The most important, and probably most expensive tool used in fly tying is the vise. Its primary function is to hold the hook securely. It may be held in position with a C-clamp affixed to a table edge, or else B
it will feature a heavily weighted base which can be placed upon any flat surface. Most vises are stationary models which remain in one position, although they might have several possible adjustments. A second
type, called a rotary vise, serves a dual function since it can be used as a stationary model but is also designed to rotate the hook to assist in the winding of materials. Many models are available at a wide rD
ange of prices, however, the least expensive models will usually prove inadequate. Features to look for include the ability to hold a wide range of hook sizes, smoothness of the finish, height adjustments, and E
ease of operation.
TOOLS
TOOLS / Vises
Scissors
Small very sharp scissors with narrow fine points are indispensable for the detailed work of fly tying. Large finger holes are preferred by experienced tiers who keep the scissors on their fingers throughout thB
e tying procedure. Heavier scissors are used on coarse materials primarily to preserve the points and sharpness of the fine pair. Serrated blades on heavier scissors help prevent materials from slipping away as
they are being cut. Most fly tying material suppliers offer scissors specially designed for this purpose. In some cases where the tips are too thick, the points can be carefully filed down from the outside. BoDlth straight and curved blades are available with the choice being primarily a matter of personal preference.
TOOLS
TOOLS / Scissors
Bobbins & Bodkin
BOBBIN - This is a tool which holds the spool of thread during the tying operation. The bobbin permits very accurate control over both the placement of each individual thread winding on the hook, and the very iB
mportant thread tension which is the basis of building a strong, durable fly. Also the bobbin provides sufficient weight to prevent unravelling of thread when the hands must be free for other purposes. Modern c
eramic-tube bobbins eliminate the sharp edges often associated with metal-tube bobbins.
BODKIN - A simple, inexpensive device consisting of a needle inserted into a handle for the sake of convenience. It is usD
ed for a great many operations such as applying head cement, picking out stray fibers, cleaning out the eye of a hook, separating fibers, and picking out dubbing fur. Some bodkins have a magnet built within to EBpick up hooks, others incorporate a half hitch tool as the handle.
TOOLS
TOOLS / Bobbins & Bodkin
Hackle Pliers
These are used to grip hackle feathers by the tips and to hold them securely as they are wound around or applied to the fly. They must have a firm grip as hackles are often very small and will slip out of the j
aws quite easily. Sharp edges on the pliers will cut the feather and should be avoided. Low quality hackle pliers can be most exasperating.
TOOLS
TOOLS / Hackle Pliers
Other Tools
Many tools have been designed to assist fly tiers with specific procedures. Some of the most useful include:
HALF HITCH TOOL used to make half hitch knots at head, particularly useful on Muddler Minnow heads;
BOBBIN THREADER, very inexpensive but saves on patience when trying to get thread through the bobbin tube, especially once it becomes clogged with wax;
TWEEZERS, are very useful for picking up small hooks C
and for other occasions when you need to pick out very small feathers or fibers;
WHIP FINISHER, a tool that requires practice to use properly, but once mastered, enables one to rapidly tie a whip finish knot,
the most secure manner to tie off your thread upon completion of a fly;
HAIR STACKER, is essentially a tube into which bucktail or other hair is inserted, tips downward, then tapped against desk or table, toE9 evenly align the hair tips when used for wings or tails.
TOOLS
TOOLS / Other Tools
Adamsj
VIDEO
VIDEO / Adams
s Dutch CDC Bead Headj
VIDEO
J"VIDEO / Theo
s Dutch CDC Bead Head
Elk Hair Caddis, Tanj
VIDEO
VIDEO / Elk Hair Caddis, Tan
Kaufmann Black Stonej
VIDEO
VIDEO / Kaufmann Black Stone
Mickey Finnj
VIDEO
VIDEO / Mickey Finn
Quill Gordon (Flick)j
VIDEO
VIDEO / Quill Gordon (Flick)
Comparadun
Introduction
Tying the Comparadun style dry fly is really quite simple, although it may take a little practice to make a perfect wing. The selection of the proper deer body hair for the wing is critical, and weB
use varied pieces of deer body hair with different diameter hair, matching the hair to the hook size being tied. Usually we find coastal deer hair to be most satisfactory. Use a standard length dry fly hook.
Step 1
Attach your thread behind the eye of the hook and wrap toward the rear of the hook. Cut away the tag end when finished.
Step 2
Wax a short length of the tying thread with a tacky dubbing wax.
Step 3
rom the bunch of blended dubbing fur selected for the body color, tease out a very small quantity.
Step 4
Apply the dubbing fur onto the tying thread by twisting it around the thread, turning it tightly in one
direction only.
Step 5
Wind the dubbing fur at the rear of the hook shank, creating a small fur ball.
Step 6
Select a piece of coastal deer body hair of the desired color and texture.
Step 7
Isolate a bunchF
of deer body hair and cut it from the skin using scissors.
Step 8
Remove any fuzz from the base of the hair bunch, using a brush or comb or your fingers.
Step 9
Using a hair stacker, align the tips of the de
er body hair.
Step 10
Holding the wing material in your left hand, with the tips of hair extending toward the eye of the hook, measure a length equal to the length of the hook shank.
Step 11
With your tying tH
hread at the wing position, about 1/4 of the way behind the hook eye along the hook shank, reposition the deer body hair so the full wing length extends forward from the tie in position of the wing.
Step 12
th your tying thread make 10 to 15 tight wraps of thread to secure the wing on top of the hook shank. As you wrap the thread, your left hand holds the hair tightly in position so that the hair stays on top of tJ
he hook.
Step 13
Grasp the butt ends of the deer body hair and cut away the excess at an angle.
Step 14
With the tying thread wrap down all the remaining butt ends of hair and bring the tying thread forward.
Step 15
Holding the wing back with your left hand, make numerous thread wraps directly in front of the wing base to force the hair into an upright position. This is a critical procedure and usually it
s best tL
o make a few additional wraps. You want the wing of this fly to be at a right angle to the hook shank.
Step 16
Add a drop of cement at the base of the wing.
Step 17
Select a few long, stiff barbs from a hackl
e selected as tailing material, or select 2 or 3 microfibetts.
Step 18
With your tying thread positioned immediately in front of the fur ball at the rear, tie in the hackle barbs on the far side so they extendN
backwards a distance equal to the hook shank length.
Step 19
Repeat the same procedure using another bunch of tailing material, this time tying on the near side of the hook.
Step 20
A few more wraps immediat
ely in front of the fur ball, as you adjust and separate the 2 tails, will lock them into position. Trim away any excess.
Step 21
Prepare to add the dubbing fur for the body by waxing the tying thread.
Step 2P
Twist the dubbing fur onto the thread. Take care not to use too much fur, it is better to be sparse than to have excessive amounts.
Step 23
Beginning immediately in front of the tail, wrap the dubbing fur fo
rward to the wing, forming the body.
Step 24
Before adding fur in front of the wing, first grasp the wing, pull it upright and fan it over the top of the hook a full 180 degrees.
Step 25
Continue wrapping theRl dubbing fur in front of the wing.
Step 26
Whip finish, cut away the thread and add a drop of head cement.
STEP BY STEP
STEP BY STEP / Comparadun
s Hopper
Introduction
To imitate a grasshopper
s long body, a 2x long, or even a 3x long hook is selected. Light wire hooks aid in achieving the desired flotation. The large and powerful rear legs of a hopper are quite B
prominent on the natural insect, and most experts agree that it
s important that they are represented on any imitation.
Step 1
Beginning about 1/3 of the hook shank length behind the eye of the hook, attach
your thread and wrap toward the rear of the hook. Cut away the tag end when finished.
Step 2
From a red dyed rooster neck select a single hackle feather with long barbs, and from one side of the feather shaft D
strip away a small bunch of barbs.
Step 3
Measure the bunch of red hackle barbs against the gape of the hook. When the hackle barbs are placed in position you want their length to be about 1 1/2 times the hook
gape.
Step 4
Holding the red hackle barbs in position with your left hand, wrap them on top of the hook shank with 2 or three turns of thread.
Step 5
This should be the position of the tail before wrapping tF
he remaining butt ends of hackle.
Step 6
Regrasping the tail to prevent it from moving, tightly wrap the thread forward, binding down the butt ends of hackle.
Step 7
From a card of yellow polypropylene yarn,
sometimes called floating yarn, cut a 6 inch length.
Step 8
At the front tie-in point secure the forward end of the poly yarn on top of the hook shank. Depending on the thickness of the poly yarn, you may firsH
t have to split the yarn to reduce its bulk. A little trial and error will soon make it evident if you have the correct volume of yarn.
Step 9
Keeping the poly yarn on top of the hook shank, continue wrapping
tightly back to the tail position.
Step 10
Form a loop with the poly yarn as shown
Step 11
Holding the loop in position with your left hand, secure it in place on top of the hook shank by making 3 or 4 tight J
turns with the tying thread. The yarn loop, which represents an extended body, should extend to just short of the end of the tail.
Step 12
Continue wrapping forward the length of the body, firmly securing the
poly yarn, and trim away any excess with your scissors.
Step 13
With your tying thread wrap tightly over the body with two widely spaced layers of thread, firmly securing the body in place. Then it's a good idL
ea to add a drop of cement as added security.
Step 14
Select another piece of poly yarn and tie it in at the base of the previous yarn loop. The butt end of the poly yarn should extend forward the length of th
e body to provide a smooth foundation.
