Fun With Fly Names
As I sit here tying flies for an upcoming Alaska trip, I’m finding that naming your creation is almost as fun as catching something on it. Flip through a book of fly patterns and you’ll see what I mean. There seems to be several schools of thought when it comes to naming a dressing that you just whipped up. First of all, you have the “I want to be famous so anglers the world over know my name and tackle companies will bestow great gifts upon me” tier. They’ve turned out patters such as Cameron’s Keel Bug and Rick’s Revenge and Shewey’s Shad Shafter. I like a fly called Chuck’s Lime Deceiver, and though I’ve never had the opportunity to fish for fruit before, I’m sure it works well. When choosing a name for a fly, some tiers even get a little autobiographical…patters like Dr. Spratley, Professor, Jailbait, Orleans Barber, Purple Joe, Surgeon General and Mormon Girl come to mind.