Typical fly patterns or dressing descriptions

Typical fly patterns or dressing descriptions

The typical fly pattern will appear something like one of the illustrative patterns below for the Adams dry fly (without tying instructions) or the Clouser Deep Minnow (with tying instructions). Based on the fly pattern, a knowledgeable fly tyer can reproduce the fly with the materials specified.

Typical Fly Pattern Descriptions
Fly	Pattern
#10 Adams Dry Fly	HOOK: #10–18 standard dry-fly THREAD: Gray 6/0. WING: Grizzly hen hackle tips. TAIL: Mixed grizzly and brown hackle fibers. BODY: Gray yarn or dubbing. HACKLE: Brown and grizzly hackle.[19]
Clouser Deep Minnow Streamer	HOOK: Mustad 3366, size 2, 4, 6 or 8. If you want a saltwater fly, substitute a tinned or stainless hook. THREAD: White 3/0 or 6/0. EYES: A 1/50 or 1/36-ounce dumbbell painted with vinyl jig paint. BELLY: White bucktail. FLASH: Holographic silver Flashabou, silver Krystal Flash, pearlescent Flashabou, and pearlescent Krystal Flash. Use only four to six strands of each. BACK: Gray bucktail topped with a little hair from the brown portion of the tail. Tying Instructions: Attach the thread behind the eye of the hook and wrap a spiral over two-thirds to three-quarters of the shank. Apply a smear of glue to the spiral of thread. Wrap a layer of thread forward over the wet glue. Reverse direction and wrap to about the middle of the shank. The glue will bond the thread to the hook. Attach the dumbbell with a few X-wraps of thread as shown here. Make sure that it's straight, and then secure it by wrapping diagonally in one direction and then the other. Keep the thread tight as you wrap. Finish with a few more X-wraps. Whip-finish the thread and cut it. Check the alignment of the eyes one more time, and then coat all the threads with superglue. Give the eyes a coat of white vinyl jig paint. Let the white paint dry, and apply a coat of yellow or red. After that dries, give the entire dumbbell a coat of clear vinyl jig paint. Let the clear coat dry most of the way, and then apply the black pupils. You need two bobbins for this operation. Load one with red thread and the other with whatever color you want to use for the nose of the fly. Attach the red thread behind the eyes. Tie on with the other thread at the front of the shank. Attach a sparse clump of white bucktail at the front of the hook. Trim the butt ends and bind them down. Whip-finish and clip the front thread. Pull the hair down behind the eyes and secure it with the red thread. Wrap a band of red thread. Whip-finish and cut the thread. Give the red band two coats of good head cement or one coat of superglue. Let the cement dry. Invert the hook and reattach the nose thread. Tie on the flash material. The flashy stuff should be at least as long as the bucktail. Attach a sparse clump of bucktail. Trim the butts, give them a drop of cement, and bind them down. This step is optional, but it adds a nice touch. Cut a very small bundle of hair from the brown portion of the bucktail. Tie this dark hair on top of the previous bunch. Not that the dark hair is shorter than the material beneath it. Trim the butts, bind them down, and finish the fly's nose. Cement the fly's nose, allowing a little cement to run back into the butts of the bucktail. One the finished fly, the band of red thread suggest a baitfish's gills. Since all of the thread has been cemented, the fly will hold up very well.

[edit]Fly pattern types

Historically, fly pattern types have evolved along with fly fishing itself and today there are generally recognized pattern types. However, none of them are absolute and there is much cross-over in patterns and pattern types. Typically the fly tyer will encounter patterns classified as: Dry Flies, Wet Flies, Soft Hackles, Emergers, Nymphs, Terrestrials, Bucktails and Streamers, Salmon (Atlantic) Flies, Steelhead and Salmon (Pacific) Flies, Bass Flies and Bugs, Poppers, Panfish Flies, Saltwater Flies, or Pike Flies. Even within these categories, there can be many sub-categories of imitative and non-imitative flies. For more detail on fly fishing with different types of patterns, see Fly fishing and Artificial fly.