Step 15
Wrap forward with the tying thread to secure the butt ends of the poly yarn.
Step 16
Select a long brown neck hackle or saddle hackle.
Step 17
Move the tying tN
hread to the rear of the body. Strip away some of the barbs near the hackle feather base and lay the bare feather shaft on top of the body, with the tip portion pointed rearward and the butt end forward. Make a
wrap or two of thread at the rear of the body to secure the hackle in position.
Step 18
Continue wrapping forward to bind down the feather shaft and trim away the excess.
Step 19
Wrap the poly yarn forward tP
o form the body, bind with the tying thread, trim away any excess, and add a drop of cement to the thread windings.
Step 20
Grasp the tip of the brown hackle feather and spiral it forward in evenly spaced open
turns. Bind the feather with thread and trim away the excess.
Step 21
Using scissors clip all of the hackle barbs to a short length as shown. This clipped hackle rib is designed to simulate body segmentation R
and to assist in flotation.
Step 22
Next, with scissors trim the hackle very short on top of the body so that they don
t interfere with the placement of the wing.
Step 23
The grasshopper wing will be made wit
h a segment from a mottled brown turkey wing quill that has previously been lightly coated with a flexible cement such as Dave
s Fleximent or vinyl cement.
Step 24
Having isolated a section of turkey wing quilT
l with a dubbing needle, or the point of scissors, pull or cut away the segment from the quill.
Step 25
Temporarily position the turkey wing quill segment in position on top of the body, estimating the best po
sition for tying it on, and estimating the needed length at the same time.
Step 26
Remove the turkey segment, cut it to approximate length, and slightly round off the end of the wing with scissors.
Step 27
position the wing atop the fly so it extends back over the yarn loop.
Step 28
Hold the wing in position with the left hand as you firmly wrap it in place with the tying thread.
Step 29
Trim away the excess an
d reinforce the windings with a drop of cement.
Step 30
To prepare the hopper legs we begin with feathers from a grizzly neck dyed yellow.
Step 31
The individual feather barbs are trimmed to a taper, slightlyX
heavier near the base of the feather.
Step 32
Feather shafts are knotted with the help of tweezers, forming a knee joint.
Step 33
The first leg is held in position as shown.
Step 34
Holding the leg firmly
in position with the left hand, wrap 5 or 6 turns of thread just in front of the body to fasten the grasshopper leg.
Step 35
Repeat this procedure to place the leg on the opposite side of the fly and then makeZ
another 5 or 6 wraps of thread around both legs, repositioning the legs as you proceed.
Step 36
With scissors trim both legs so they extend just beyond the tail.
Step 37
Trim away the excess feather and plac
e a drop of cement on the thread windings.
Step 38
The head of Dave
s Hopper is made from deer body hair.
Step 39
A small bunch of deer body hair is cut from the skin, and any unwanted fuzz is removed from th\
e base of the hairs using a fine comb or your fingers.
Step 40
Align the tips of the deer body hair using a hair stacker.
Step 41
Measure the bunch of hair against the fly. You want the hair to extend about 3
/4 of the way back along the wing.
Step 42
Switch hands and hold the bunch of hair tightly with your left hand.
Step 43
Make one full turn of thread, gradually tightening as you proceed. Do not relax your gri^
p with the left hand. You will notice that the butt ends of deer hair begin to flare.
Step 44
Gradually increase thread tension as you make a second wrap of thread directly over the first wrap. As you make a t
hird turn of thread release your grip with the left hand and the deer body hair will flare and spin around the hook as shown. Three or four additional winds of thread atop one another will lock the hair in plac`
Step 45
Push, or pack, the hair back tightly and move the thread to the bare hook shank in front. Be careful not to push so hard that you move the body. A drop of cement at the base of the hair adds durabi
lity.
Step 46
Repeat the process of spinning on deer body hair until the remaining bare hook shank is filled with tightly packed hair. This will usually mean adding one or two more clumps of hair. Because thesb
e additional clumps are all going to be trimmed short, it
s best that you cut away the tips so that each bunch is only 3/4 inch to one inch long before you spin it into position.
Step 47
After all the deer bod
y hair has been added, the untrimmed hopper should look like this. The last tying procedure will be to tie off the tying thread at the front using either a whip finish or a series of half hitches. Put a drop ofd
cement on the thread windings.
Step 48
Remove the fly from the vise to begin trimming the deer body hair. For the most part you only want to clip the butt ends of the deer hair, not the tapered tip ends. Thus
, when you grasp the fly for trimming, with your left hand hold the tip ends of hair against the fly body. This leaves the shorter butt ends protruding and easy to trim. We usually begin by turning the fly upsif
de down and trimming the hair flat on the bottom.
Step 49
Continue trimming on all sides to a rough shape so you can better view the evolving fly.
Step 50
As you proceed giving the fly a haircut, it will begi
n to take a shape like this.
Step 51
On the bottom you want to trim away all long hairs, including the tip ends. This permits the body to be seen when viewed from below, and it prevents obstruction of the hookh
point.
Step 52
When you
ve finished trimming the head, it
s a good idea to place a drop or 2 of cement so that it penetrates to the base of the deer body hair.
STEP BY STEP
STEP BY STEP / Dave
s Hopper
Light Cahill Wet Fly
Introduction
This is a very traditional style of wet fly. The color and material combination happen to be for a Light Cahill, but similar, if not identical techniques, will produce numerous other traditional weB
t fly patterns.. It is tied on a standard length, heavy wire hook to aid the fly in sinking. All of the materials used tend to absorb water, which also contributes to the quick sinking properties of this fly. T
he hackle barbs used for the tail and throat are very soft and they impart a sense of movement to the fly as it is moved through the water.
Step 1
Beginning just behind the eye of the hook, attach your threaD
d and wrap toward the rear of the hook. Cut away the tag end when finished.
Step 2
This fly pattern description specifies that you use a soft hackle for the throat and tail. The softest feathers are found on
a common hen chicken neck like the one shown here. For the Light Cahill you want a light cream color neck.
Step 3
From this neck select a single long feather.
Step 4
As you look at the feather you will noF
tice that most of the barbs are webby and opaque. These webby fibers absorb water so are ideal for helping a wet fly to sink.
Step 5
Strip away a small bunch of barbs to be used as a tail.
Step 6
Position
these barbs at the rear of the hook shank, pinch them to keep all of the individual barbs on top and secure with a soft wrap of thread. The distance that the tail extends rearward should be equal to the lengthH
of the hook shank.
Step 7
Once you
ve determined that the tail is in proper position, secure it with additional thread wraps working your thread forward to a point about 1/8th inch behind the eye of the hoo
Step 8
Select a dubbing fur for the body. For the Light Cahill this will be the cream color soft belly hair from a red fox, or a similar substitute. The dubbing fur should be blended so that the individuaJ
l fibers all go in different directions.
Step 9
In order to help the dubbing fur to stick to the thread, first apply a light coating of clean wax to the thread.
Step 10
Take a very small quantity of dubbi
ng and touch it to the thread, very softly twisting it onto the thread with your thumb and forefinger. The biggest error is to use too much fur. It is much easier to work with small quantities of fur dubbing.
Step 11
Extend the length of your body material by adding more dubbing fur to the thread until the total length is about 3 inches. With experience you will learn to adjust this length for each individual fly y
ou tie.
Step 12
Lightly, but with increasing firmness, twist the dubbing fur in one direction only, until you have a neat yarn of fur for the body.
Step 13
Begin building the body by wrapping the dubbing N
rearward in close turns.
Step 14
Continue wrapping all the way to the rear of the hook.
Step 15
Finish the body by wrapping the dubbing fur forward over the first set of wraps, finishing about 1/8 th inch
behind the eye of the hook. If at this point you have any excess dubbing fur on your thread it should be removed.
Step 16
Select a hackle feather for the throat. This might even be the same hackle you used P
for the tail.
Step 17
With your thumb and forefinger, stroke the barbs toward the base of the feather.
Step 18
With your scissors cut away the top part of the hackle feather.
Step 19
This is what your f
eather should look like.
Step 20
The next step is more easily accomplished if the fly is inverted. With a rotary vise as shown here, simply rotate the fly into position. With a stationary vise you remove theR
fly and reinsert it in an inverted position.
Step 21
Before attaching the throat hackle, first stroke the barbs back to the original angle relative to the feather shaft.
Step 22
Next, isolate a group of
hackle barbs as shown here.
Step 23
Position the feather so that the point of separation is immediately above your thread position at the front end of the body.
Step 24
Grasp the feather with the left hanT
d holding the shaft firmly in position.
Step 25
Two or three wraps of thread will hold the hackle in position.
Step 26
With your left hand hold the hackle barbs in position while you gently pull the feath
er forward with your right hand. You want the individual hackle barbs to be of a length that they extend almost to the point of the hook.
Step 27
A few more turns of thread will secure your throat in this poV
sition.
Step 28
Using your scissors, trim away the excess hackle.
Step 29
Return your fly to its original upright position.
Step 30
Select a symmetrical woodduck flank feather to be used for the wing.
Step 31
Isolate the tip section by folding down the lower feather barbs.
Step 32
With the tips of your scissors, trim away the center stem of your feather.
Step 33
Stroke the feather toward its tip, briX
nging the individual barbs to a tapered bunch.
Step 34
Hold the woodduck wing feather over the body to determine its correct length and position. It should extend to about the midpoint of the tail.
Step 35
Grasp the woodduck and hold it firmly in position with your left hand.
