 'sliders', and 'poppers' - surface lures often made of cork, foam, or deer hair. They may be designed to imitate frogs, mice, or injured baitfish.
Other fly patterns are tied as wet flies in order to represent different subsurface aquatic creatures such as leeches, crawfish, freshwater shrimp, baby sunfish, or immature game fish such as trout or bass. Salt water patterns are often created to imitate a baitfish, sand flea, or other saltwater creature.
[edit] Common Patterns
There are many fly patterns in the world. A few of the more widely-recognized and common patterns are listed below:
[edit] Dry Fly
Humpy
Adams
Hendrickson
Royal Coachman
Blue Dun
Cahill
Stimulator
Black Spinner
[edit] Emerger
DHE
Shaving Brush
[edit] Nymph
Hare and Copper
Montana Nymph
Flash Back Nymph
[edit] Wet
Woolly Worm
Mrs Simpson
[edit] Streamer
Matuka
Zonker
Lefty's Deceiver
Double Bunny
Clousers Minnow
[edit] Others
Gurgler - The Gurgler is a versatile surface fly for salt or fresh water, particularly striped bass
Crazy Charlie
Bass Bug
Merkin Crab
Deer Hair Mouse
[edit] Sources
- Morris, Skip.Fly Tying Made Clear and Simple. Portland, OR: Frank Amato Publications. 1992
- Spittler, Marvin Peter, ed. Professional Fly Tying Manual. Waseca, Minn: Brown Publishing Company. 1941
- Bates, Joseph D., Streamer Fly Tying & Fishing. Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole Books. 1966
