Manufacturers of fly tying materials and tools produce products specifically designed for tying artificial flies used in fly fishing. For the most part, the materials and tools from manufacturers are sold to fly tyers through fly fishing retail outlets, both brick and mortar and online stores that buy in bulk from the manufacturers. The manufacturing companies are headquartered primarily in the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Italy, France, and China. The types of materials and tools that are produced include specialized fly tying hooks, metal and glass beads, feathers, thread, dubbing (animal or synthetic fibers used to coat threads), tinsel, wire, chenille, fly tying vises, tools to assist in manipulating materials, and a variety of other synthetic materials used in fly tying. Processing of animal hair and fur for fly tying, as well as hand tied flies is done on a smaller scale by independent companies or professional fly tyers. [1] [2] [3]
Only the largest and most notable manufacturing companies around the world are included in the table below. These tables do not include the plethora of small companies and individuals that sell small stocks of materials to retailers or retail stores. Almost all beads are made in China, where the supply of tungsten and nickel are high. The catalogs of retailers have been used as references to identify notable manufacturers. The types of materials that the companies make, the location of the company headquarters, and year of founding are listed when known. [1] [4] [2] [3] [5] [6] [7]
Manufacturer | Materials | Headquarters | Country | Founded | References |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ahrex | hooks | Denmark | [2] [8] [9] | ||
Allen Fly Fishing | Hooks | Southlake, Texas | US | [10] | |
Au Ver a Soie | thread (silk) | France | 1820 | [3] | |
Dai-Riki | hooks | Osaka | Japan | Out of business in 2019 | [11] [5] [12] |
Daiichi | hooks | New York (headquarters) | US (headquarters), Japan (manufacturing) | [1] [2] [13] [5] | |
Danville Chenille Company | thread, chenille, tinsel, wire | Danville, New Hampshire | US | [2] [14] | |
Enrico Puglisi | sythentic fibers | US | |||
Firehole Outdoors (Dark Hills, LLC) | hooks, beads | Bozeman, Montana | US | [2] [6] [15] | |
Fox Tails | hair and Fur | UK | [3] | ||
Fulling Mill | hooks | Claremont, New Hampshire/London/Kenya | US/UK/Kenya | 1930s | [2] [16] |
Gamakatsu PTE LTD | hooks | Osaka | Japan, Singapore | 1955 | [1] [4] [2] [17] |
Guangxi Chentian Hengyuan Metal Product Co., Ltd. | beads | Guangxi | China | [18] | |
Hanak | hooks | US | [2] | ||
Hareline Dubbin, LLC | dubbing and other materials | Monroe, Oregon | US | [19] [3] | |
Hends Hooks | hooks, dubbing | UK | [7] [3] | ||
Kamasan | hooks | Japan | [5] | ||
Keough | feathers | Michigan | US | [3] | |
Kona | hooks | US | [2] | ||
Knapek | hooks | UK | [20] | ||
Loon Outdoors | glues | Ashland, Oregon | US | 1997 | [21] |
Mouches de Charrette (JMC) | dubbing | France | [3] | ||
O. Mustad & Son | hooks | Gjøvik | Norway | 1832 | [1] [2] [5] [22] [23] [24] |
Nature's Spirit | dubbing, feathers, herl, beads | US | [25] | ||
Partridge Hooks | hooks | UK | 1800s | [26] | |
Saber | hooks | US | [1] | ||
Semperfli | thread | North Yorkshire | UK | [27] | |
Skalka Hooks | hooks | Czech Republic | 1985 | [28] | |
Spirit River, Inc. | feathers, dubbing, beads | US | |||
Sprite Hooks | hooks | UK | [29] | ||
Swiss CDC | feathers | Switzerland | [3] | ||
Sybai | dubbing | UK | [30] | ||
TIEMCO, LTD (TMC) | hooks | Tokyo | Japan | 1969 | [1] [2] [5] [31] [32] [33] |
Umpqua Feather Merchants (includes Metz) | feathers, hooks | Louisville, Kentucky | US | 1972 | [1] [34] [3] |
UNI-thread | thread | Canada, Spain | [35] | ||
Varivas | hooks | Japan | [36] | ||
Veevus | thread | Denmark | [35] | ||
Veniards | feathers, hair, wire | UK | 1923 | [3] | |
Wahoo International | UV resins | US | 1985 | [3] | |
Wapsi Fly Company | dubbing, feathers, hair | Mountain Home, Arkansas | US | 1945 | [37] [3] |
Whiting Farms | feathers | Colorado | US | 1989 (Thomas Whiting and Henry Hoffman) | [38] [3] |
The types of tools that the companies manufacture, the location of the company headquarters, and year of founding are listed when known. The products manufactured include fly tying vises, scissors, tweezers, bobbin holders, bodkins, and hair stackers. The following are the major manufacturers of tools used in fly tying:
Manufacturer | Product | Location | Refereences |
---|---|---|---|
