Fly Tyer Spotlight : Christian Ziegler-Kirchermeier

Fly tying is a wonderful pastime and in our “Fly Tyer Spotlight” column, we present some of the most talented and innovative fly tyers across Europe and beyond. They are fly tyers worthy of acclaim and attention – and they represent a great source of creative inspiration.

CHRISTIAN ZIEGLER-KIRCHERMEIER is an experienced German fly fisherman, who also happens to be a super-talented fly tyer. We stumbled upon Christian’s Instagram a year ago (www.instagram.com/@chris_k_flytying); an account that is bound to blow up. It features crisp shots of beautifully tied and innovative fly patterns from someone who is obviously both prolific and perfectionist.

We immediately became fascinated with Christian’s work and the person behind it, and we’ve therefore sat down with Christian to talk about his passion for fly tying, where he finds his inspiration and how he composes new patterns.

What is it about fly tying that you like so much?

Well, let’s start at the beginning. I began flyfishing at the age of 13, and right from the beginning I was told to tie my own flies. That’s when I realised that there is no better feeling than for me to catch fish on flies I’ve tied myself.

What also fascinates me about fly tying is the endless learning process involved. I learn new things every day and with every fly I tie. Flytying never gets boring; the possibilties are endless and you never stop learning. Flytying is an endless journey.

What kind of flies do you most enjoy to tie?

One word: Deerhair Deer hair is a super versatile material. You can use it for hackles, wings, bodies and much more. My most favorit use of it is for multi-coloured Goddards or Streamer heads. It never gets boring to pack a bunch of deerhair. You never know the exact outcome until you shave the hair with your razorblades. I just love it!

What are the most important/determining factors when you design a new fly pattern?

Designing a “radically” new pattern is hard these days, but I enjoy creating my own variations of existing patterns or combining the best parts of different patterns into something new. It is a lot of fun!

In the process, I look critically at the materials involved and replace materials with new ones whenever it makes sense. An important part of this process is the time spent on the water.

I always tie different variations of the “new” patterns and fish them for a few days. Some work better than others. I then keep the better ones and try some more variations, like tags, legs, hotspots and so on. When I think the pattern is working really well and is tied in an efficent way, its ready to find its rightful place in my fly box.

What’s your favourite fish species to catch and why?

My favourite fish is browntrout. 100%! Wild ones. However, they are not easy to come by in my home rivers. Our fish are stocked and spawning trout are very rare.

I tried for a very long time to catch a 60 cm+ brown trout on a fly, but - in Germany – good trout rivers are very limited. So, I traveled to Iceland this year with my family and was able to catch one of the monsters out of Lake Villingavatn. It was an unbelievable fish that I will never forget.

Do you fish flies that require adapted/alternative fishing techniques?

Yes, a lot. In my local rivers European Nymphing is usually neccesary. So I am used to tying a lot of Jig-nymphs and Perdigon patterns - usually in big numbers.

I tie my patterns in differnt sizes and weights; most of them in bead-sizes from 3,5 to 5,5 mm. I am not the biggest fan of that technique or the flies, but the fishing can be super effective in a lot of situations. So it’s something I simply can´t ignore.

What’s your all-time favourite fly and why?

That’s a very difficult question. I have a favourite fly for every style of fly fishing I do. Dry, nymph, Czech nymph, streamer and so on...

However, if I had to choose - my all-time favourite fly is probably a Tiltwing Deerhair Parachute (Because dry fly fishing is my goto technique). I add some long CDC fibers to the deerhair hackle that gives the fly some extra movement. I have a video on my Instagram account on how to tie it.

Are there any specific fly tyers that have influenced and inspired you over the years?

I follow a really big amount of amazing tyers on Instagram. I try to get my inspiration from them, and not just copy a whole pattern - but keep in mind the great stuff they produce.

Then, in my mind, new patterns are concocted inspired by what I’ve seen. Most of the fly tyers I follow are realy helpfull and I love the big inclusive community that is out there.

I have to name some of them, I’d say @onceandaway (James Lund), @hugo.harlin, @ luca_baroselli, @rowleybenchwork (Jeff Rowley), and @kurefluer (Henrik Kure). But there are many more.