Step 36
Make 2 or 3 soft wraps of thread and check to make sure the woodduck wing is in the correct position.
Step 37
Securing the wZ
ing firmly with your left hand continue with additional tight wraps of thread.
Step 38
Trim away all excess woodduck feather.
Step 39
Use additional thread wraps to cover the stub ends of feather and make
a neat, tapered head.
Step 40
Whip finish and trim away your thread.
Step 41
A drop of head cement on the thread only will complete the fly.
STEP BY STEP
J#STEP BY STEP / Light Cahill Wet Fly
b%Partridge & Green Soft Hackle Wet Fly
Introduction
soft-hackle
family of wet flies are usually quite simple in design and somewhat similar to one another. Most often tied without tails, they commonly feature a body of floss, fur or peacock heB
rl, and may or may not have an exaggerated thorax. The common ingredient is the soft, webby hackle wrapped at the front of the fly. A variety of feathers are used, but all are very soft and webby so they will a
bsorb water and move easily in the water.
Step 1
Beginning just behind the eye of a standard wet fly hook, attach black tying thread and wrap toward the rear of the hook. Cut away the tag end when finished.
Step 2
Advance your tying thread to a position about 3/4 of the way forward on the hook shank.
Step 3
Cut a 6 inch length of green floss. You may use nylon or rayon acetate floss, but silk floss is easier t
o wrap without fraying.
Step 4
To attach floss you may find it easier if you first loop your length of floss around the tying thread.
Step 5
Securely holding the floss in your left hand, slide it along the F
tying thread up into position on the hook shank.
Step 6
Release your grip on the forward length of the floss and secure it to the hook shank with 5 or 6 additional turns of thread.
Step 7
Using your scissor
s, trim away any excess floss at the front.
Step 8
Wind the floss to the rear of the hook shank.
Step 9
Wind the floss forward to the original tie in point and secure with 4 or 5 additional thread wraps. TrH
im away any excess floss.
Step 10
Select some prepackaged dubbing fur, or cut and mix some fur from a hare
s mask.
Step 11
Prepare your thread to accept the fur dubbing by coating it lightly with some stic
ky dubbing wax.
Step 12
Touch some dubbing fur to the thread with a very light twisting motion in one direction only.
Step 13
Additional light twists will form the fur into a usable noodle which can be wrapJ
ped around the hook.
Step 14
Using light pressure of your finger from behind, you can slide the fur noodle closer to the hook.
Step 15
Wrap a small ball of fur as a shoulder, or thorax, leaving space in fro
nt to wind the soft hackle.
Step 16
Select a gray Hungarian partridge body feather for the hackle.
Step 17
Strip away the downy lower barbs of the hackle.
Step 18
Grasp the tip of the hackle and stroke tL
he barbs so they extend at approximate right angles from the shaft.
Step 19
Holding the hackle in your left hand, with its concave side facing toward the rear, position the feather so that its tip extends at
an angle forward, and the point of separation of the barbs is immediately above the thread.
Step 20
Secure the hackle with 5 or 6 thread wraps and using your scissors trim away the excess feather tip.
Step N
Grasp the butt end of the hackle with a hackle plier and start to make the first wrap directly in front of the fur ball. As you begin this wrap, use your finger to guide the hackle barbs to a rearward posi
tion.
Step 22
Continue winding the hackle, constantly guiding the barbs with the thumb and index fingers of your left hand, until you
ve completed 1 1/2 or 2 wraps.
Step 23
Secure the hackle with 6 or 8 aP
dditional thread wraps and trim away any excess with your scissors.
Step 24
Complete your fly with a whip finish and a drop of head cement.
STEP BY STEP
J4STEP BY STEP / Partridge & Green Soft Hackle Wet Fly
Royal Wulff Dry Fly
Introduction
The Royal Wulff is tied on a standard length, and sometimes a 1X long, dry fly hook. Most often it is tied quite fully, as opposed to sparsely, which provides the high visibility and high flotationB
for which the Royal Wulff is noted.
Step 1
Beginning just behind the eye of the hook wrap a base of black thread to provide a foundation at the wing position. Move the tying thread to the center of this bas
Step 2
Select a white calf tail with relatively straight hairs.
Step 3
Isolate a bunch of calf tail hair and cut it away from the tail.
Step 4
Insert the tip ends of the calf tail into a hair stacker and D
tap the stacker to align the calf tail tips.
Step 5
The tips of the calf tail hair should now be aligned like shown. They may now be removed from the stacker taking care to keep the hair aligned.
Step 6
Holdi
ng the bunch of calf tail hair above the hook, measure a length that is equal to the length of the hook shank.
Step 7
Move the calf tail clump forward and secure it on top of the hook shank, at the center of tF
he thread base. Hold the hair firmly in place with your left hand while you make 6 to 8 tight thread wraps to hold the hair in place.
Step 8
Using scissors cut away the excess butt ends of the hair, cutting a
t an angle which will help you create a smooth body.
Step 9
With the tying thread firmly wrap down the remaining butt portion of the calf tail hair, and continue wrapping to the back of the hook shank.
Step 1H
The hair needed for the tail of the Royal Wulff is taken from the brown hair on the back side of a natural white bucktail.
Step 11
Cut a bunch of the brown bucktail hair and align the tips either by hand or
using a hair stacker.
Step 12
Secure the bucktail on top of the hook at the tail position using 5 or 6 turns of thread, the first thread turn at the rear and working forward with successive wraps.
Step 13
tinue wrapping the tying thread forward a few turns, then with scissors cut away the excess butt ends of bucktail at an angle. You want the tapered bucktail ends to dovetail with the previously tapered calf tai
l, so that you end up with a smooth foundation for the body.
Step 14
Make additional thread wraps until all the butt ends of hair are covered and you have a smooth body.
Step 15
With your left hand firmly graL
sp the calf tail wing and pull it upright and backward, You may even want to crimp the base of the wing by pushing on it with your right thumb and forcing it backward.
Step 16
Force the wing into an upright po
sition by making numerous thread turns immediately in front of the wing, working the thread so as to produce a smooth tapered base. This procedure may take anywhere from 20 to 60 thread wraps, depending on the N
size of your fly and the size of the thread being used.
Step 17
Using the point of your scissors, evenly divide the wing in half, and adjust each clump into position using your fingers.
Step 18
Holding the ne
arest wing in your left hand, make 3 diagonal wraps of thread to begin to separate the 2 bunches.
Step 19
To continue the separation of the 2 wings, grasp the far wing with your left hand while you make 3 moreP
diagonal wraps in the opposite direction.
Step 20
Carefully take 3 or 4 turns of thread around the base of each wing to give them added definition. When finished add a drop of cement to the base of the wings.
Step 21
Return the tying thread to the tail position.
Step 22
Select a single peacock herl from a peacock tail feather.
Step 23
Attach the butt end of the peacock herl at the tail position. The peacock herlR
has 2 distinct sides. The quill, like a stem, actually protrudes a bit on one side. You want to position the peacock herl so that this side is facing toward the head of the fly.
Step 24
Advance your thread to
a position covering abour 1/4 of the distance between the base of the tail and the wing. Wrap the peacock herl forward to this same spot and bind it down with thread. Do not cut away the remaining peacock herlT
Step 25
Select a 3 inch length of red floss and tie it in directly in front of the winds of peacock.
Step 26
Again, advance the tying thread, binding the remaining peacock herl as you go, to the 1/2 way poi
nt between the tail and wing. Wrap the red floss forward so the width of the band of floss is the same as the section of peacock herl at the rear of the body, and cut away any excess floss.
Step 27
To completeV
the body first move the thread forward to a point 3/4 of the distance from the tail to the wing. Continue wrapping the peacock herl forward and tie down at the thread position. Cut away any remaining peacock h
Step 28
From a rooster neck select 2 coachman brown hackles.
Step 29
Strip away some of the barbs near the base of both hackles, leaving a bare stem.
Step 30
Holding both hackles together, with the shinX
y sides facing up and forward, concave sides to the back, tie them into place directly in front of the body and behind the wing.
Step 31
Continue binding down the hackle stems bringing the tying thread in fron
t of the wings.
Cut away the excess hackle stems.
Step 32
Grasp the tip of the front most hackle with hackle pliers and make 3 wraps of hackle behind the wing, then continue winding forward and make about 3 orZ
4 turns in front of the wing. Bind down the hackle tip with thread.
Step 33
Repeat the above windings using the second hackle. In order to make hackle winds over a hackle wrapped earlier you should lightly wi
ggle the hackle from side to side as you wind. This reduces the number of barbs that might get trapped under the second hackle. Trim away the remaining hackle tips.
Step 34
Make a few wraps of tying thread to \tcover any protruding ends of hackle, whip finish and apply a drop of head cement. This is the completed Royal Wulff.
STEP BY STEP
J"STEP BY STEP / Royal Wulff Dry Fly
Sparkle Spinner
Introduction
The use of a light wire dry fly hook is necessary to help this sparsely tied fly to float. When tying imitations of mayfly spinners keep in mind that the natural insects are mostly very slim in ap
pearance, so you want to use only small quantities of materials.
Step 1
Attach your brown or gray thread at the front and wrap toward the rear of the hook. Cut away the tag end when finished.
Step 2
Lightly C
coat the tying thread with dubbing wax.
Step 3
Attach a very small quantity of reddish-brown fur dubbing to your tying thread, lightly twisting it in one direction only to form a
noodle
of fur.
