A Short History of Salmon Flies
The first patterns many today consider as Classic Salmon Flies were introduced in the late 1700′s. The flies were called the Peacock Fly and the Dragon Fly. In the nineteenth century what we today call works of art were made strictly for utilitarian purposes; they were tied to be fished. They were not tied to be mounted in a glass dome showcase or framed and hung on the office wall.
When the sport of Salmon Fishing became popular, England was a powerful colonial nation upon which the sun never set. Because of this, tiers of the Salmon Fly were able to obtain rare or exotic feathers with which to tie ever more colorful patterns to attract and catch the Atlantic salmon from the rivers of England, Ireland and Scotland. Feathers from birds such as the common Peacock from India, the gigantic Ostriches found in Africa, and the more exotic Jungle Cock of Africa, were becoming easier to obtain and tie with. Macaw, Tucan, and Cock-of-the-Rockfeathers from South America were becoming very popular on many patterns.
Today many of the feathers commonly used by tiers of yesterday are vary hard to find, and in some cases are even unobtainable. An example is the Great Bustard. The Great Bustard became extinct in Britain in 1832, and today the Great Bustard is a globally threatened species. Stricter import-export laws around the world are in place to protect other threatened species as well, making some materials illegal to own or even possess. Because of this, today we tie Classic Salmon Flies with a variety of substitute materials. Dyed and reshaped Ring Neck Pheasant neck feathers are used on many flies in place of Indian Crow (which, by the way, can cost you your first born to obtain if you are lucky enough to find them). Goose Shoulder feathers have taken the place of Swan feathers for Married Wings. In truth, the only difference between Swan and Goose feathers is that the barbs of the Swan feather are usually longer than those on the Goose feather, other than that it’s hard to tell a Goose feather from a Swan feather. Today, materials such as rayon are used in place of the finer silks used in the past from Japan. Silver and gold tinsel are made of Mylar and hooks are made on an assembly line, not by hand one at a time as in the past.
However, there are some tiers today that have stayed true to the traditions of the past. They use only the finest materials available (and in some cases, the rarest materials available) whenever possible, and they tie them on hooks still made by hand, one at a time. In a few cases, they tie them without the help of a vice used to hold the hook, which allows the tier to have both hands free while tying. Thanks to tiers such as Wolfgang von Melottke, Fabrizio Garadino and Kim Rassmussen, the art of the Salmon Fly will continue to flourish.
Many people have seen a Classic Salmon Fly tied by one of the master tiers of today and wished they had the artistic talent required to tie a Classic Salmon Fly, and there’s good news for those people; artistic talent has little to do with tying a Classic Salmon Fly. All the aspects of tying a Classic Salmon Fly can be learned and no artistic talent is required, although it can’t hurt. The advent of the Internet has made it possible for millions to view, fall in love with, and learn this unique style of fly tying. Modern technology has made a once exclusive hobby available to anyone who is interested, and gives them access to a very old, still thriving tradition that is sure to bring them many years of rewarding fly tying. So, do your homework and get started on one of the most fascinating hobbies you could ever be involved with; but I must warn you, tying the
Classic Salmon Fly can become an obsession. The more you tie the more interesting you will find the historic journey of the Classic Salmon Fly to be. What other hobby can connect the past with the future by tying materials on a hook in such an artistic way?
About the Author
To read about bowhunting whitetails and bowhunting hogs, visit the Bowhunting Tips site.
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Patent Patterns $29.95 At last, the incredibly popular Flyfishing & Tying Journal column is now available in a book. Over the past several years, Jim has been compiling a variety of flies and their fly patterns from contributors to the “Patent Patterns” column. This highly successful contest has brought out the most creative and talented of tiers from all over the world. patterns styles include: mayflies, caddisflies, s… |
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3 packages of Grizzly Feathers 10-15 Inches Long. 4 Real Feathers with Applicator and Clips This Is for 3 Packages Total. You Will Receive 12 Feathers Total Plus Applicators and Beads. Multiple Colored Long Skinny Feathers with Black/white Grizzly Hair Extensions in Each Package. Choose Your Color. $12.99 You will receive the Black or Brown color feathers as this is what we have left. And in each package you purchase will be 2 black and white and two colored long feathers. There will be 4 beads and applicator in package and 3 packages total for each purchase. Please see instructions on this site in how to put them in. Copy and paste it if needed for later. No instructions in the package. … |
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Fly Tying With Common Household Materials (Paperback) $30.41 How to save money and get better results—including 300 full-color photos Novice fly fisherman start fly tying with a predictable set of materials. Their benches are neatly arranged with small bags of elk hair, pheasant feathers, stray pieces of chenille and yarn. But eventually they find that not only are these materials more expensive than they need to be, they are also largely unnecessary. And so they starts making substitutions, using trial and error to gradually build up a bench of funky, personalized materials that work just as well as what the “experts” recommend. For the first time, here is a book that truly demystifies fly tying, making it accessible to any fisherman with a vice, a hook, a few dabs of glue, and a handful of twisty-ties. Tying legend Jay “Fishy” Fullum brings together a lifetime of substitution experience to give invaluable advice on appropriate substitution materials. He describes how to find them and make them tier friendly, and how to turn them into flies that are practically guaranteed to catch fish. |
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Fly Tying with Common Household Materials by Fullum, Jay Fishy Edition ILL, $21.49 Novice fly fisherman start fly tying with a predictable set of materials. Their benches are neatly arranged with small bags of elk hair, pheasant feathers, stray pieces of chenille and yarn. But eventually they find that not only are these materials more expensive than they need to be, they are also largely unnecessary. And so they starts making substitutions, using trial and error to gradually build up a bench of funky, personalized materials that work just as well as what the “experts” recommend.For the first time, here is a book that truly demystifies fly tying, making it accessible to any fisherman with a vice, a hook, a few dabs of glue, and a handful of twisty-ties. Tying legend Jay “Fishy” Fullum brings together a lifetime of substitution experience to give invaluable advice on appropriate substitution materials. He describes how to find them and make them tier friendly, and how to turn them into flies that are practically guaranteed to catch fish. |
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Fly Tying $20.35 This book is in Used condition |
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Fly Tying for Beginners $33.93 Any angler who takes up the art of fly tying will discover an added dimension to the wonderful sport of fly fishing. This profusely illustrated instruction book shows beginners how to craft 50 professional-looking flies for trout and salmon fishing. Each fly-tying project consists of step-by-step instructions accompanied by close-up photos of the work in progress and a large photo of the finished fly. Beginners will learn how to make dry flies, wet flies, bugs, nymphs, hairwings, and streamers. They`ll also get advice on which flies are best for catching which variety of fish. Author Peter Gathercole is the ideal fly-tying instructor, offering a thorough grounding in the core techniques required for fly tying, while assuming no previous knowledge on the reader`s part. As he instructs, he also demonstrates that with good guidance and a little practice, every angler can tie a fly that is good enough to fool a fish. More than 500 color photos. |
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Better Flies Faster: 501 Fly-Tying Tips for All Skill Levels $16.08 * From simple fixes–using two whip-finishes rather than one to complete a fly so that it holds–to hints for working with tricky materials like marabou feathers |
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