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A
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- Annelid
- Term used for an aquatic worm which is a common food for trout and
other fish.
- Antron
- A synthetic yarn material made of long sparkly fibers used for
many aspects of fly tying including wrapped bodies, spent wings, and
trailing shucks. Is also used for dubbing material.
B
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- Backing Line
- Nylon or dacron line tied between the fly line and the reel to act
as additional line if a longer length than the flyline is required
to play a fish.
- Bead Head
- A Bead Head fly uses a metal bead to simulate the thorax on a
nymph or wet fly and to add weight to the fly. Typically gold or
silver is used, but any color can be used. Often a bright color such
as red can stimulate a fish into biting.
- Bimini Twist
- A specific series of knots and twists in a leader which acts as a
springy shock absorber in the line, usually used when fishing for
large salt water fish.
- Biot
- The short thick barbs from the leading edge of the first flight
feather typically from a goose or a duck. Used to simulate tails,
legs, antennae and other parts. Can be found dyed in many different
colors.
- Bobbin
- A tool for holding a spool of thread while fly tying which allows
the thread to be dispensed with a controlled tension.
- Bullet Head Tool
- A tool with a plate with several holes which can be pushed over
the eye of a hook to arrange material in a bullet pattern. The
material is first tied in facing forwards beyond the eye
symmetrically around the shank, and then pushed backwards by the
tool to form the distinctive bullet shape.
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C
- Caddis
- The term Caddis is used to describe a large diverse family of
aquatic insects characterized by down wings.
- Chenille
- A yarn-like material for wrapping bodies which is in the form of a
pipe cleaner (with thread in place of the stiff wire). Can be found
in many colors and materials, and is a critical component of the
Wooly Worm and Wooly Buggers patterns.
- Chironomid
- Scientific name for the members of the Diptera family of insects
commonly known as Midges. In the pupae stage they typically appear
to be small aquatic worms.
- Cinch Knot
- A knot used to tie the tippet to the eye of the fly. A modified
version of this, the Improved Cinch Knot, is probably the most used
knot for this purpose.
- Crystal Flash
- The trade name for a synthetic stringy material used in many
streamer patterns to add flash and color.
- Cul-du-Canard Feather
- Short wispy feathers taken from near the preen gland of a duck.
Typically there are few of these feathers found per duck. These
feathers add a significant amount of float to a fly due to the fact
that they are soaked with natural preen oil. Use of floatant on
these feathers will negate their floating qualities, actually
causing the fly to lose flotation.
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D
- Deer Hair
- Body hair from deer which is used in many fly patterns to supply
body and floatation.
- Dropper
- The bottom fly in a two fly rig, trailing the point fly.
- Dubbing
- A primary body ingredient in both dry flies and nymphs, dubbing is
a chopped-up fibrous material pinched and twisted onto the thread
for wrapping onto the fly. Also refers to the process of applying
the dubbing material.
- Dubbing Rake
- Tool used to tease out dubbing on a fly to give it an enlarged
appearance.
- Dun
- Term used to describe an adult aquatic insect following emergence
from the water.
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E
- Elk Hair
- Body hair from elk which is used in many fly patterns to supply
body and floatation.
- Emerger
- An aquatic insect in the process of rising to the surface and
changing to a flying adult form. Often will have an attached
trailing shuck which feeding fish may key upon.
- Estaz
- Trade name for a chenille which uses colored fine plastic strips
for the barbules. Can be found at many craft shops and yarn stores.
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F
- Federation of Fly Fishers
- A non-profit organization dedicated to teaching the sport of fly
fishing and the improvement of fisheries.
- Fish Hair
- Synthetic hair used in tying streamers and salt water flies.
- Floatant
- Material applied to flies and leaders in order to cause them to
float on the surface of the water. Typically sold in liquid or paste
form, although dry shake crystals have recently been found on the
market.
- Flashabou
- Commercial name for a colorful synthetic filament material used in
fly tying for adding flash to streamers as well as other patterns.
- Floss
- Material for tying flies.
- Fly
- An artificial lure hand tied with "stuff" on hooks.
- Fly Casting
- The process of casting a flyline out onto the water.
- Fly Line
- A weighted line which is cast out onto the water to deliver the
fly to the desired location. Can be found in many densities and
tapers.
- Floating Line
- A flyline design to float on the surface of the water along
its entire length. Typically used for dry fly fishing and
shallow water nymphing.
- Sinking Line
- A flyline design to sink below the surface of the water for
getting a wet fly or streamer down deeper. Can be found with
different sink rates for different fishing styles.
- Sinking-Tip Line
- A hybrid flyline design which is floating for most of its
length except for a short section of sinking line at the end.