Step 4
Wrap
the fur dubbing at the rear of the hook shank to form a small fur ball.
Step 5
From a bunch of light gray or blue dun microfibetts, or other tailing material, select 2 or 3 fibers for each side of the fly.
Holding the base ends of the first bunch of tailing material in your right hand, measure the fibers for length. You want to place them so they will extend out the back about 1 1/2 to 2 times the length of
the hook shank.
Step 7
Holding the tail fibers in position with your left hand, place them along the far side of the hook shank, immediately in front of the fur ball, and secure them with 4 or 5 turns of threG
ad so that the tips angle away from you on the far side of the hook. The fur ball helps force the tail material to splay outward
Step 8
Repeat the same procedure to place the tail fibers on the near side of th
e hook.
Step 9
Adjust the tails as needed and make a few more wraps of thread ahead of the fur ball to firmly lock the tail fibers in place. When finished both sides the tails should extend as shown.
Step 10
Sometimes it helps you see the fibers more readily if you hold a piece of cardboard of a contrasting color behind the fly.
Step 11
Trim away any excess tailing material and advance your thread forward to the w
ing position about 2/3 rds of the way up the hook shank.
Step 12
Select a light to medium blue dun synthetic wing material like Z-lon and cut away a 2 inch length.
Step 13
Split the wing material so you have K
the desired diameter bunch and then lay the bunch across the top of the hook shank where you can hold it in place with 2 turns of thread.
Step 14
Switch hands and wrap on the opposite diagonal, criss crossing
the thread. Repeat your winds in both directions until the wing is firmly locked in position.
Step 15
With the left hand grasp both wings together and pull them upward. With scissors cut them to length, about M
equal to the hook shank length.
Step 16
With your fingers pull the wings back down into position, Your fly will now appear as shown.
Step 17
Once again wax a length of thread in preparation of attaching dubbi
ng fur.
Step 18
Tightly twist onto the thread a very thin quantity of the selected color of dubbing fur.
Step 19
Wrap the dubbing back to the fur ball.
Step 20
Continue dubbing forward up to the wing positioO
Step 21
Make a wrap in front of the wing then criss cross the dubbing a couple of times to form a slightly enlarged thorax area.
Step 22
Continue wrapping forward to complete the body.
Step 23
After makin
g a whip finish, removing your thread, and adding a drop of head cement, you may wish to round off the wings to a more natural configuration.
Step 24
This is the completed Sparkle Spinner.
STEP BY STEP
STEP BY STEP / Sparkle Spinner
Tan Woolly Bugger
Introduction
For the lack of a better category Wooly Buggers are often included in the streamer family of flies, but Buggers have become so popular and widespread we
ve given them their own category. A long shaB
nk hook, from 2X to 4X long, is used and the fly is most often weighted,
Step 1
Beginning just behind the eye of the hook, attach tan or brown tying thread and wrap toward the rear of the hook. Cut away the
tag end when finished.
Step 2
Select an appropriate size lead or other wire used to weight flies.
Step 3
Return the thread to the front of the fly and spread a drop or two of cement along the length of the hD
ook shank
Step 4
Attach the wire behind the eye of the hook, leaving a space of about 1/8 inch at the front.
Step 5
Wrap the thread to the rear in close wraps, then wind the wire to the rear in tight, close w
raps. You should leave about 1/8 inch of the straight portion of the hook shank uncovered at the rear.
Step 6
Make 6 or 8 turns of thread to firmly lock the wire at the rear of the hook shank and break away thF
e excess wire by wiggling it back and forth until it breaks.
Step 7
Wrap your tying thread in open turns to the front of the hook and back to the rear. You will be wrapping over the wire to secure it in place
so it won
t twist later.
Step 8
Saturate the windings with head cement or a waterproof CA cement.
Step 9
Select a tan marabou feather. Make sure that the feather you choose does not have a stiff shaft. If it H
does, cut away the shaft portion before using the feather.
Step 10
The marabou tail is going to be tied in on the hook shank directly behind the lead wire.
Step 11
Holding the marabou feather in your right ha
nd, with the feather tips extending toward the rear of the fly, measure a length that is equal to the length of the hook shank.
Step 12
Move the marabou to your right hand and position it at the tie in point. J
Secure it in position on top of the hook shank with 6 to 8 turns of thread.
Step 13
Using your scissors trim away any excess marabou.
Step 14
Cut a length of the appropriate size and color of chenille to be u
sed for the body,
Step 15
To prepare for tying in the chenille, use your thumb and forefinger remove the fuzz from a short length at one end of the chenille. This will reduce the bulk when you attach this mateL
rial to the hook.
Step 16
Holding the chenille in position with your left hand, secure it to the hook with several turns of thread.
Step 17
Select a long, soft saddle hackle of the desired color. Check that
the barb length will produce the proportions you are seeking.
Step 18
Prepare the hackle to be tied in by the tip. Hold the feather by its tip and gently stroke the barbs toward the feather butt, so the indiviN
dual barbs extend at nearly right angles to the feather shaft.
Step 19
Attach the saddle hackle by the tip with the feather
s concave side facing down and toward the tail. The point of attachment should leave
a small space toward the tail since you will be making one turn of chenille behind the hackle tie-in point.
Step 20
Bring the tying thread to the front of the hook, binding down any loose ends as you wrap forwP
Step 21
Holding the hackle forward and out of the way, make the first wrap of chenille between the tail and the hackle tie-in point.
Step 22
Shift the hackle toward the rear so it is out of the way and b
egin to wind the chenille forward in tight, adjacent turns.
Step 23
After you wind the chenille to the front of the fly, secure it with several turns of thread and cut away any excess.
Step 24
Grasp the saddlR
e hackle and make sure the concave side is facing toward the rear; the shiny side forward. Begin to wrap it to the front of the hook in wide, open turns. As you wrap with your right hand, use your left hand to
stroke the hackle barbs so they point toward the rear.
Step 25
Continue winding the saddle hackle until you reach the head of the fly. Secure it with several thread wraps and cut away the excess.
Step 26
WithT
your left hand hold the hackle barbs out of the way as you take additional thread wraps to form the head.
Step 27
Whip finish to secure your thread and cut it away.
Step 28
A drop or two of head cement will
)UNlock the thread in place.
Step 29
This is the complete weighted Woolly Bugger
STEP BY STEP
J STEP BY STEP / Tan Woolly Bugger
Yellow Stimulator
Introduction
A 3X or 4X long hook provides the backbone for the long stonefly adult imitation we will be tying here. The downwing is imitated using deer or elk body hair and the body colors of the natural insec
t are matched by the selection of dubbing furs used for the body.
Step 1
Attach orange tying thread at the front and wrap toward the rear of the hook, then return your thread about 3/4 of the way forward. CutC
away the tag end when finished.
Step 2
Select a piece of medium brown deer or elk body hair with straight hair and cut away a small clump of hair
Step 3
Using a hair stacker, align the tips of the hair
First measure the bunch of deer body hair, you want the tail to extend a length equal to the hook gape, and cut away any excess from the butt ends. Beginning at the thread position, tie in the butt ends on tE
op of the hook shank.
Step 5
Continue winding until you reach the rear of the hook shank where you should take a few extra turns of thread to lock the tail in position
Step 6
Lightly coat a short section of t
he tying thread with dubbing wax.
Step 7
Apply a small amount of the yellow dubbing fur chosen for the body by twisting it lightly onto the thread.
Step 8
Wrap the dubbing fur immediately in front of the tailG
Step 9
Select a long grizzly neck hackle or saddle hackle.
Step 10
Before attaching the grizzly hackle by its tip, you should first hold the hackle by its tip and with the thumb and index finger of free ha
nd stroke the barbs downward along the feather shaft.
Step 11
Attach the tip of the hackle on top of the hook shank, directly in front of the fur dubbing. Secure it with several tight wraps of thread.
Step 12I
Again wax your thread and apply a fairly long section of the body dubbing fur.
Step 13
Tightly wrap the dubbing fur forward until the body covers the rear 3/4 of the hook shank.
Step 14
Grasp the butt end of
the hackle and, with the shiny side facing forward, begin to wind it forward in evenly spaced turns over the body. As you wind with the right hand, use your left hand to guide the hackle barbs so they slope toK
ward the rear.
Step 15
When you reach the front of the body, tie off the hackle and trim away the excess.
Step 16
Wrap a base of thread over the remaining front 1/4 of the hook shank.
Step 17
Using the tips
of your scissors, trim away the hackle barbs directly on top of the body so they won
t interfere with the wing.
Step 18
Select another bunch of deer or elk body hair, a slightly larger bunch than that used forM
the tail, and cut it from the hide.
Step 19
Remove the fuzz from the base of the hair, using either a brush or comb or your fingers.
Step 20
Align the tips of hair using a hair stacker, then, holding the bun
ch in your right hand hold the hair above the hook to determine their proper position on the fly. You want the tips of hair to extend about 1/2 way back over the tail.
Step 21
Advance your tying thread to the O
eye of the hook. Holding the hair in position with the left hand, cut the butt ends of the hair just behind the eye of the hook.
Step 22
Beginning at the hook eye and wrapping toward the rear, secure the hair
in front of the body with firm wraps of thread. Trim away any excess and add a drop of cement to the base of the hair.
Step 23
Select another grizzly hackle, but prepare this one to be tied in by the butt end Q
by stripping away the webby portion of the hackle near the feather base.
