Trout Flytying Materials Record

Monday, February 25, 2013

Trout Flytying Materials Record

Traditional trout flies use natural fur and hair to imitate insects.

Fly tying is a creative endeavor and all fly-tying materials are potential candidates for a successful trout fly pattern. Several common material choices are effective for imitating specific features of different insects. Maintain a diverse supply of fly tying materials to ensure you are always prepared to create different trout fly patterns.

Hooks and Beads

Hooks and beads are a necessity for trout flies. Straight shank nymph, dry fly and streamer hooks are the most common, but fly tyers also use curved shank hooks. Curved hooks are ideal for caddis pupa, chironomid larva and scuds. Trout tyers use straight shank nymph hooks in sizes ranging from #4 to #12 to tie stonefly nymphs cranefly larva and large attractor nymphs. Medium hooks in sizes ranging from #12-18 are common for mayfly nymphs, caddisfly larva and a large number of general trout nymphs, such as pheasant tails and prince nymphs. Trout tyers use very small hooks in sizes ranging from #18 to #24 to tie trico flies and midges that are the focus of lake and tail-water trout in many areas. Tyers use beads on medium and large trout flies to imitate the head of an insect and to add weight. They also add glass beads to small hooks to replicate the air bubble of an emerging midge or mayfly.

Fur

Fur is the traditional method of building trout flies and remains and important part of every fly tyers material list. Hare's mask is an essential material for trout flies. It is ideal for mayfly tails and dubbed insect bodies. It is also effective for imitating the active gills of a mayfly. Muskrat, angora goat, beaver and squirrel tail are also ideal dubbing materials for representing insects. Calf tail is a common fur that trout tyers use to build posts and wings in dry flies. The calf tail has a moderate stiffness that is ideal for building the rigid parts of a trout fly.

Feathers

Trout tyers use feathers are used in many aspects of fly tying for trout. Hackle feathers from chickens are necessary for tying such trout dry fly patterns as the Adams, Wulff and Trude. Bird hackles are also common in streamer patterns for trout, such as the wooley bugger. The pheasant tail feather is a common-use item for mayfly tails and legs. It is also effective for wing cases and is wrapped to build slender mayfly bodies. Turkey tail is also a standard material for the mayfly wing case. Hungarian partridge feathers are on the trout tyers list because their soft fibers can easily be wrapped to create soft hackle patterns.

Hair

Tyers use deer, moose and elk hair in many fly patterns. The hair is common in dry fly patterns as a tail and wing. Trout fisherman value hair because it is hollow and floats well. The floating aspect makes it a top choice for tying dry flies fished in fast water. Fly tyers also spin the hair to build thick body flies like mice and heads for large streamers.

Synthetics

Synthetic materials are common in trout fly patterns. Trout tyers use wire and plastic tubing to build segmented bodies and add flash to represent the silver air bubbles on emerging mayflies, midges and caddisflies. They often substitute synthetic dubbing materials for traditional fur and use synthetics to create custom colors that replicate the exact colors of natural insects. Synthetic dubbing packages are available in dispensers that provide all of the common insect colors. Synthetic fur materials are available but are more common for saltwater flies. Foam is a common material used in trout dry flies. Foam is on the list of many fly tyers in areas with large stonefly hatches and healthy grasshopper populations. Foam is buoyant and sheds water better than many natural materials. Trout flies also commonly call for yarn, floss, and you must have thread in a variety of colors and sizes to secure the materials on the hook. Thread in 3/0, 6/0 and 8/0 is standard for trout flies.

Wedding outfits

Monday, February 25, 2013