Fly tying is the process of creating an artificial fly by tying materials to a hook. That artificial fly can then be used to catch fish via fly fishing (casting the fly with a fly rod). Fly patterns represent the recipe required to create the fly. The pattern recipe includes specifics like hook and hook size, materials, colors, and the appropriate sequence of steps required to produce the fly.
Fly tying evolved as an effective method as anglers observed fish and what they eat, and then began to "mock" nature by creating flies that represent the food. It should be noted however that many successful fly patterns do not exactly imitate fish prey found in nature. Attractor and Adams patterns catch fish, but cannot be linked to an exact fly whereas patterns like the Brown Drake or Hexagenia can.
Fly tying has been around since the middle of the 19th century. Many of the basic methods and practices remain the same today. Fly tying has evolved over time as tools and materials have improved and new materials have been introduced. There are many fly patterns that catch a wide range of fish.
Fly tying is not something that needs to be learned or mastered in order to fly fish. Flies can be purchased online or from your local fly shop. However, fly tying is a challenging, rewarding, and often times addicting hobby for some. The intrinsic reward of catching a fish on one's own pattern is what drives many fly anglers. Fly tying can be a money saver for serious angers and there are some commercial fly tying outfits that mass produce flies. Most fly anglers do it on a smaller scale though.
Entomology is the scientific study of insects. However, there are some other creatures listed on this page that aren't insects like eggs and mice. They are included on this page because the correlation between entomology and fly fishing is the study and understanding of what fish eat. Perhaps a better name for this page should be "fish food" but I did not want to confuse the issue. The information below is a very short version of some common items fish eat and fly anglers mimic with fly patterns.
Mayfly
Mayflies have upright wings as they enter adulthood. They have prominent tails and a curved body. Their life cycle is twenty four hours and flies are tied to mimic nearly every phase. They are very graceful and slow in flight unless they are in spinner phase where they often quickly dip down and fly up again.
Patterns mimic the following stage(s)
Nymph | Emerger | Dun | Spinner
Stonefly
Stoneflies have wings folded flat over their back as they enter adulthood. Two pronounced short tails make them noticeably different from caddisflies and mayflies. Wing case covers are also pronounced during their nymph phase. They are clumsy, slow, and erratic in flight.
Patterns mimic the following stage(s)
Nymph | Adult
Caddis (Sedge)
Adult caddisflies have wings folded to the side and look like a triangular tent when at rest. Their wings at rest make them noticeably different than other flies. They hover in flight and also often frantically skitter over the surface of the water. The caddis nymphs have cases they live in before adulthood.
Patterns mimic the following stage(s)
Larva | Pupa | Adult
Midge (True fly)
Midges look just like mosquitos but unlike the pesky bugs, midges don't bite. Midges are very small but are fed on often and many times offer a successful option when fish are not feeding on other flies. They should not be ignored and anglers should have both wet and dry patterns.
Patterns mimic the following stage(s)
Larva | Pupa | Adult
Damselfly
A damselfly nymph has a long, slender body with three, feathery tail-like gills which allow it to breath underwater. It moves through the water by sort of wriggling from side to side. The damselfly adult has a very long, slender abdomen and, when not flying, usually holds its long stiff wings together with tips touching over its back.
Patterns mimic the following stage(s)
Nymph | Adult
Ant (Terrestrial)
Flying ants are often blown onto the water and fed on. They are also carried uphill by warm air currents and blown onto the water (upslope blow-ins). In late summer and fall ants will be on leaves and in branches of streamside vegetation, looking for food. They live in dead trees by the streams, and lots of them drop into the water.
Patterns mimic the following stage(s)
Adult
Eggs
Trout, salmon, steelhead, and other fish species all eat eggs. They eat smaller eggs of whitefish, other trout species, and even the spawn of their own species. Eggs constitute some of winter's most reliable patterns and are widely available during the cold months because the spawning activities of many fish take place in late fall or early spring. They are often laid in areas of fine gravel, which are quickly disturbed during spates. When you use egg patterns, concentrate your efforts below riffles. While many anglers make a big deal about the ethics of fishing over a redd, there's nothing wrong with fishing downstream of redds.
Patterns mimic the following stage(s)
Egg
Shrimp
Mysis shrimp live in more than 50 reservoirs across the Western U.S. and Canada, however, only three reservoirs have the depth, water temperature, and dam characteristics that result in large numbers of Mysis being swept into their associated tailwaters. All are in Colorado (Reudi Reservoir, Dillon Lake, and Taylor Reservoir). Mysis create massive trout in these tailwaters due to the high nutrient level of Mysis, the high fat content, the availability, and the ease of feeding on clumps of the dead or near-dead shrimp.