Step 24
Holding the feather shaft on the far side of the hook shank, position it so that the shiny side of the hackle is facing forward
and tie it in directly in front of the body fur. Trim away the excess.
Step 25
Select dubbing fur of the desired color for the thorax of the fly. For this pattern orange fur will be used. Wax a short length ofS
the tying thread, and twist the dubbing fur into place.
Step 26
To form the thorax, wrap the fur dubbing over the base of the wing and forward to behind the eye of the hook.
Step 27
Grasp the hackle feather
and wind it forward over the thorax. These turns of hackle should be closer together than the wraps of hackle previously made over the abdomen. When fully forward, bind down the tip of the hackle at the front.
Step 28
Trim away the excess hackle, whip finish, and add a drop of cement to the head.
STEP BY STEP
J STEP BY STEP / Yellow Stimulator
Overview
A hook is the most basic ingredient of a fly and has recently been appropriately described as the
backbone
of any fly. A wide variety of hooks are manufactured specifically for tying flies, with the majority B
being produced by O. Mustad & Sons in Norway. The most basic hook shapes are illustrated with there being little consensus as to which is best. Fly tying hooks generally have a straight bend, i.e. they are not
offset to one side. Hooks can be converted to barbless or semi-barbed by carefully crimping down the barb with flat nose pliers. This seems to help hook penetration with no loss of holding ability. Another wortD
hwhile practice is to sharpen all hooks before beginning to tie. Other styles such as keel, flybody, Swedish, nymph form, parachute, and popper hooks are also available and worthy of attention and experimentatiE
""""""
""""""
HOOKS
HOOKS / Overview
Sizes
Various sizes of fly tying hooks are offered ranging from a designation of #1 to #28, with the highest number representing the smallest hook. Additionally, even larger hooks have size designations from #1/0 to B
#6/0 with higher numbers being larger hooks. The most commonly used sizes range from #6 to #16, although there is good occasion to use either larger or smaller hooks, particularly the latter. A second designati
on is hook length as shown in the accompanying chart which pictures hooks of the same size but of varying lengths. A stubby beetle imitation cannot be properly tied on a very long hook, and, conversely, a long D
slim minnow imitation requires the use of a longer shank. Hook wire weight is another consideration since a heavy wire is stronger and also helps a fly to sink. Light wire helps reduce the tendency to sink, is
)Emgenerally preferred for floating flies, and its smaller diameter offers less resistance to hook penetration.
HOOKS
HOOKS / Sizes
Threads
The materials described here represent those most commonly used in fly tying. Many are available through a great variety of sources, others must be purchased through more specialized fly tying materials supplie
rs. While these are the traditional and tested materials, one should not hesitate to experiment with other materials for this is how we progress. If you don
t have some of the materials required, substitution iC
s quite acceptable for personal flies; however, be certain the replacement material has characteristics similar to the original specified material.
Fly tying thread is made of twisted silk or nylon. The latter
is most available, and generally stronger, but does stretch slightly. Thread diameter is designated by numbers beginning with 1/0 through the smaller 8/0. Even larger threads progress from size
through theE
larger size
. Small threads build up less bulk and weight than large threads, but are not as strong. Untwisted flat nylon threads are now commonly available in two sizes, which seem to satisfy the requireme
nts of most fly tiers. The first type, called Mono Cord, is available waxed or unwaxed and is good for larger flies where strength is required. The smaller type is generally described as fine PreWaxed Nylon andGY sold under various brand names. It
s recommended for all smaller flies, especially drys.
j MATERIALS
MATERIALS / Threads
Body Materials
Body materials are those materials produced in a form which is simply wrapped on the hook shank to create the fly body. Tinsel is a flat metallic colored tape, usually gold or silver, and most commonly availablB
e in fine, medium, and wide sizes. Originally constructed of thin metal, a mylar plastic tinsel is now frequently used because it doesn
t have sharp edges and doesn
t tarnish. Oval tinsel in similar colors and
sizes is also frequently specified for bodies and ribbing. Wool of all sorts is used, especially on wet flies and streamers since it tends to absorb water and sinks well. Orlon, Acrylic, or Polypropylene yarns D
are all good and seem to float better. Floss is made of silk, nylon, or acetate and is used mostly for sinking flies. It is readily available in a wide variety of colors. Spun fur is usually rabbit fur made int
o a yarn in various dyed colors. It
s easy to work with and has a fuzzy appearance desirable on many flies. Chenille of nylon or rayon is sold in many sizes and colors and is best for sinking flies. Latex comesF
in sheet form which can be cut into strips and dyed or marked various colors. It sinks rapidly and is effective on many nymph patterns.
j MATERIALS
MATERIALS / Body Materials
Feathers
This broad category is widely used in fly tying and probably every imaginable type of feather has been tried at one time or another. Hackle refers to feathers from the neck of a bird, most commonly a rooster. FB
or dry flies a long, glossy, stiff hackle is desirable whereas for wet flies a soft, dull hackle is appropriate. Hackles from grouse or partridge or other birds are often short and soft and referred to as
hackles
. Extra long, thin hackles from the rump of a rooster are called Saddle hackles and are used for streamer flies and larger drys. Quills generally refer to the primary or secondary wing quills of any biD
rd. Goose, duck, and turkey quills in either natural or dyed colors are commonly used for tails and wings on a variety of flies. Tail feathers of some birds are used, mostly turkey and ringneck pheasant. The Cr
est is the topmost feathers on the head of the bird. Golden pheasant crest feathers are frequently specified in fly patterns. Tippets refer to the barred feathers from the lower neck of golden and amherst pheasF
ants. Herl is part of a peacock or ostrich plume which has a long flexible stem and very short barbules. Peacock herl with its metallic sheen is an important fly tying ingredient. Maribou was originally a soft
stork feather but now refers to the long downy under-feather from turkeys. It
s often a replacement for streamer wings due to its undulating motion in water. Flank feathers from the sides of woodduck, teal, pinH
tail, and mallard ducks are one of the most popular fly wing materials. Body feathers of all descriptions are used from time to time and may be referred to as back feathers, breast feathers, or rump feathers. B
est known to fly tiers are those from silver and ringneck pheasants, as well as various ducks.
PHOTO KEY:
Body Feathers
1 - Hen Grizzly
2 - Guinea Hen
3 - Grouse
4 - Partridge
5 - Silver Pheasant
6 - Lemon J
Woodduck
7 - Mallard Flank
8 - Teal Flank
9 - Amherst Pheasant Tippet
10 - White Tipped Woodduck
11 - Golden Pheasant Tippet
12 - Jungle Cock Eye
13 - Pintail Flank
14 - Bronze Mallard Flank
15 - Golden Pheasan
t Crest
16 - Saddle Hackle
Natural Hackles
17 - Black
18 - Dark Blue Dun
19 - Honey Dun
20 - Grizzly
21 - White
22 - Cream
23 - Ginger
24 - Brown
25 - Coachman Brown
26 - Furnace
27 - Dark Badger
28 - Light BL
adger
29 - Cree
j MATERIALS
MATERIALS / Feathers
Rooster Necks
This photo shows a variety of natural color rooster necks frequently used in tying dry flies. The colors range from white to black with shades of grey and brown predominating.