AAS Implex | scissors and forceps | Sialkot, Pakistan, founded in 1984 | [39] [40] |
Crown | vises | India | [1] |
Dr. Slick | tools | Belgrade, Montana, US, founded in 1989 | [41] |
Dyna-King | vises | Cloverdale, California, US, founded in 1981 | [4] [42] |
Griffin Enterprises, Inc. | vises, bobbins | Kalispell, Montana, US | [4] [43] |
Merco Products | Bobblins and other tools | Montana, US; founded in 1993 | [44] |
MHM Fly Tying | vises | Biddeford, Maine, US, Founded in 1975 | [45] [46] |
NorVise | vises | Hockessin, Delaware, US, founded in the 1980s | [4] |
PEAK Engineering and Automation | vises | Loveland, Colorado, US | [4] [47] |
Regal | vises | Orange, Massachusetts, founded in 2004 | [4] |
Renzetti | vises | Romansville, Pennsylvania, US, founded in the early 1970s | [4] [39] [48] |
Stonfo Fishing Tackle | vises and other tools | Italy | [49] [3] |
Sunrise Fly Tying Tools | tools | India | [39] [50] |
Wolff | vises | Spartanburg, South Carolina, US, founded in 1983 | [4] [51] |
Fly shops sell materials and tools for fly tying, fly fishing tackle, hand made flies, and fly fishing clothing. Some of the retailers of fly tying materials and tools include:
A fishing rod is a long, flexible rod used by fishermen to catch fish. At its simplest, a fishing rod is a simple stick or pole attached to a line ending in a hook. The length of the rod can vary between 2 and 50 feet. To entice fish, bait or lures are impaled on one or more hooks attached to the line. The line is generally stored on a reel which reduces tangles and assists in landing a fish.
Fly fishing is an angling method that uses a light-weight lure—called an artificial fly—to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. The light weight requires casting techniques significantly different from other forms of casting. The flies may resemble natural invertebrates, baitfish, or other food organisms.
A fish hook or fishhook is a tool for catching fish either by impaling them in the mouth or, more rarely, by snagging the body of the fish. Fish hooks have been employed for millennia by anglers to catch fresh and saltwater fish. In 2005, the fish hook was chosen by Forbes as one of the top twenty tools in human history. Fish hooks are normally attached to some form of line or lure which connects the caught fish to the angler. There is an enormous variety of fish hooks in the world of fishing. Sizes, designs, shapes, and materials are all variable depending on the intended purpose of the fish hook. Fish hooks are manufactured for a range of purposes from general fishing to extremely limited and specialized applications. Fish hooks are designed to hold various types of artificial, processed, dead or live baits ; to act as the foundation for artificial representations of fish prey ; or to be attached to or integrated into other devices that represent fish prey.
Fly tying is the process of producing an artificial fly used by fly fishing anglers to catch fish. Fly tying is a manual process done by a single individual using hand tools and a variety of natural and manmade materials that are attached to a hook. Although the recent history of fly tying dates from the middle 1800s, fly tyers were engaged in tying flys since at least 200 AD.
Fishing tackle is the equipment used by anglers when fishing. Almost any equipment or gear used for fishing can be called fishing tackle. Some examples are hooks, lines, sinkers, floats, rods, reels, baits, lures, spears, nets, gaffs, traps, waders and tackle boxes.
An artificial fly or fly lure is a type of fishing lure, usually used in the sport of fly fishing. In general, artificial flies are an imitation of aquatic insects that are natural food of the target fish species the fly fishers try to catch. Artificial flies are constructed by fly tying, in which furs, feathers, thread or any of very many other materials are tied onto a fish hook.
Fly fishing tackle comprises the fishing tackle or equipment typically used by fly anglers. Fly fishing tackle includes:
Fully dressed flies are elaborate and colorful artificial flies used in fly fishing. The most famous of these are the classic salmon flies, which are exquisite patterns made from mostly rare and beautiful materials and feathers, including golden pheasants, toucans, swans, and ivory-billed woodpeckers. These flies have been popular in the United Kingdom since the 19th century. Fully dressed flies are often meant for display and are not used in actual fishing. Many patterns are expensive to tie because of the cost of rare feathers.
