Fishing Flies
The Anatomy of Fishing Flies
While you may not find them displayed at art galleries, fishing flies and the tying of them, is a true art form as old as fly fishing itself. The best fishing flies aren't only interesting to look at, their combination of colors, patterns, and textiles work better to attract fish then some of the more mass produced tackle. In this article we'll take a look at some of the elements that make these fishing lures so effective.
Hackle:
Hackle, or the neck feathers from a rooster, is one of the primary elements of a fishing fly. The hackle is what gives fishing flies their organic look and feel and also their intricate color patterns. Though many people seem to think fish aren't all that bright, they sure know enough to steer clear of putting anything in their mouths that doesn't look natural or like it absolutely belongs in the water.
The patterns and movement of the hackle are difficult to match with synthetic materials. When tying your own lures or buying fishing flies online or at the tackle shop, keep a look out for lures with Whiting Farms feathers-or at least fishing flies with organic hackle versus those made with synthetic materials.
Hair and Fur:
An alternative to the hackle fly is hair and fur fishing flies. They types of hair and fur most used for fishing flies are deer, beaver, opossum, otter, fox, and badger. As with hackle, there are synthetic hair and fur fishing flies, but most fish seem to respond more favorably to natural hair and fur materials. However, there are cases such as when fishing on dark river beds, when fishing flies constructed of brightly colored synthetics are a better choice. When setting out on a fishing trip it's best to have lots of different types and colors of fishing flies to try.
Thread, Yarn, and Wire:
Thread, chenille, braid, yarn, wire, and other spooled materials are most often used to recreate the thin, tight, body of the insect. Some types used are flat waxed nylon thread, gossamer silk thread, sparkle yarn, and mohair and all of these come in natural and bright colors. No matter how natural the color of the hackle of hair, oftentimes a little spark of color in the thread and yarn is what catches the fish's attention.
Eyes:
Not all fishing fly gear have eyes, but eyes are sometimes necessary with certain types of gear, especially those that look like other fish or small mammals. Eye styles can range from the "googley" type doll eyes that kids use in projects to silver or bronze beads, to reflective stickers.
There's no one correct style or material for catching every type of fish. For this reason, it's important to make sure that you take lots of different types and colors of fishing flies with you when you try out a new spot. Even in the same river, different fish within the same species will react to different things. Half the fun of fly fishing is experimenting with new styles and techniques and finding what works.
About the Author
Author is a writer for Blue Fly Cafe who specialize in
fly fishing gear and accessories
. For more information you can visit
http://www.blueflycafe.com
.
Tying Flies for ICE FISHING
 |
 100 PCS FLIES HOOKS FOR FISHING FLY FISHHOOK $17.70 Time Remaining: 20d 39m Buy It Now for only: $17.70 Buy It Now |
 Large Lot of CRAZY CHARLIE Fly fishing flies w cases $20.99 (2 Bids) Time Remaining: 1h 27m |
 Pflueger Sal Trout Fly Fishing Reel $22.01 (4 Bids) Time Remaining: 38m |
 Muddler Minnow Assortment 1 Dozen Trout Fishing Flies $7.99 Time Remaining: 4d 15h 46m Buy It Now for only: $7.99 Buy It Now |
 MIXED LOT 120 FLY FISHING FLIES LARGE ASSORTMENT VINTAGE 120 FLY FISHING FLIES $20.50 (6 Bids) Time Remaining: 19h 46m |
 Flextec 50 Assorted Fishing Flies In Fly Box $17.37 (5 Bids) Time Remaining: 18h 10m |
 Elk Hare Caddis Olive Assortment 1 Dozen Trout Fishing Flies $7.49 Time Remaining: 8d 3h 18m Buy It Now for only: $7.49 Buy It Now |
 Salmon Flies Doubles 20 Fabulous Quality Flies presented in Fly Box Packed in UK $23.69 Time Remaining: 3h 52m |
 Meisselbach Rainbow No 627 Fly Fishing Reel $32.00 (6 Bids) Time Remaining: 44m |
 BH Prince Nymph Assortment 1 Dozen Trout Fishing Flies $7.49 Time Remaining: 1d 2h 36m Buy It Now for only: $7.49 Buy It Now |
 Meisselbach Expert No 17 Fly Fishing Reel $61.00 (10 Bids) Time Remaining: 51m |
 Silver Lake Fishing Flies Assortment NEW IN BOX $9.99 Time Remaining: 1d 19h 58m Buy It Now for only: $9.99 Buy It Now |