j MATERIALS
MATERIALS / Rooster Necks
Bucktailj
NOMENCLATURE
NOMENCLATURE / Bucktail
Streamerj
NOMENCLATURE
NOMENCLATURE / Streamer
NOMENCLATURE
NOMENCLATURE / Wet
NOMENCLATURE
NOMENCLATURE / Dry
Nymphj
NOMENCLATURE
NOMENCLATURE / Nymph
Traditional Fly Proportionsj
NOMENCLATURE
J*NOMENCLATURE / Traditional Fly Proportions
Dry Fly Hackle Variationsj
NOMENCLATURE
J(NOMENCLATURE / Dry Fly Hackle Variations
Dry Fly Upright Wing Variationsi
(View From Front/Side)j
NOMENCLATURE
J.NOMENCLATURE / Dry Fly Upright Wing Variations
Dry Fly Downwing Variationsi
(View From Top)j
NOMENCLATURE
J*NOMENCLATURE / Dry Fly Downwing Variations
Wet Fly Variationsj
NOMENCLATURE
J!NOMENCLATURE / Wet Fly Variations
b#Salmon and Steelhead Fly Variationsj
NOMENCLATURE
J2NOMENCLATURE / Salmon and Steelhead Fly Variations
Aftershaft
)ARsoft, secondary feather, underlying the body feathers of pheasants and other birds
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Aftershaft
(b Attractor
)Aiusually a brightly colored fly which does not imitate any natural food, but is simply attractive to fish
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Attractor
Badger
)Aca hackle with a black center stripe, see materials; also refers to fur from animal of the same name
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Badger
)AWpart of a hook, see hooks; also the individual fibers attached to the stem of a feather
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Barb
Barbless
a hook without a barb
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Barbless
Barbule
)A%miniature fibers along a feather barb
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Barbule
Barred
)A1feather with parallel dark markings across width
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Barred
)A$see description of hooks, see hooks
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Bend
Beard
)A2a style of applying throat hackle, see proportions
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Beard
)A.barb from the short side of a large wing quill
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Biot
Bobbin
)A)tool used to hold tying thread, see tools
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Bobbin
Bobbin Threader
)A)tool to start thread through bobbin tube
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Bobbin Threader
Bodkin
)A)a needle-like tool with handle, see tools
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Bodkin
Braided Tinsel
)A'mylar braided around large cotton cord
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Braided Tinsel
Bucktail
)AVhair from tail of deer; also a style of fly which uses bucktail as principal material
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Bucktail
)ATa part of fly, see nomenclature; also the ends of hair or feathers nearest the skin
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Butt
7b CA Cement
)A"any of the so-called
super glues
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / CA Cement
see Cul de Canard
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / CDC
9b Caddisfly
)AOtype of common aquatic insect important to anglers, holds wings down over body
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Caddisfly
Caddis Hook
)AXshaped hook to tie caddis larva and pupa imitations, sometimes called English Bait Hook
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Caddis Hook
Cement
)Alto secure, preserve, and finish thread windings at head of fly also called head cement or head lacquer, used
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Cement
Collar
)A0hackle or hair, wound as throat, see proportions
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Collar
Covert
)A$another term for wingcase on nymphs
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Covert
)A2a hackle of mixed white, brown, and gray markings
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Cree
Crest
)A'feather from top/back of pheasant neck
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Crest
Cul de Canard
)A%soft, oily feather from a duck
s rump
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Cul de Canard
Cut Wing
)A.hackle or breast feather cut to shape of wing
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Cut Wing
Delta Wing
)A&style of downwing fly, see proportions
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Delta Wing
Downwing
)A"fly style with wings over the body
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Downwing
Dry Fly
)A.artificial fly which floats upon water surface
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Dry Fly
Dubbing
)A:a technique of applying fur; also refers to the fur itself
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Dubbing
Dubbing Teaser
)A!tool used to pick out fur dubbing
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Dubbing Teaser
Dubbing Twister
)A'tool used to spin fur in a dubbing loop
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Dubbing Twister
)A3see color plates; also first stage of adult mayfly
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Dun
Egg Sack
)A,imitates eggs found at rear of female insect
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Egg Sack
Emerger
)AAan insect in the process of changing from nymph or pupa to adult
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Emerger
Embossed Tinsel
)A#tinsel with reflective indentations
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Embossed Tinsel
Epoxy
)A a two-part, very durable, cement
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Epoxy
part of a hook, see hooks
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Eye
Fanwing
)AHstyle of dry fly wing using wide, fan-shaped breast feathers from a duck
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Fanwing
Ob Filoplume
)A*usually refers to an aftershaft, which see
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Filoplume
Flank
the side of a bird or duck
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Flank
Floating Yarn
a polypropylene yarn
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Floating Yarn
Flybody Hook
)APa hook style with a wire pointing rearward, used to make extended mayfly bodies
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Flybody Hook
Furnace
)A(a brown hackle with black center stripe
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Furnace
)A%part of a hook measurement, see hooks
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Gape
Gills
)A.breathing parts of nymphs, usually on abdomen
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Gills
Guard Hair
)A-stiffer, longer hairs on skin of fur bearers
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Guard Hair
Hackle
)A`feather from neck or back of bird, most frequently from rooster neck unless otherwise specified
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Hackle
Hackle Pliers
)A%a tool used to grip hackle, see tools
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Hackle Pliers
Hair Stacker
)A'tool used to align hair tips, see tools
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Hair Stacker
Hairwing
)A*a fly using any of various hairs for wing
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Hairwing
[b Halfhitch
)A(the simplest knot used to secure thread
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Halfhitch
)A#a female chicken, pheasant or duck
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Hen
)A1short fibers on stem of peacock or ostrich plume
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Herl
Horns
)A8part of some classic salmon flies, tied on top of wings
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Horns
Hot Colors
)A3colors with high fluorescent intensity in sunlight
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Hot Colors
Jungle Cock
)ARendangered wild fowl from Asia; imitations of its neck feathers (eyes) now in use
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Jungle Cock
ab Keel Hook
)A%a hook style designed to be weedless
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Keel Hook
Lacquer
)A)a head cement, usually offered in colors
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Lacquer
Larva
)Agfirst immature stage of insects having a complete life cycle, e.g.. caddisfly. See also pupa and nymph
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Larva
Latex
)A,thin flat rubber sheets, usually tan or dyed
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Latex
Limerick
a style of hook, see hooks
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Limerick
Loop Eye
style of hook eye, see hooks
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Loop Eye
Married
)AUprocedure whereby wing quill segments of same curvature are joined together edgewise
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Married
Material Bobbin
)A#tool to dispense spooled materials
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Material Bobbin
Mayfly
)AOa family of insects common in freshwater, of significant importance to anglers
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Mayfly
Midge
)A1commonly refers to very small two-winged insects
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Midge
Model Perfect
a style of hook, see hooks
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Model Perfect
Monocord
a flat, untwisted nylon thread
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Monocord
Monofilament
)A(single strand, clear nylon fishing line
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Monofilament
Mylar
)ANflat metallic colored plastic ribbon or tape, used as a non tarnishing tinsel
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Mylar
)AOthe complete skin with hackle feathers from chicken, most frequently a rooster
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Neck
Nymph
)A`immature aquatic first stage of insects with incomplete life cycle. Longevity from 1 to 3 years
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Nymph
Oval Tinsel
)A(a tinsel wrapped around a cotton thread
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Oval Tinsel
Packer
)A3tool used to tightly pack bunches of deer body hair
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Packer
Palmer
)A hackle wrapped over body of fly
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Palmer
tb Parachute
)A1style of applying dry fly hackle, see proportions
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Parachute
Prewaxed
)A+thread which has been waxed at the factory
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Prewaxed
)Aethe second stage in the life cycle of insects having a complete life cycle; see also larva and nymph
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Pupa
Quill
)ARcommonly refers to feathers from the wing of a bird; also the stem of any feather
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Quill
Reduced
)Ana fly reduced in size from standard, often through the elimination of non-essential materials; see proportions
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Reduced
Rotary Vise
)A\vise which revolves hook on center, thereby reducing amount of arm and hand motion required
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Rotary Vise
Saddle
)A#the rear back portion of a chicken
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Saddle
{b Schlappen
)AFLong back hackles, similar to saddle hackles, but thick and very webby
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Schlappen
Sculpin
)A%a common, bottom-dwelling, bait fish
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Sculpin
Shank
part of a hook, see hooks
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Shank
~b Shellback
)A>fly with material pulled over top of body thus forming a back
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Shellback
Shuck
)A!the shed exoskeleton of an insect
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Shuck
Smelt
)A)a small baitfish common in the Northeast
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Smelt
Soft Hackle
)ATa short, soft, webby hackle for wet flies, usually hen, partridge, or grouse hackle
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Soft Hackle
Sparse
)A+indicates materials applied very sparingly
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Sparse
Spent Wing
)A!a downwing style, see proportions
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Spent Wing
)A5a river in Scotland after which a fly style was named
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Spey
Spinner
)A&last stage of adult mayfly life cycle
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Spinner
Spinning
)A5the most common technique for applying deer body hair
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Spinning
Splayed
)ATposition of wings or tail when they are set to each side of the hook in a "V" shape
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Splayed
Split Bead
)A*hollow metal bead, split open on one side
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Split Bead
Sproat
a style of hook, see hooks
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Sproat
Spun Fur
)A$fur, usually rabbit, made into yarn
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Spun Fur
)A:the center supporting quill of a feather, actually a shaft
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Stem
Stacker
see Hair Stacker
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Stacker
Stacking
)A#process of evening the tips of hair
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Stacking
Stonefly
)AWa family of large aquatic insects, the nymphal stage is of great importance to anglers
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Stonefly
Streamer
)AEtype of fly designed to imitate small fish, usually made of feathers
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Streamer
Stripped
)A*feather from which barbs have been removed
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Stripped
b Synthetic
man-made, as opposed to natural, material such as Antron, Flashabou, Crystal Flash, Zing, Z-lon, Poly, FisHair, Acrylic, Ultra Hair, Larva Lace etc.
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Synthetic
Tandem
)AEtwo hooks, one trailing the other, connected by monofilament or wire
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Tandem
Tinsel
)A/metal or metallic plastic ribbon-like material
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Tinsel
Tippet
)A0pheasant feather from lower neck and upper back
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Tippet
Underfur
)A/soft fur nearest skin, shorter than guard hair
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Underfur
Upright
)A a style of wing, see proportions
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Upright
Variant
)AUa style of dry fly hackle, see proportions; also used to describe multicolored necks
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Variant
Vinyl Cement
a very adhesive thin cement
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Vinyl Cement
)Ahthe soft, dull, webby lower center portion of hackle, undesirable for dry flys because it absorbs water
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Web
b Weedguard
)Aban attachment, often monofilament, incorporated into a fly to prevent the hook from catching weeds
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Weedguard
Weighted
)A.a fly with lead wire wrapped or tied on shank
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Weighted
Wet Fly
)A/a traditional style of fly that sinks in water
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Wet Fly
Whip Finish
)A!the best knot for finishing flies
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Whip Finish
Wing Burner
a tool used to shape feathers
GLOSSARY
GLOSSARY / Wing Burner
General Materials
TAILS
An assortment of animal tails provides the fly tier with an inexpensive supply of materials that have the qualities of length and/or stiffness. Bucktails, usually from the whitetail deer species provide a
readily dyed source of hair used for the
Bucktail
flies, for dry fly wings and other purposes. It
s best to avoid the extremely crinkled hair. Calftails have a finer and more transluscent hair used frequentlC
y for dry fly wings and often substituted for bucktail. Again, avoid hair that is extremely crinkled and curled. Squirrel tails of either the grey or red species have a fine straight hair and are also used in d
yed colors. Minktails, in a range of natural and dyed colors have increased in popularity as their stiff hairs have proved excellent for dry fly tails and caddis fly wings. Woodchuck tails are used in the same E
manner as minktails.