This annotated bibliography is intended to list both notable and not so notable works of English language, non-fiction and fiction related to the sport of fly fishing listed by year published. Although 100% of any book listed is not necessarily devoted to fly fishing, all these titles have significant fly fishing content. Included in this bibliography is a list of fly tying, fly tackle, regional guides, memoirs, stories and fly fishing fiction related literature.
The Elk Hair Caddis is a dry fly commonly used for trout fishing. The Elk Hair Caddis was created by Pennsylvania fly tyer Al Troth in 1957. He is considered a pioneer in the sport of fly fishing for this invention.
In fly fishing, there are many Japanese Flies that are commonly found within a fisherman's fly box in Japan. In addition to the usual variations due to the region in which a fisherman chooses to fish and standard materials used in many regions, several differences are seen in the overall construction of them. Feathers, yarns, and furs are all used, some of the most popular being peacock feathers, chicken down and neck feathers, and black wool. Some flies are even tied with thin copper wire to add extra weight so flies can sink in fast moving mountain waters. These flies are mainly used in the Ashiomachi, Nikkō National Park, Tochigi Prefecture ( まえにっこ足尾) area.
The Adams is a traditional dry fly primarily used for trout. It is considered a general imitation of an adult mayfly, flying caddis or midge. It was designed by Leonard Halladay from Mayfield, Michigan in 1922, at the request of his friend Charles Adams. The Adams has been considered one of the most popular, versatile, effective and best selling dry flies since its creation.
Bunyan Bugs are a series of synthetic objects used as fly rod bait in fly-fishing, designed to look like a wide variety of insects, including grasshoppers, stoneflies, Mayflies, horse flies, bumble bees, ants and caddisflies.
The Sakasa Kebari or reverse-hackle fly is an artificial fly most associated with the Japanese style of tenkara fishing but can be used in most freshwater fly fishing. The Sakasa Kebari is usually defined by firstly its reverse hackle and secondly by its simplicity as compared to western style flies. This fly was originally created to be used in the small, high gradient streams in Japan while fishing for native trout and char.
A tube fly is a general tying style of artificial fly used by fly anglers. Tube flies differ from traditional artificial flies as they are tied on small diameter tubes, not hooks. Tube flies were originated in Aberdeen, Scotland by fly-dresser Minnie Morawski for Atlantic salmon anglers around 1945. Tube flies were designed to improve hooking success and to prevent damage to complex and expensive salmon flies by the teeth of hooked salmon. Tube flies have been widely adapted to fly patterns for a variety of cold water and warm water species and are extremely popular for steelhead and salmon in the Pacific Northwest and northeast United States, as well as saltwater species along the Atlantic, Florida and Gulf Coasts. They are widely used in European waters for Atlantic salmon, sea trout and pike.
Andrew "Drew" Chicone is an American author, saltwater fly designer, fly fisherman and fly casting instructor. He writes books and magazine articles demonstrating how to tie saltwater fly patterns, primarily focused on warm-water fish and fly fishing from standup paddleboards.
The Lefty's Deceiver is an artificial fly streamer pattern used in fly fishing for freshwater and saltwater species. The fly was originated by fly angler and author Lefty Kreh in the Chesapeake Bay for striped bass. The original fly was tied to resemble smelt, a common striped bass forage. The Deceiver is arguably the best known saltwater fly pattern in the world and in 1991 the U.S. Postal Service honored Kreh’s creation with a postage stamp.
The Crazy Charlie is a bonefish fly for saltwater fly fishing developed on Andros Island in 1977 in the Bahamas by local bonefish guide Charlie Smith and popularized by San Francisco angler Bob Nauheim. They fly was developed to imitate glass minnows, a common forage for bonefish on the nearshore flats of south Florida and Caribbean islands. The Crazy Charlie has become a staple fly for bonefish and permit anglers around the globe.
Surf Candy is style of artificial fly used primarily in saltwater fly fishing to imitate small sand eels and other small baitfish. The style was developed by American fly tier Bob Popovics in the 1970s for bluefish, tuna and striped bass on the Atlantic coast.
The Prince Nymph is a nymph attractor wet fly used in fly fishing. It was created by Doug Prince of Oakland, California in the 1930s. It was originally known as the "Brown Forked Tail" and tied without a bead head and used black ostrich herl instead of peacock herl in the body. This fly is weighted. It is productive and popular fly and numerous variations have been created.