[edit]A selection of historic and contemporary fly tying theory and pattern references

There are hundreds of fly fishing titles that contain fly tying instructions, fly patterns and information on fly tying tools and materials. Below is a selection of key American and British titles that span the history of fly tying theory from the mid-19th Century to the present day. Additional references on artificial flies and fly tying can be found in the Bibliography of fly fishing

Title	Comments
Ronalds, Alfred (1836). The Fly-Fisher's Entomology. London: Longman, Orme, Brown, Green and Longmans.	Plate XIII from A Fly Fisher's Entomology Alfred Ronald's, whose Fly-Fisher's Entomology (1836) is regarded as the foundation document of that field...[20]
Blacker, William (1855). Blacker's Art of Fly Making. London: Geo Nichols.	Online Version (1855 Edition) Plate 4 from Blacker's Art of Fly Making William Blacker (the Irishman who operated a tackle shop at 54 Dean Street, Soho, London) was acknowledged as one of the best trout and salmon fly dressers of this day. His fly dressing methods are described and illustrated in his book The Art of Fly-making which first appeared in 1842 and was reissued in 1843 and again in 1855.[21]
Halford, F. M. (1886). Floating Flies and How to Dress Them. A Treatise on the Most Modern Methods of Dressing Artificial Flies for Trout and Grayling with Full Illustrated Directions and Containing Ninety Hand-Coloured Engravings of the Most Killing Patterns Together with a Few Hints to Dry-Fly Fishermen.. London: Sampson, Low, Marston, Searle, and Rivington.	Plate VII from Floating Flies This was Halford's first book, and it launched the opening salvo in the decades long battle pitting fly fishers favoring the floating fly against those endorsing the sunk fly, an argument which today seems as appropriate as the house cook slipping on boxing gloves in preparation to picking out fly droppings from the black pepper.[22]
Pritt, Thomas E. (1885). Yorkshire Trout Flies. Leeds: Goodall and Suddick.	Plate 4 – March and April flies fromYorkshire Trout Flies Flies from the North Country Though it seems reasonably certain now that many European fly fishers, at least since Aelian's time, used similar styles of flies, the first stop on any historical tour of soft-hackle authority and authenticity is a pair of scarce British angling classics, Thomas Pritt's Yorkshire Trout Flies (1885) and Norman Lee's Brook and River Trouting (1916).[23]
Ogden, James (1887). Ogden on Fly Tying, Etc.. London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington.
Theakston, Michael; Walbran, Francis M. (1888). British Angling Flies. London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, and Rivington.	Fly tackle advertisement from British Angling Flies
Marbury, Mary Orvis (1892). Favorite Flies and Their Histories. Boston and New York: Houghton and Mifflin Company.	Plate P Trout Flies from Favorite Flies and Their Histories WHEN Mary Orvis Marbury died in 1914, the English Fishing Gazette acclaimed her as the most famous but one female angling author. (The other was Dame Juliana Berners, an Englishwoman who wrote A Treatyse of Fysshying Wyth an Angle in 1496.) Marbury's Favorite Flies and Their Histories, which became a best seller among anglers after it appeared in 1892 and went through nine printings by 1896, has recently been reprinted by the Wellfleet Press. Today, a fly-tyer and fisherman with a nostalgic bent might take pleasure in duplicating and testing the old patterns (32 color plates illustrate in fine detail some 290 varieties) or compare descriptions of the waters where he fishes with those of nearly 100 years ago. Favorite Flies, the first encyclopedia of American (as opposed to British) patterns, was a landmark publication. In addition to compiling the responses from more than 200 fly fishermen in 38 states, Marbury provided introductory material on stream entomology, which she had first written for publication in outdoor periodicals, as well as histories of the flies discussed (including a fascinating passage of Indian lore about How Glooskap conquered the Great Bull-Frog, and in what Manner all the Pollywogs, Crabs, Leeches, and other Water Creatures were created). Puntuating the chapters are poems by known (Tennyson) and little-known (Hezekiah Butterworth) writers that she fancied.-Ann Barry New York Times.[24]
