Fly Fishing: An Online Exhibit

Thence it follows that good sports and honest games are the cause of a man�s happy old age and long life. And therefore, I will now choose among four good sports and honest games: to wit, of hunting, hawking, fishing, and fowling. The best, in my ample opinion, is fishing called angling, with a rod, a line and a hook.

Dame Juliana Berners 1496

Robert �Bob� Holzer, of Oxford Warren County, began fishing at the age of four on Long Island. It was not until his retirement five years ago that he began fly-fishing. In that short time he has learned not just to fish with a fly and reel but also to tie his own fishing flies (or lures) and to wrap his own fishing rods. He is considered to be an expert in these arts by his fellow anglers and artisans. He volunteers at the Pequest Trout Hatchery and Natural Resource Education Center. He practices catch and release fishing.

For fly-fishers, or anglers, the art of fishing goes far beyond the catching of fish with rod, reel and bait. It is an art form, not just the casting of line into water, but also the creation of the flies or lures used to make the fish bite. Fly-fishers pride themselves on knowing which fly will attract their prey in all sorts of environments, seasons and sometimes even the time of day. They pay close attention to their surroundings to create the perfect situation to catch the fish..

Some mimic insects found in nature, such as nymphs, ants or helgramites; and attractors, which are fanciful creations of the fly tier used to get the fish to bite at something alien in its environment. All are meant to fool the fish.

The tradition of fly-tying dates back to ancient Rome and references by �lian (born around 170 A.D.). He boasts of never leaving Italy, so his information about flies is taken from others such as Pamphlius of Alexandria, Democritus and Plutarch. Here is one of his descriptions of a fly:

They fasten red (crimson red) wool around a hook, and fix onto the wool two feathers which grow under a cock�s wattles, and which in colour are like wax.

Today fly tiers still use these and other natural materials to tie flies. They also use more modern materials such as tinsel and plastic fork tines. They will use anything to achieve their goal of creating flies that fish cannot resist.

Fly tying can be learned from books or videos, but like all true folk art, it is best learned from other fly tiers. Fly tying perfectly fits one definition of folklore, the utilitarian made beautiful. It is not unusual to find flies adorning the walls as decoration as well as the end of a rod and reel.

(Reference on �lian from Dr. Andrew N. Herd, www.flyfishinghistory.com)