Taylor Streit on Tying Flies

October 7, 2010

The beady-eyed, fluffy creatures inhabiting the bins of fly fishing shops resemble toys – but their sharp hooks and precise details are a reminder that they are in fact gear for the skilled hands of fishermen.

The Plopper, Dragon Slayer, Royal Parachute and the Poundmeister are a few notable ties that Taylor Streit, founder of Taos Fly Shop, invented. “Ties are named all kind of crazy stuff,” said Streit, holding up a Mickey Finn.

“You can make up anything you want, call it what you want but the whole idea is that certain patterns are proven to be more effective bait,” added Streit, who is also the author of three fly fishing books.

Depending on weather patterns, season, water temperature and cloud coverage, fish might favor one insect and its corresponding bait over another. “Whatever’s most prolific at a certain time, that’s what they’ll feed on,” said Streit.

Most flies mimic aquatic insects – caddis flies, mayflies, stoneflies, midges – and all of their sub-groups, which may vary in size, shape and color. And, adding to the multitude of possibilities, flies are made that resemble these creatures at every stage of the life cycle from larva to adult. Flies are also made in the form of terrestrials such as beatles and grasshoppers.

Raw materials for fly tying include beaver and squirrel dubbing, turkey hackle, rabbit zonkers, hair stackers and gold mylar cord among others. “Sometimes people will take some hair from their dog, if it matches the color of some insect they saw on the water,” said fishing guide Daniel Gentle.

Gentle started his fly, the Crystal Serendipity, with a gold bead. The bead was chosen because it draws the fish’s attention and also creates weight–to sink the fly into the range of the deeper swimmers.

He then wrapped gold wire up and down the length of the bright green body, to add durability. Two four-inch pieces of peacock feather were wrapped behind the eye and became like a tiny, feather boa. After the excess was trimmed a zig zag tool tightened up the details and the caddis larva rendition was complete.

“That thing would catch fish in a bathtub,” said Streit.

Streit gleaned much of his expertise from fishing and tying with legendary, recently deceased, fisherman Frances Betters.

“He taught me to tie the ausable wolf, the famous fly he came up with. He found that woodchuck tail was the prime ingredient for that particular fly. Every time we saw a woodchuck on the road we’d pick it up. We used to pick all kinds of critters up off the road… porcupines…” says Streit.

Fly fishing dates back nearly two thousand years, according to www.flyfishinghistory.com and fly tying has evolved somewhat over the years. Traditionally hunters would kill game such as grouse, deer, elk and Hungarian Partridges for materials. Nowadays, natural materials are often used in combination with synthetics such as plastic and polyester.

Usually when tying a fly, fishermen will follow pre-set instructions in order to mimic a creature found in nature. Other times they’ll make an “attracter” or “stimulator” fly that looks like a non-specific flying creature and hope for a pleasant surprise.

Hot pink fur spiked up from the tip of Taylor Streit’s latest creation, and a splash of yellow circled its belly. “You’re gonna have to find a gullible trout to eat this one,” he said, with a chuckle.

Fly fishing is generally used for trout because they are so hard to catch, explained Gentle. “But you can fly fish for anything.” He whipped out some black feathery flies as examples of bait for pike, a pre-historic looking fish occasionally caught in our region. Because of the popularity of the sport, ‘catch and release’ is the favored philosophy of most guides. “If everyone kept what they fished, there would be no fish left,” said Gentle.

Once a respectable fly has been tied and appropriately selected for the conditions of the moment, there’s still no guarantee it will catch fish.

“It’s about making the fly look like a natural insect on the water. I tell people, ‘See that grasshopper? Look at it closely, how it moves, how is the water taking it… Fly selection is important but the ability to fish it is equally if not more important,” said Gentle.

“To see fish eat the fly is the best part,” said Streit. “To have a fly you made, throw it in the water and see the fish open its mouth and eat it, it’s amazing.”