Fly Fishing

Fly Fishing & flytying Glossary of Terms

Last Updated: Monday, 17-Jan.-2000 4:41pm MST

This page contains a glossary of various term related to fly fishing. If you notice any problems or have suggestions for additional definitions that might be usefull, please contact me at jbowen@jbowen.net. Any help is appreciated.

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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.

Backing Line: Nylon or dacron line tied between the flyline 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.

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 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 whispy 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.

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.

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.

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 colorfull synthetic filament material used in fly tying for dding 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.

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 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).

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.

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.

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.

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.
Pheasant: Most commonly the Ring Neck Pheasant,Tail fibers used for tying P.T. nymphs, knotted for grasshopper legs,used for wing cases in tying flies.
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 polyproylene. Used in fly tying, often for parachute posts and wings on dry flies.
Pupa: Sub-surface larval stage of aquatic insect development.

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 flyfishing. Many species are found in western streams.

Terrestrial: Term used to describe land-based insects which are often food for fish.
Tinsel: A metallic filiment 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 bieng shed from an emerging insect.
Trout Unlimited: Non-profit organization dedicted to the protection and improvement of trout fisheries, with an emphasis towards wild trout.

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.

Waders: Protective outer clothing used to keep the fisherman dry when standing or float-tubing in water. Typically made of neoprene, nylon, or a Goretex-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.

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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Please send any additions and suggestions to me, James Bowen, via E-Mail at jbowen@jbowen.biz. All inputs are greatly appreciated.

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