Patterns mimic the following stage(s)
Adult
Leech
Leeches are most active during the morning or evening hours. However, a well place leech pattern will be taken by an opportunistic fish. Wooly buggers are used with success throughout all times and all seasons. Chironomids (leeches) are a staple food for stillwater fish but are also fed on in mountain lakes and streams.
Patterns mimic the following stage(s)
Adult
Crayfish
Crayfish molt several times a year, and when they do, they are vulnerable to fish. They shed their hard exoskeletons as they grow leaving them defenseless with soft shells. They are aggressively eaten by fish simply because it is less work and a large meal. A soft-shell crayfish is lighter in color than one with a hard shell, so fish patterns that are lighter in color than the crayfish you see to imitate this vulnerable stage.
Patterns mimic the following stage(s)
Molting young and adult
Beetle (Terrestrial)
Beetles are fed on by when they incidentally fall into the water. They are very important in late summer and fall. There are no specific life cycle habits or hatches which toss beetles into the water in great numbers. They are abundant and fed on frequently so have patterns in your box.
Patterns mimic the following stage(s)
Adult
Grasshopper (Terrestrial)
Grasshoppers (hoppers) are often blown off grass and bushes and into lakes and streams in summer and fall. The patterns are large dry flies that require no soft, subtle presentation.
Patterns mimic the following stage(s)
Adult
Sow bug
Sowbugs are are flattened top to bottom and have seven pairs of legs. Their legs are used to crawl along weed growth. Sowbugs most often have a gray back with lighter colored legs and belly. Sowbugs can flourish in slow, unpolluted tailwaters, springs, creeks, and small ponds.
Patterns mimic the following stage(s)
Adult
Scud
Scuds are distant cousins to the crayfish, sowbugs and shrimp. Many anglers refer to them as shrimp but they are not. Scuds have a hard, segmented exoskeleton and 7 pairs of legs underneath the body. The front 2 pairs of legs are for grasping vegetation. The other legs enable scuds to swim. They commonly move in an erratic and random manner. Located between the various pairs of legs are their gills. Scuds spend their entire life beneath the water's surface.
Patterns mimic the following stage(s)
Adult
Tubifex worm (San Juan worm)
Tubifex worms wiggle as they floats through the water. They usually crawl through silty bottom or on the rocky bottom of rivers. The worms live in the moss and silt and feed on decaying organic matter. Aquatic worms can live underwater without any oxygen (unlike typical earthworms).
Patterns mimic the following stage(s)
Adult
Cricket (Terrestrial)
Crickets are often blown off grass and bushes and into lakes and streams in summer and fall. The patterns are large dry flies that require no soft, subtle presentation.
Patterns mimic the following stage(s)
Adult
Minnow
Minnows are smaller, younger fish that are easily and often fed upon.
Patterns mimic the following stage(s)
Youth
Sculpin
Sculpins are smaller, younger fish that are easily and often fed upon.
Patterns mimic the following stage(s)
Youth and adult
Mouse
Field mice spend their summers on the banks of rivers and lakes and are often blown onto the water by a gust of wind or a slip of foot. They also swim across the bodies of water. The swim quickly and frantically and are often devoured by predatory fish.
A dry fly is a pattern that floats (or is supposed to anyway) when it is cast onto the water. Dry fly patterns usually represent an adult insect or fly that is emerging from its shuck or falling onto the water to lay eggs (spinner fall).
Many fly anglers enjoy to fish with dry flies because of the visual display. An angler can watch the fish take the fly indicating that the hook has to be set.
Hint: The mouse dry fly pattern catches BIG fish... no kidding.
Wet flies (Nymphs and streamers)
Wet flies do not float when cast to the water. Wet flies can be either nymphs or streamers. Nymphs represent the nymph and pupae stage of the fly that live and swim beneath the surface. Fish often eat these flies underwater so in contrast to the dry, it is difficult to see this take place unless the water is very clear. Anglers often use a strike indicator when fishing nymphs.
Streamers are large flies that mimic swimming minnows, leaches, crayfish or other larger creatures that are swimming quickly beneath the surface of the water. When casting streamers the angler usually "strips" the line back towards him/her to represent this swimming action. Fish generally take streamers aggressively and therefore a strike indicator is not as useful as it is with the nymph. Fish feed underwater far more than they do on the surface so don't hate the wet flies!
Hooks are the thin, curved, sharply pointed objects that hold your fly materials together, and hook into the fish so you can catch it! Hook size and shape are important and are used not only to mimic the different flies but to perform different functions (float/sink) as well. There is a large push in the fly fishing industry for barbless hooks. The barbs are the little spurs at the end of a hook that prevent it from falling out of the fish's mouth. A barbed hook can be turned barbless by pinching down the barb with pliers.
Hook shank: The part of the hook between the eye and the sharp curve (bend) Hook bend: The sharp curve on a hook that occurs right before the point or barb Hook eye: The enclosed circle on the front of the hook where an angler ties his/her line
