Fly Fishing

When you boil it down, the art of fly fishing is to try and fool the fish into thinking that a big fat juicy fly has landed on top of the water, thereby making that fish gulp down that fly (and your hook). Fly Fishing Feathers are central to this subterfuge and central to the art of Fly Tying. For hundreds of years enthusiastic fly fishermen have been evolving and perfecting the art of tying flies.

So central is the process to the art of fly fishing, that most fly fishermen see tying their own flies as an essential part of their hobby, and a key part of the satisfaction and enjoyment they get. Many will use designs and patterns handed down from generations before, others will design their own.

Imitations

However with both approaches the aim is to create a ‘fly’ that mimics the fattest most juicy and tasty fly when lying on the surface of the river and viewed from below by the trout.

The basic approach that fishermen use to try to achieve this is to attach bits of animal fur and feathers firmly to a hook using special thread. When done correctly, these flies will look like insects and hence are know as ‘imitations’

Attractors

An alternative approach is to create brightly colored exotic looking flies that are going to catch the eye of the fish quickly and in a striking way. This type of fly is called an ‘attractor’.

The intention is to arouse the fish so that he strikes back at the fly in an aggressive manner. To the angler the result is hopefully the same as with the ‘imitations’, a fish on the end of the line.

Tie your own, or buy ready tied?

If you have been fly fishing for any length of time then you will have probably asked yourself this question by now. Some people will swear that they only ever tie their own flies. Maybe they are telling the truth, but I think that approach sounds a bit to much like hard work. Sure, part of the fun of the sport is in creating the right feathers for the fishing conditions you are going to encounter. However given that often conditions will change while you are on the river, you need to have plenty of back up flies. For this I recommend getting hold of some sets of ready made flies. This will ensure you are prepared for all fishing conditions you might encounter.

If you have a good fishing store near you they should have a good range of sets of flies that you can by indivudually or in sets. Alternatively hunt around online, and you can often pick up some bargains. The image over on the left is of a set of Wooly bugger trout fly fishing flies, that you can pick up for around 35 bucks on the likes of Amazon.

Another advantage of buying these sets if you are a newcomer is that you can see close up how the different flies are tied. The image below if from a set of 100 assorted dry and Nymph flies. Being able to buy good quality flies in a range of different designs is a really useful learning experience when you are starting out.

 

History

Fly Fishing and the art of creating fly fishing feathers has been around for many hundreds of years, with many books of designs and patterns having been produced over the years. I have provided some links on this site to a couple of examples of these historic books that can now be accessed for free. Obviously modern techniques can now be used, but these historical patterns for fly fishing feathers are of great interest to the enthusiast and can provide good inspiration in creating new designs.

 

 

Looking More Closely at Imitations

There are a number of sub categories of ‘Imitation’ Fly fishing feathers. Each category seeks to imitate a certain type of fly or action from the fly. Some of the main categories that are used include;

• Dry Flies – These flies should float on top of the water and are designed to represent a fully grown fly going about its normal business of floating about on the water. Most fishermen consider Dry flies and suitable for use for fresh water fishing.
• Wet Flies – As the name implies, these imitations are designed to sink down into the water, and thereby look like larva, pupa etc to the fish. Again this type of fly is generally uses for fresh water fishing.
• Nymph Flies – Designed to look like un-hatched infant insects.
• Streamer Flies – These are larger flies designed to resemble the larger insects that visit the river of land on the water. This broad range of flies are used for both salt and fresh water  sport.
• Saltwater Flies – These are designed to imitate some of the larger and more diverse prey that fish encounter in the salt water estuaries. So Baitfish and shrimp are the sort of creatures taht these flies are seeking to represent.

 

Once you have learnt the basics of how to fish, and if you are serious about you fly fishing in addition to your casting technique you will want to learn more about fly fishing feathers. Knowing more about there history, design and the technique for creating them will contribute considerably to the pleasure you gain from your sport.