This category refers to the stiffer hairs, from the bodies of various animals. Most body hair of some animals, specifically deer, antelope, caribou, elk and moose, is stiff and genera
lly hollow. It
s used in various ways for tails, wings, and spun bodies and heads on many flies. It is important to use the proper hair for each purpose since each skin will have hair that
s soft or stiff, shorG
t or long, and coarse or fine. Guard hairs (i.e. Iong stiffer hair as distinguished from short soft underfur) of various animals such as badger, grey fox, and woodchuck are occasionally used for streamer or sal
mon fly wings.
Mostly used as a dubbing material to form bodies, furs of all types and description are a basic material for fly tiers. Various colors can be mixed and blended to provide any color tone desI
ired. Unprocessed furs, particularly from water-dwelling animals such as muskrat, otter, and beaver, contain natural oils which makes them resistant to water absorption. Furs when washed, bleached, or dyed lose
this quality. Very fine furs such as rabbit are easiest to work with and available in many natural and dyed colors. A medium textured fur would be Australian possum which combines general ease of use plus a roK
ugher texture to often give a buggy effect. Seal fur is a very coarse and somewhat difficult fur to use properly; it, and its substitutes, have a sheen and translucency which makes for a brighter fly. Fur from
a European hare
s mask goes into the popular Hare
s Ear dry fly, wet fly, and nymph.
PHOTO KEY:
1 - Peacock Eye
2 - Dyed Goose Tail
3 - Peacock Sword
4 - White Tipped Turkey Quill
5 - Speckled Turkey Quill
- Dyed Bucktail
7 - Grey Squirrel Tail
8 - Red Squirrel Tail
9 - Dyed Calf Tail
10 - Mink Tail
11 - Peccary
12 - Mallard Duck Quill
13 - Ringneck Pheasant Tail
j MATERIALS
MATERIALS / General Materials
Tying Flies For Trout
er 1995 by Elkwing Productions, All rights reserved;
September 1995 by Mountain Pond Publishing Corp. All rights reserved;
September 1995 by Ted Fauceglia, All rights reserved;
September 1995 by AppliedJ& Imagination Inc. All rights reserved.
ick, Brad Weeks, Jan Weido, Thomas W
lfle, Davy Wotten, Rod Yerger and Carl Yoshida.
A very special thanks to: Wilson Chao and Cambridge Television Productions for their continued support and technical assistaH
All photos in the Entomology section provided by: Ted Fauceglia
History of Fly Fishing by: Alice Outwater
Waitsfield, Vermont
Analog Video Production & Editing: Mark Selvig
Copyright Notices:
Septemb
y LaFontaine, David Lucca, Mike Martinek, Craig Mathews, Del Mazza, Kelvin McKay, Mike Mercer, Montana
s Master Angler, Mike Motyl, Jay Passmore, Redding Fly Shop, Ed Reif, Tony Route, Ed Shenk, John Shewey, BiF
ll Skilton, Shane Stalcup, Harrison Steeves, Karl Svendsen, E.W. Taiton, Dick Talleur, Bill Thompson, Tom Travis, Michael Tucker, Guy Turck, Umpqua Feather Merchants, Eric Van Orman, Matt Vinciguerra, Mark Wasl
es, Barry Beck, Cathy Beck, Patrick Berry, Francis Betters, John Betts, Blue Ribbon Flies, Gary Borger, Don Brown, Peter Burton, Blair Caucci, Tom Clark, Bob Clouser, Tim Coleman, Jeff Currier, Dan Bailey
s FlyD
Shop, Jack Dennis, Larry Duckwall, Oscar Feliu, Bill Franke, Keith Fulsher, Jack Gartside, Andrew Gennaro, Dave Hall, Ren
Harrop, Joe Howell, Dave Hughes, Gerry James, Kaufmann
s Streamborn, George Kesel, Gar
Content Creators: Dick Stewart & Farrow Allen
Executive Producers: Bob Lang & Scott Bennett, Elkwing Productions
PO Box 789, Waitsfield, Vermont 05673
Programming & Interface Design: Tom Tafuto, Applied ImaB
gination, Inc.
Moretown, Vermont
A special thanks to all of the fly tyers and fly shops who provided us with many of the flies pictured:
Chuck Allard, Anderson
s Yellowstone Angler, Michael Arritt, Pat Barn
CREDITS
CREDITS / Tying Flies For Trout
Deer Body Hair
CREDITS
CREDITS / Tying Flies For Trout
Deer Body Hair
Deer and elk body hair can be dyed to accomodate the needs of fly tyers. You can usually purchase small packages of any color you might require.
j MATERIALS
MATERIALS / Deer Body Hair
The most common hook eye type is turned down using tapered wire. A straight eye or turned up eye may be used to maximize the point clearance on very small flies, and these eye types are also used to achieve speB
cial effects on some flies.
HOOKS
HOOKS / Eyes
Equivalence Chart
In the past there were few brands of hooks available to the fly tier and fly recipes often specified a single hook model for each fly. Today such a simple approach is complicated by the availability of many difB
ferent brands of high quality hooks. Retail suppliers of fly tying materials limit their offerings because of the high cost of trying to stock all available models, so the fly tier must be able to substitute a
hook which enables him to produce a fly which will perform as expected. Another factor to be considered by the fly tier is that there is no single best hook for all sizes of a particular fly pattern. For examplD
e, for a dry fly like the Adams I normally use a standard dry fly hook when tying the fly is sizes 14 to 18. On larger flies I prefer a light wire hook because it provides better flotation yet still offers adeq
uate strength for trout. For sizes smaller than size 18 a straight eye hook avoids the potential hooking interference of a down eye hook. Thus, for this single dry fly pattern I use three different hook styles.F
This chart is intended to serve as a basic guide to selecting those hooks most widely available to fly tiers through retail stores and mail order catalogs. It is by no means complete, and it does not include
many of the specialty or single-purpose hooks. Because of subtle distinctions between many hooks, in color, barb, eye, shape, bend and sizing, it is not possible to make exact comparisons; yet this is exactly H
what this chart attempts to do. Also, the descriptions are do not reflect the multiple uses of many hooks. For the most part, however, you should be able to rely on this information for basic hook selection.
HOOKS
HOOKS / Equivalence Chart
Synthetics and Other Materials
Many of the wing, body and tail feathers from the colorful, exotic pheasants are used in some trout flies. The fly tyer can purchase entire skins, or packages of selected feathers.
SYNTHETICS
The non-availabilB
ity or expense of many materials, combined with the growing variety of nylon, acrylic, rayon, dynel, kodel, mylar, polypropylene, and many other synthetics has led to substitutes, experimentation, and frequentl
y improvement. Leading the list of synthetics today must be the variety of synthetic furs on the market. These are being offered in various textures and colors selected especially for fly tiers. One must match D
the particular synthetic to its intended use to obtain the desired qualities. Polypropylene (Poly) as a dubbing fur is lighter than water but this advantage is offset by hook weight unless the fly has the addit
ional support of a tail and hackle. Synthetics like this do not, however, become waterlogged and dry off when casting. Conversely, when synthetics are used on heavier wet fly hooks they tend to sink faster thanF
natural furs. Imitation seal fur, imitation polar bear, and imitation bucktail have all proved their usefulness. Synthetic yarns, while already accepted in many forms are finding increased usage as technology
advances. Sparkle yarn comes to us via DuPont and offers the fly tier more light reflection. Poly yarn has been utilized for dry fly wings. Imitation jungle cock replaces the natural feather from the jungle fowH
l, a bird on the Endangered Species list. Nylon raffia is a straw-like material which can be used for dry fly wings or the wing cases on nymphs. The list could go on extensively but many synthetics are still ex
perimental, while others will certainly come forth in the future.
OTHER MATERIALS
In order to add weight to flies lead wire in various sizes is tied onto, or wrapped around the hook shank. To help secure portiJ
ons of the fly and make it more durable, a flexible cement such as Vinyl Cement or others is useful. It can also be applied to wing quill segments to prevent splitting. Head Cement or lacquer, either clear or c
olored is essential to coat the thread windings at the head of a fly upon completion to prevent loosening, and is also used for painted eyes. Dubbing wax of a semi-tacky consistency is used when making fur dubbL
ed bodies. Waterproof markers in a range of colors permit instant dying of some materials or the addition of realistic markings on some flies.
