Heritage flies - part 1 by Peter Brigg
On the one hand, the reasoning behind our fly patterns amounts to a kind of mythmaking that explains the way they are; on the other, our explanations are like performance art and all quite mystifying. Either way, they bear the stamp of our individual minds. Our theories are impressed with something of who we are, and the choice of patterns we carry discloses something of us. Ted Leeson. Inventing Montana. Fly fishing is often spoken of as an art form just as fly tying is in its own right, a craft, a form of artistry. This series of articles is a celebration of this artistry, the innovation and the talents of local fly tyers their vision and imagination; these are our heritage flies. To begin with it is appropriate to step back and revisit the history of fishing flies, where it all started, how fly tying has evolved and the origins of our own particular South African style; unfolding conwww.saflyfishingmag.co.za
stantly forming and worthy of recognition. The use of artificial flies to deceive fish was first recorded at the end of the 2nd century when Roman Claudius Aelianus described the practice of the Macedonian anglers on the Astraeus River by saying “...they have planned a snare for the fish, and get the better of them by their fisherman’s craft ….They fasten red wool around a hook, andit on to the wool two feathers, which grow under a cock’s wattles, and which in colour are like wax” 68
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