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. Fly rod and reel with a wild brown trout from a chalk stream. ... Blue Winged Olive, a classic dry fly for trout. ...

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.

Equipment

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 size of an average human finger nail.

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.

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.

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.

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). Terrestrials are also a type of dry fly.

Terrestrial

A terrestrial is a dry or wet fly designed to imitate a terrestrial ground insect, including crickets, grasshoppers, ants, spiders, and beetles.

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.

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.

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. General Name, Symbol, Number tungsten, W, 74 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 6, 6, d Appearance grayish white, lustrous Atomic mass 183. ...

Streamer

A streamer is a type of wet fly that is typically longer than average. 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. Many are never fished and are considered art.

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 and poppers, surface lures often made of cork, foam or deer hair. They are designed to imitate frogs, mice, or injured baitfish. Other patterns are tied to represent different aquatic creatures such as leeches, crawfish, sunfish, or immature game fish such as trout. Salt water patterns are often created to imitate a crab or yabby The examples and perspective in this article or section may not include all significant viewpoints. ... The word crayfish or crawfish can mean:- Sea crayfish, also called spiny lobster. ...

Common Patterns

There are many fly patterns in the world but some of the more classic and common patterns are listed below.

Dry Fly

Humpy

Royal Wulff

Adams

Hendrickson

Royal Coachman

Blue Dun

Cahill

Stimulator

Black Spinner

Emerger

Klinkhammer

DHE

Shaving Brush

Nymph

Hare and Copper

Pheasant Tail Nymph

Montana Nymph

Flash Back Nymph

Wet

March Brown

Muddler Minnow The Typical Muddler Minnow Pattern The Muddler Minnow is a popular and versatile streamer pattern used in fly fishing and fly tying. ...

Woolly Bugger Please wikify (format) this article as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ...

Woolly Worm

Mrs Simpson

Streamer

Matuka

Zonker

Lefty's Deceiver

Others

Gurgler - The Gurgler is a versatile and very effective surface fly for salt or fresh water. Built on a #6 hook, it works great for smallmouth bass. On a 1/0, it is a premier Striped bass fly.

Image File history File links Gurgler. ...

The Gurgler works fine in breaking fish, but really shines popping in shallow water. The Angler can extend the thumb on the stripping hand to increase the speed of the pop.

Slider

Crazy Charlie

Bass Bug

Merkin Crab

Deer Hair Mouse

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