 2 Orvis Threader Fly Boxes and 1 Okuma Fly Box w 53 trout flies $30.00 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 15h 25m |
 Orvis Fly Fishing rod Powerflex 83 7 Boron Graphite used $55.00 (6 Bids) Time Remaining: 1h 4m |
 100 ASSORTED COLOR FLY FISHING POPPERS ON CARD 2 SIZES $23.95 Time Remaining: 19d 17h 41m Buy It Now for only: $23.95 Buy It Now |
 RICHARD WHEATLEY FLY BOX 140 NEW WHEATLEY TOP QUALITY FLIES BNIB $26.07 (8 Bids) Time Remaining: 1d 20h 27m |
 Antique Winchester Fly Reel model 1136 $76.00 (11 Bids) Time Remaining: 46m |
 10 BoogleBug Popping Bugs Bass Panfish Assortments $22.50 Time Remaining: 25d 22h 56m Buy It Now for only: $22.50 Buy It Now |
 Flextec Assorted Dry Flies x 40 pieces in fly box Rrp 3999 $5.12 (8 Bids) Time Remaining: 18h 43m |
 BoogleBug Popping Bugs Poppers For Bass Panfish $2.50 Time Remaining: 29d 17h 33m Buy It Now for only: $2.50 Buy It Now |
 Flextec Assorted Nymph Flies x 40 pieces in fly box Rrp 3499 $3.54 (5 Bids) Time Remaining: 18h 4m |
 7 Vintage Fishing Fly Fishing Reels BM Dam Unknowns $13.99 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 1h 14m |
 Daves Hopper Assortment 1 Dozen Trout Fishing Flies $7.49 Time Remaining: 28d 17h 11m Buy It Now for only: $7.49 Buy It Now |
 72 Trout Fly Assortment Fly Box U Pick Flies $39.99 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 5h 18m |
 ALUMINUM PERRINE FLY BOX WITH A LOT OF 39 ICE FISHING JIGS BAIT LURES $15.01 (13 Bids) Time Remaining: 4h 6m |
 Adams 12 1 Dozen Trout Fishing Flies $6.99 Time Remaining: 25d 4h 45m Buy It Now for only: $6.99 Buy It Now |
 Flextec Assorted Buzzer Flies x 40 pieces in fly box Rrp 3499 $11.24 (17 Bids) Time Remaining: 17h 28m |
 Fly Fishing Bread Fly Trout Carp Mullet 4 Pack Superb Quality UK Supplied $3.62 Time Remaining: 7d 8h 32m Buy It Now for only: $3.62 Buy It Now |
 Scientific Anglers Specialty Taper Fly Line Trout WF 5 F Dark Willow BRAND NEW $26.00 (12 Bids) Time Remaining: 43m |
 FENWICK FERALITE ALGONQUIN FF85 3 86 3 PCFLY FISHING ROD WITH BAG NEAR MINT $30.33 (6 Bids) Time Remaining: 41m |
 Woolly Bugger Black Assortment 1 Dozen Trout Fishing Flies $7.49 Time Remaining: 14d 15h 15m Buy It Now for only: $7.49 Buy It Now |
 Flextec Assorted Gold Flash Buzzer Flies x 20 pieces in fly box Rrp 3499 $8.75 (14 Bids) Time Remaining: 20h 34m |
 Flextec Assorted Czech Nymph Flies x 20 in fly box Rrp 2799 $1.64 (2 Bids) Time Remaining: 18h 43m |
 Zebra Midge with Flash Wing 2 Dozen RedBlackOlive and Grey HOT PATTERN $24.95 Time Remaining: 4d 11h 49m Buy It Now for only: $24.95 Buy It Now |
 Epoxy Nymph and Buzzer Fishing Fly Selection x 40 $1.56 (1 Bid) Time Remaining: 18h 19m |
 Black Gnat Assortment 1 Dozen Trout Fishing Flies $7.49 Time Remaining: 8d 3h 23m Buy It Now for only: $7.49 Buy It Now |
 VINTAGE WHEATLEY HARDY 12 COMPARTMENT FLY BOX HARDY FLIES $83.76 (14 Bids) Time Remaining: 20h 53m |
 Fly fishing flies 19 each nice flies $9.99 Time Remaining: 55m |
 40PCS TROUT FLIES FISHING FLY DRY WET HOOK D $12.99 Time Remaining: 2d 1h 6m Buy It Now for only: $12.99 Buy It Now |
 ORVIS FLY FISHING LIGHTWEIGHT 11 POCKET KHAKI ZIP VEST MENS L $13.61 (4 Bids) Time Remaining: 44m |
 Flextec Assorted May Flies x 20 pieces in fly box Rrp 3499 $2.21 (2 Bids) Time Remaining: 1d 18h 28m |
 BH Copper John Assortment 1 Dozen Trout Fishing Flies $7.49 Time Remaining: 8d 3h 28m Buy It Now for only: $7.49 Buy It Now |
 Special Dry Fly selection Fishing Flies 30 pcs $5.91 (4 Bids) Time Remaining: 1d 19h 28m |
 Adams Assortment 1 Dozen Trout Fishing Flies $7.49 Time Remaining: 8d 3h 4m Buy It Now for only: $7.49 Buy It Now |
 Irideus HVY Weighted Wooly Bugger Fly Fishing Flies $7.99 (2 Bids) Time Remaining: 1d 8h 15m |
 FRAME FOR REDINGTON AS 11 12 FLY FISHING REEL $14.95 Time Remaining: 1h 24m |
 Realistic EXTENDED body MARCH BROWN Mayflies $7.00 Time Remaining: 29d 1h 50m Buy It Now for only: $7.00 Buy It Now |
 NEW LARGE PRO FLY BOX OVER 160 TOP QUALITY NEW FLIES $26.07 (5 Bids) Time Remaining: 1d 20h 49m |
 New 4 Packs WET FLIES YELLOW WOOLLY WORM Size 8 Lot A $3.25 (3 Bids) Time Remaining: 1h 8m |
 Hand Tied Bass Flies Foam Frogs New Hot Colors set of 3 $4.99 Time Remaining: 16d 18h 2m Buy It Now for only: $4.99 Buy It Now |
 120 Trout Fly Assortment Fly Box U Pick Flies $75.99 Time Remaining: 5h 18m |
