The Complete Handbook of Fly Tying Materials

Chapter 1: Understanding Fly Tying Materials

What Fly Tying Materials Actually Are

A fly tying material is any substance you attach to a hook to influence how that hook behaves in water. That influence may be visual, physical, or both. A marabou feather's pulsing action triggers a strike. A foam cylinder's bouyancy keeps a dry fly in the surface film. A strip of tinsel reflects light to imitate a baitfish's lateral line. Each material is a functional component with specific properties, not merely a craft supply. The professional tier who thinks of materials in terms of mass, density, flexibility, and light reflectance produces flies that cast accurately, maintain their profile, and survive the attack of a fish's teeth and the grip of a jaw. The tier who thinks of materials only as "stuff to wrap on a hook" produces flies that look good in the shop but fail on the water.

Consider the progression of a typical nymph fly, a beadhead pheasant tail. The hook provides the weight and the point of attachment. The beadhead cap, made of brass or tungsten, does two jobs: it adds weight to get the fly to the bottom quickly, and it creates a hotspot that trout find attractive. The pheasant tail fibers are the abdominal shell; their natural dark brown color with slight iridescence imitates the chitinous exoskeleton of a mayfly nymph. The wire ribbing, usually fine copper wire, does three jobs: it segments the abdomen, it adds weight, and it protects the softer