j Materials
J*Materials / Synthetics and Other Materials
Color Chart
1 - Light Blue Dun Gray
2 - Cream
3 - Dark Brown
4 - Orange
5 - Pink
6 - Insect Green
--------------------------
7 - Blue Dun Gray
8 - Cream Ginger
9 - Coachman Brown
10 - Burnt Orange
11 - Light Blue
12 - Supe
rvisor Green
--------------------------
13 - Dark Blue Dun Gray
14 - Light Ginger
15 - Red Brown
16 - Scarlet
17 - Blue
18 - Light Olive
--------------------------
19 - Honey Dun
20 - Ginger
21 - Light Yellow
2 - Red
23 - Teal Blue
24 - Olive
--------------------------
25 - Dun
26 - Dark Ginger
27 - Yellow
28 - Magenta
29 - Kingfisher Blue
30 - Dark Olive
--------------------------
31 - Rusty Dun
32 - Tan
33 - Golde
n Yellow
34 - Claret
35 - Dark Green
36 - Gold Olive
--------------------------
37 - Iron Dun
38 - Light Brown
39 - Amber
40 - Purple
41 - Green
42 - Brown Olive
--------------------------
43 - Black
44 - BrownE<
45 - Cinnamon
46 - Cerise
47 - Grass Green
48 - Green Olive
j MATERIALS
MATERIALS / Color Chart
HOOKS
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AllPurpose
All purpose flies
ALL-PURPOSE DRY FLIES
Our classification system considers a dry fly to be
all-purpose
if it seems to have no resemblance to a specific insect. Some authorities might classify such flies as
attractor patternsB
but we prefer the term all-purpose. Since the Adams has become America
s most popular all-purpose dry fly, we have selected this design to provide an example of the many ways in which any fly pattern might b
e modified. History is unclear as to what the original Adams, shown first, was intended to resemble. Clearly, it bears a similarity to some mayflies and caddisflies, and even some craneflies. In any event the AD
dams became the ideal candidate for tiers to modify to meet their individual preferences. Our purpose in presenting these somewhat repetitious dressings is to demonstrate how one might apply his imagination to
most all of the dry-fly patterns on subsequent pages. (click here to scroll for more info ->>)
HUMPIES
The Humpy developed as a variation of the Horner Deer Hair Fly that Jack Horner of San Francisco first tieF
d around 1940. Several of these originals were discovered and brought to the Rockies by Pat and Sig Barnes. They were very impressed by the fish-catching qualities of this odd looking shellback dry fly, and beg
an tying them for sale in their Montana fly shop. Not only did these Humpies and Goofus Bugs - as they were later called - catch fish, they seemed unsinkable. Even after a dozen or more trout had chewed their sH
hellbacks to tatters, trout seemed just as eager to eat them. Since the 1940s, many variations have surfaced, but the basic shape and design remains constant. These are not your slender, quill-bodied Eastern fl
ies, but are rugged, high floating, meaty flies perfect for fishing the faster Western rivers. Notable western fly tiers like Pat and Sig Barnes, Dan Bailey and Jack Dennis have all contributed to the refinemenJ
t and popularity of the Humpy.
The Irresistible is constructed almost entirely from deer body hair and is designed to present a large, highly visible silhouette rather than a slender realistic one. Most Irres
istibles aren
t supposed to imitate any specific food form; rather they are designed to float well in fast broken water, and look like something irresistibly good to eat. Joe Messinger of Morgantown, West VirgL
inia, tied the original Irresistible in late 1930s. Messinger is best known for his unique deer-hair bass flies, like the Bucktail Frog. Many variations have appeared since Messinger tied the first fly many yea
rs ago, but they have been little more than simplified color variations. Mostly tied with hair wings, Irresistibles tied with hackle tip wings have also been popular.
WULFFS
Few flies have made such a lasting N
impression on fly tying as the Wulff flies, and few individuals have been as actively involved in the development of fly fishing as Lee Wulff. If these flies were the only contribution Wulff made to modern fly
fishing, they would have been enough. But Lee Wulff was a prolific writer and photographer and was instrumental in designing all sorts of fishing gear. He was also a master cinematographer who pioneered in the P
field of outdoor films. Throughout his life he was constantly experimenting with new fly designs, but the Wulff flies are his most enduring contribution to fly tying. The first ones were tied in 1929 during an
outing with Dan Bailey, while fishing in the Adirondaks. Bailey was so impressed with Wulff
s hairwing style that he developed several variations after he opened his fly shop in Livingston, Montana. The uprightR
hairwing has become a standard that
s been adopted throughout the world.
ALL-PURPOSE WET FLIES
Until the mid 1900s, fly fishing in this country was done with wet flies. One glance through the many color pla
tes of Ray Bergman
s 1938 landmark edition of Trout easily confirms this. Some early wet flies, like the Blue Dun and the March Brown, were specifically tied to imitate insects, although it
s not entirely cleaT
r if it was an emerging nymph or a drowned adult that the designer had in mind. Other flies, like the Trout Fin and Parmachene Belle of the East, or the Renegade and Chappie of the West, are American originals
tied strictly as attractors. But as fishing pressure increased the trout became more selective and anglers more educated. The popularity of the wet fly diminished and has largely been replaced by a wealth of acV
curate imitations representing actual stages of subsurface life. Yet, because wet flies are attractive, fun to tie and easy to fish, and since trout will still smash a Silver Doctor fished down-and-across strea
m, wet fly angling still has its partisans.
ALL-PURPOSE NYMPHS
It was not until the 1940s and 1950s that nymphs became commonplace in the fly boxes of trout fishermen. Prior to then, a variety of wet flies serX
ved the function of representing a multitude of immature aquatic food forms. Studies of trout feeding habits revealed that nymphs composed a large portion of a trout
s diet. Observent anglers such as Hewitt, Bl
ades, Bergman, Quick, and many others began to promote the use of more exact imitations, and thus the nymph was
discovered.
Many of the successful nymph patterns are based on general, rather than specific, deZ
sign features. We do not believe these flies represent any single, particular insect form, although some of them may be classified differently in other fly listings; rather they appear to be successful because
trout mistake them for a variety of possible foods. These flies, then, are most useful to the fly fisher at times when there is no surface activity, and he cannot make a specific determination as to what the fi\
sh are likely to be eating.
FindAllPatterns
PREFACE
For over five centuries, men and women have been trying to deceive trout. Some used natural baits to lure a trout to their hook, while others applied their wits and imagination to craft imitatioB
ns of insects. Their frauds then, as now, were constructed using thread, feathers and hair. These many years later little has changed - but then again much is different. The definition of artificial fly has bee
n broadened to incorporate imitations of insects other than flies, as well as most other forms of aquatic life - indeed, virtually any animal form upon which fish feed.
Whether the designing of trout flies is D
art, craft, science, or even alchemy, we leave to that reader to decide. Fly fishers, and particularly fly tiers, are in perpetual search of their grail - that mystical combination of materials which will prove
irresistible to trout. The trout fisher
s aphrodisiac. Some flies have achieved a degree of success and their names are forever etched into fly-fishing history. The Royal Coachman, Mickey Finn, Adams and MuddlF
er Minnow exemplify such success. As with race horses, anglers have endowed their creations with names, personalizing them in perpetuity.
Other flies result from a more pragmatic approach to trout fishing. The
theory is simple: understand everything about the fish, its environs, its food, and then trick that tiny fish brain by imitating that which it
s programmed to eat. This more scientific approach works, and has H
become the basis for most modern fly tying. We not only imitate Mayflies in general, but we can construct flies to represent each of their life stages, even by gender when needed, and our books and charts will
generally tell us when and where these flies are to be used. The flies which result from this approach customarily bear names which describe insects being imitated, and/or the ingredients used. Thus, we have ouJ
r Green Drakes, Hexagenians, Poly Wing Spinners and Elk Hair Caddis. But even this logical method, though effective much of the time, reveals enough inconsistencies that we can only conclude there is much not y
et understood concerning fish and insect behavior.
There also are other design categories: flies which are just easy to tie, Flies which just simply look pretty, flies strongly identified with certain locales,L
flies which seem to catch fish for reasons unknown,and flies bearing the names of skilled fly tiers or notable fly fishermen. Often these latter flies have had their designer
s name added by vendors, to distin
guish them from flies with similar names. One commonality to all flies is that they are each made with your own hands, using whatever skills and creativity you possess. Aside from myself yourself, your only criN
tic will be the trout. The point is, there is no single approach to this design or usage. Because of this there can be no single, all-encompassing approach to this book.
The flies we selected are important in
their own right, or represent a tying style which we consider worth while sharing. For some we will have illustrated an excessive number of western flies, while for others the opposite will be true. We may haveP
omitted your favorite fly, or we may have shown to many of one style for your needs. What we have presented is what we believe to be the most representative and important trout flies as we near the 21st centur
y. We have not, neglected some of our roots and tradition. Fly boxes of many anglers remain filled with many hallowed fly patterns which, like an old familiar fishing vest, continue to serve the fisher well.
e hope that Flies for Trout will be accepted as an accurate and representative reference, for many of the flies pictured were tied by some of the finest tiers in American fly fishing. if any errors exist, then
the responsibility is entirely ours and should in no way reflect on the individual fly tiers. In a few instances a fly name may be spelled, punctuated or presented in two different ways. We tried to respect T
the original usage whenever possible, even if resulted in some minor inconsistencies in our listings. Also, we elected not to be too specific concerning the models of hooks to be used. With several excellent b
rands of hooks on the market we believe the information we provided should be sufficient to guide the fly tier toward an appropriate hook.
It is customary to use this portion of a book to express gratitude toV
those who made a contribution. We are so wholly indebted to so many people it
s frankly impossible to single out anyone, but we particularly appreciate the free sharing of ideas and knowledge, for such a shari
ng of flies and ideas is like a fraternal custom, and in many ways the motivation for us to produce this book. We
ve been helped by scores of fellow fly tiers, and the best we can do to call upon your attentionX
to each of them as identified with the photographs. Our most heart felt thanks to everyone who was so helpful - we really couldn
t have done it with out you.
One friend was not able to complete her work with
us on this book. Fran Stuart, who was posthumously named angler of the year by Fly Rod & Reel magazine had hoped to help us finish this book, but cancer intervened. Had she been able to fulfill her ambition, tZ
his book would have undoubtedly been a much better product, for it was Fran
s skills and demands that made us settle for nothing less than the best we could do.
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