 Silver Lake Fishing Flies Assortment List Price: Sale Price: $12.20 You save: $12.79 (51%)  Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product DescriptionYou’ll be pulling fish from water in no time with this excellent assorted set of hand tied flies and streamers. With 55 of today’s most popular patterns and styles you’re sure to find one that works for any given situation...  |
 Wild Water Fly Fishing Complete 5/6 Starter Package List Price: Sale Price: $94.00 You save: $14.00 (13%) Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product DescriptionYou get our fantastic AX56-090-4 Series , 4 piece fly rod with a LIFETIME WARRANTY, a center disc drag die cast aluminum large arbor reel preloaded with backing, a weight forward (5 weight) floating fly line and 5X tapered leader, a rod sock, a rod case, a fly box and three flies--Parachute Adams, Black Fly and Gold Ribbed Hare's Ear... |
 The Little Red Book of Fly Fishing (Little Red Books) List Price: Sale Price: $11.53 You save: $5.42 (32%) Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product DescriptionA pocket guide that offers insightful, plainspoken, expert advice for every fly fisher.Two highly respected outdoor journalists, Kirk Deeter of Field & Stream and Charlie Meyers of the Denver Post, have cracked open their notebooks and shared straight-shot advice on the sport of fly fishing, based on a range of new and old experiences—from interviews with the late Lee Wulff to travels with maverick guides in Tierra del Fuego... |
 Crystal River Fly Fishing Combo Kit List Price: Sale Price: $26.49 You save: $23.50 (47%) Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product DescriptionOver 70 years of experience has produced tackle that's better than tactics. Pre-packaged combos make selecting the right equipment for getting started a snap eliminating the guesswork that can be so intimidating to a newcomer... |
 The Orvis Fly-Fishing Guide, Completely Revised and Updated with Over 400 New Color Photos and Illustrations List Price: Sale Price: $15.79 You save: $9.16 (37%) Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product DescriptionNow for the first time in full color, The Orvis Fly-Fishing Guide appears in a completely revised and updated edition that solidifies its place as the flagship title of the Orvis books. A best-selling, fully illustrated, and comprehensive book, this large-format volume has been required reading for every angler for the past two decades. |
 The Little Red Book of Fly Fishing (Little Red Books) List Price: See Reviews For This Product DescriptionA pocket guide that offers insightful, plainspoken, expert advice for every fly fisher.Two highly respected outdoor journalists, Kirk Deeter of Field & Stream and Charlie Meyers of the Denver Post, have cracked open their notebooks and shared straight-shot advice on the sport of fly fishing, based on a range of new and old experiences—from interviews with the late Lee Wulff to travels with maverick guides in Tierra del Fuego... |
 Once in a Blue Moon: The Fly Fishing Adventure of a Lifetime, Revised Edition List Price: Sale Price: $26.99 You save: $2.96 (10%) Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product DescriptionThe critically acclaimed Once in a Blue moon - NOW REVISED - special features, and extra clips -The incredible story of a once in a lifetime event.Set amongst the spectacular scenery of southern New Zealand, a most strange and bizarre tale unfolds... |
 Northwest Fly Fishing (1-year auto-renewal) List Price: Sale Price: $24.95 You save: $13.65 (35%) Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 2 to 4 months See Reviews For This Product DescriptionNorthwest Fly Fishing is the magazine of choice for fly anglers who live or fish in the Pacific Northwest. The area of coverage includes: California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Western Canada, and Alaska... |
 Fly Fishing Paths II Sale Price: $1.99 Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days See Reviews For This Product |
 Reel Fishing: Angler's Dream List Price: Sale Price: $17.41 You save: $2.58 (13%) Eligible for free shipping!Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours See Reviews For This Product DescriptionReel Fishing: Angler's Dream is a fishing game like no other! Immerse yourself in the sights, sounds, and even feel of fishing as you experience the most realistic fishing game ever! Reel Fishing: Angler's Dream offers beautiful, picturesque fishing locales, from calm, tranquil lakes to the beaches of tropical paradises... |