- Fly Pattern
- Recipe used for tying a specific fly.
- Fly Reel
- A reel used to store line, provide smooth tension, or drag, and to
counterbalance the weight of the fly rod during the casting process.
Can be found in many different weights and with different drag
mechanisms.
- Fly Rod
- The type of fishing rod used to cast the flyline to the desired
position. Historically built with bamboo canes and fiberglass, but
now almost exclusively with carbon graphite.
- Fly Tying
- The process of building fishing flies using thread and various
materials.
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H
- Hackle
- Any soft-stemmed feather with non-adhering barbules. Typically
used to refer to hen or rooster chicken feathers.
- Hen Hackle
- Hackle feathers from a hen chicken characterized by soft,
wide feathers. Since these feathers readily soak up water,
they are usually used on nymphs and streamers.
- Jungle Cock
- A type of hackle with prominent singular white dot patterns
often used to suggest eyes.
- Neck Feathers
- Feathers from the neck of the chicken which are shorter and
tend to have a wider selection of sizes on a single skin.
- Saddle
- Feathers from the back of the chicken which are longer and
have thinner stems. Best choice for most dry flies.
- Herl
- Feathers used for tying with long individual barbules each having
short dense fibers. Typically from Peacock and Ostrich.
- Hook
- Pointed wire hook tied into a fly to catch fish (hopefully).
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J
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K
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L
- Lace
- Hollow fine plastic tubing wrapped around a hook shank to supply a
segmented body.
- Larva
- Sub surface stage of development of an aquatic insect.
- Leader
- Section of line used between the flyline and the tippet. Often
purchased as a tapered section, but can be assembled by tying
successively smaller diameter sections of monofiliment.
- Loop Connection
- A method of setting up a flyline/leader rig using loops tied in
each section which can be interlocked for easy changing.
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M
- Mayfly
- Term used to describe a common aquatic insect which has a life
cycle containing four stages; pupae, larva, dun and spinner. Many,
if not most fly patterns are used to imitate this type of insect in
its various stages of development. Various species can be found in
both moving and still waters, being a staple food in the diet of
trout and other fish species. Typically used to refer to the family
Ephemerella.
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N
- Nail Knot
- A knot used to tie together two lines of significantly different
diameters.
- Nail Knot Tool
- A tool used to simplify the process of tying Nail Knots.
- Nymph
- A general term used to describe the subsurface forms of aquatic
insects prior to emergence. Also used as the name of flies imitating
these insect forms.
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P
- Palmer
- A method for wrapping a hackle feather over a section of the fly's
body.
- Peacock Sword
- A feather from a peacock with bushy herl-like barbules, commonly
used for tails.
- Point Fly
- The lead fly in a two fly rig. Usually a section of tippet is tied
to the eye or the bend of the hook to connect to the dropper fly.
- Poly Yarn
- A synthetic yarn made from polypropylene. Used in fly tying, often
for parachute posts and wings on dry flies.
- Pupa
- Sub-surface larval stage of aquatic insect development.
Q
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R
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S
- Scud
- Term used for freshwater shrimp.
- Sinkant
- A liquid applied to flies to make them sink.
- Spinner
- A spent adult aquatic insect following laying its eggs on the
surface of the water.
- Stonefly
- Family of aquatic insects commonly imitated in fly fishing. Many
species are found in western streams.
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T
- Terrestrial
- Term used to describe land-based insects which are often food for
fish.
- Tinsel
- A metallic filament used in fly tying to provide flash and color.
- Tippet
- The monofiliment section of the fly rig between the leader and the
fly.
- Trailing Shuck
- A section of synthetic yarn tied to the back of a fly to imitate a
case being shed from an emerging insect.
- Trout Unlimited
- Non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and
improvement of trout fisheries, with an emphasis towards wild trout.
U
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V
- Vest
- A piece of clothing used to hold various tools, fly boxes and
other equipment while fishing.
- Vise
- The tool used to hold a hook in place while tying the fly.
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W
- Waders
- Protective outer clothing used to keep the fisherman dry when
standing or float-tubing in water. Typically made of neoprene,
nylon, or a Gore-Tex-like material. Can be insulated to supply
warmth.
- Whip Finish
- A knot used to tie off the thread when finishing a fly.
- Whip Finishing Tool
- A tool designed to make whip finishing quick and easy.
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Z
- Zinger
- A retractable string clip used to connect tools to ones fly vest.
- Z-Lon
- Trade name for a synthetic yarn used in making carpeting. Can be
used for many purposes in fly tying such as nymph bodies, spent
wings, and trailing shucks.
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