Kelson, George M. (1895). The Salmon Fly-How To Dress It and How to Use It. London: Wyman & Sons, Limited.	Plate I from The Salmon Fly Online Version The Salmon Fly enjoys a unique position in the literature of fly dressing since it brought order and system to the classification of salmon flies and the methodology of salmon fly dressing.[25]
West, Leonard (1913). The Natural Trout Fly and Its Imitation. Ravenshead, St Helens: McCorquodale & Co., Ltd..	Plate 10-Hackles, Feathers and Poultry
Rhead, Louis (1919). American Trout Stream Insects-A Guide to Angling Flies and other Aquatic Insects Alluring to Trout. New York: Frederick A. Stokes and Co.	Feather Minnows for Bass, Pike and Trout from American Trout Stream Insects
McClelland, H. G. (1919). The Trout Fly Dresser's Cabinet of Devices or How To Tie Flies for Trout and Grayling Fishing. London: The Fishing Gazette.	Fig 51-Types of Wet Flies
Jennings, Preston J. (1935). A Book of Trout Flies. New York: Crown Publishers, Derrydale Press.	Jennings was probably the first American Fly Fishing writer to tie the entomology of trout stream insects to the artificial flies and how to fish them in this 1935 seminal work.[26]
Schwiebert, Ernest G. Jr. (1955). Matching The Hatch-A Practical Guide to Imitation of Insects Found On Eastern and Western Trout Waters. Toronto, Canada: The MacMillan Company.	Matching The Hatch was the first American book to cover fly imitiation from a transcontinental perspective and is widely read and reprinted. According to Paul Schullery, Matching The Hatch set the standard for fly entomology and tying studies for the late 20th Century.[27]
Marinaro, Vincent C. (1950). A Modern Dry Fly Code. New York: G. P. Putnam Sons.ISBN 1-55821-413-5.	One of the most important angling books of the 20th Century A Modern Dry Fly Code, Marinaro revolutionized American trout fishing with his experiences on the Pennsylvania spring creeks in the 1940s and 50s.[28] Dr. Andrew Herd wrote: A Modern Dry Fly Code was first published in 1950 and it remains a popular work, having been reprinted at least twice. The Code attracted attention right from the start because there was more in it about terrestrials than there was about mayflies and also because the author focused attention on small imitations to an extent that had never been encouraged before. Marinaro was a brave man for doing it and for some time he stood out as a lone voice in the wilderness; he was challenged, for example, for suggesting that size 14 was the largest hook needed for a dry fly imitation (this was in the days before hooks were available in sizes below 20s). In retrospect, Marinaro probably kicked off a fashion for tiny patterns that went just a little too far before it corrected itself, but his basic point was well made.[29]
Shaw, Helen (1963). Fly-tying—Materials, Tools and Techniques. New York: The Ronald Press Company.	Helen Shaw was considered the First Lady of Fly Tying by Arnold Gingrich and was considered one of the premier professional fly tyers of the mid-20th Century. Fly-tying—Materials, Tools and Techniques was a fly-tying bible in its time[30]
Bates, Joseph D. (1966). Streamer Fly Tying & Fishing. Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole Books.
Flick, Arthur B. (1967). The New Streamside Guide to Naturals and their Imitations. New York: Crown Publishers Inc.	Describes the flies and nymphs significant in trout fishing, and explains the procedures for constructing imitations[31]
Bates, Joseph D. (1970). Atlantic Salmon Flies and Fishing. Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 0-8117-0180-8.	A comprehensive look at all aspects of Atlantic Salmon fishing and dressing Atlantic Salmon flies. Eight color plates of Flies.[32]
Richards, Carl; Swisher, Doug (1971). Selective Trout-A Dramatically New and Scientific Approach to Trout Fishing on Eastern and Western Rivers.. New York: Crown Publishers.	And probably the most far-reaching of all American fly-fishing books since World War II, Doug Swisher and Carl Richard's Selective Trout (1971) elevated our thinking not only in fly-fishing theory, but also, through its wonderful photographs of insects, in our basic understanding of what the flies really imitated[33]
Schwiebert, Ernest (1973). Nymphs-A Complete Guide to Naturals and Imitations. New York: Winchester Press. ISBN 0-87691-074-6.
Wakeford, Jacqueline (1992). Fly Tying Tools and Materials. New York: Lyons & Burford Publishers. ISBN 1-55821-183-7.	Loaded with color photographs and descriptions of the natural materials such as fur, hair and feathers used in fly tying.[34]
Stewart, Dick; Allen, Farrow (1993). Flies for Trout. New York: Lyons & Burford.ISBN 0-936644-14-1.
Schmookler, Paul; Sils, Ingrid V. (1994). Rare and Unusual Fly Tying Materials-A Natural History Volume 1 – Birds. Mills, MA: The Complete Sportsman. ISBN 1-886961-01-8.	The second is RARE AND UNUSUAL FLY TYING MATERIALS A Natural History. Vol. 1 – Birds. By Paul Schmookler and Ingrid V. Sils. Paintings and engravings photographed by Robert Rohonczy. Materials and flies photographed by the authors. Foreword by Eric Leiser. A lavish oversize volume about the birds that produce the feathers that produce the lures that flock together in fishing fly boxes. A prettier display than any fish will ever see.-Christopher Lehmann-Haupt-New York Times.[35]
Schmookler, Paul; Sils, Ingrid V. (1997). Rare and Unusual Fly Tying Materials-A Natural History Volume 2 – Birds and Mammals. Mills, MA: The Complete Sportsman.ISBN 1-886961-02-6.	RARE AND UNUSUAL FLY TYING MATERIALS: – A Natural History. Volume 2 – Birds and Mammals. By Paul Schmookler and Ingrid V. Sils. Illustrations photographed by Robert Rohonczy. Materials and flies photographed by the authors. Plucked from the wild boar, the collared peccary, the common American blue jay and a dozen other unlikely creatures, the fur and feathers in this spectacular volume raise the age-old question, for whom are fishing lures really designed, the fish or the fisherman?.-Christopher Lehmann-Haupt-New York Times.[36]
Hughes, Dave (1999). Trout Flies-The Tier's Reference. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-1601-7.
Rosenbauer, Tom (2001). The Orvis Fly Tying Guide. New York: The Lyons Press.ISBN 1-58574-033-0.	The Orvis Fly Tying Guide is a typical, comprehensive contemporary fly tying reference with excellent photographs on technique, equipment, patterns and tying instructions. "One of the finest texts on the craft of fly tying ever written ... should be in the library of every tyer."--Dave Klausmeyer, editor, Fly Tyer magazine
Clouser, Bob (2006). Clouser’s Flies. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 0-8117-0148-4.	A fly pattern reference for a specific genre of fly—the Clouser Deep Minnow--authored by the original designer of the fly. "Always an experimenter when conventional fly patterns are not working, Bob tweaks patterns, or even invents new ones, to fool fish. His Clouser Deep Minnow is undoubtedly the most popular fly pattern to be developed in the last several decades. Bob shares his solid experience to help you tie better flies and understand why you do or do not catch fish. This book is one of the most useful published in some time." --Lefty Kreh
Soucie, Gary (2006). Woolly Wisdom. Portland, Oregon: Frank Amato Publications.ISBN 1-57188-352-5.	A typical contemporary fly pattern reference devoted to a specific genre of flies--Woolly Worms and Woolly Buggers. Soucie's book clearly demonstrates that the Woolly Worm and Woolly Bugger style of flies have been spread out to a wealth of different types of flies, some so far away from the originals that it's almost crazy to put them in the Woolly family, but anyway. The book describes about 400 patterns, which can all draw their ancestry back to the Woollies. You will find everything from slight variations of the classical style flies, to something that is only vaguely similar. The selection spans from large wet flies for saltwater use to small dry flies, and leafing through pages is just one jolt of inspiration after another.--Martin Joergensen, Global Flyfisher Book Reviews[37]
Greenhalgh, Malcolm; Jason Smalley (2009). Fishing Flies: A World Encyclopedia of Every Type of Fly. London: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 978-0-00-728845-8.	Fishing Flies: A World Encyclopedia of Every Type of Fly "The most complete guide to fishing flies from around the world that describes every type of fly, both freshwater and saltwater. Every fly is illustrated and includes a recipe, with hints on how to tie the perfect fly, plus a specially commissioned photograph of that fly. In all over 1300 flies are covered in detail. Flies are tied by some of the world's most famous fly-tiers."

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