Endless Potential I used to think fly tying was a seasonal hobby. Get into “Production” mode to fill the boxes during the off season with the occasional mid-season tie to back fill a decreasing supply. Those were the days when I fished more than I tied, but now the space between trips is spent with fur and feathers. Tying keeps me connected to the sport and there is little else that takes the edge off the day like sitting behind a vise. For some reason I feel guilty admitting it, but I may enjoy it as much as fishing. Perhaps it’s more like choosing a favorite child. Certainly both enhance the others experience. One of the only things more rewarding than catching a fish on a fly you tied is catching a fish on a fly you created. With exponential amount variables the combinations are limitless giving the creative tinkerer a sense of discovery. I’ve come up with a handful of patterns, some of which rank among the most productive in my box. At times the final product and original draft are one in the same; others go through many revisions. Though the process is often different, I narrowed my creative process down to a few starting points.
Variants – If the music industry were as liberal with intellectual property as fly tying, Vanilla Ice wouldn’t have paid the Police. A lot of times a good place to start is with a proven pattern and then adding or subtracting. I was on a kick with CDC for a while and added it to just about every pattern I tied. By adding CDC and some Pearl Tinsel to a classic Brassie, the Hammer Creek CDC Brassie was born. All domesticated dogs are said be derived from one gene pool in East Asia. I’m not suggesting the same is true of flies, but flipping through some of the earliest literature you can see the lineage of many modern day patterns. In more recent history, think about how many variants of a Pheasant Tail Nymph we have since Frank Sawyer tied his first and that’s only the last 60 years or so. Sometimes a new pattern is the offspring of two, and even the best do it. Dave Whitlock combined Joe’s Hopper and a Muddler Minnow and got the famous Dave’s Hopper. However, the greatest innovation in fly tying hasn’t come from procreation, but rather in the innovation of materials.
Variants – If the music industry were as liberal with intellectual property as fly tying, Vanilla Ice wouldn’t have paid the Police. A lot of times a good place to start is with a proven pattern and then adding or subtracting. I was on a kick with CDC for a while and added it to just about every pattern I tied. By adding CDC and some Pearl Tinsel to a classic Brassie, the Hammer Creek CDC Brassie was born. All domesticated dogs are said be derived from one gene pool in East Asia. I’m not suggesting the same is true of flies, but flipping through some of the earliest literature you can see the lineage of many modern day patterns. In more recent history, think about how many variants of a Pheasant Tail Nymph we have since Frank Sawyer tied his first and that’s only the last 60 years or so. Sometimes a new pattern is the offspring of two, and even the best do it. Dave Whitlock combined Joe’s Hopper and a Muddler Minnow and got the famous Dave’s Hopper. However, the greatest innovation in fly tying hasn’t come from procreation, but rather in the innovation of materials.
 Hammer Creek CDC Brassie |  Frenchie - No Doubt Spawned From a Pheasant Tail Nymph |
New Materials – Although we pay homage to the classics some modern patterns were an impossibility of an earlier time. We tie in a world where it’s hard to imagine a nymph without a bead head, but it wasn’t that long ago. As mentioned I get on a kick with new or in vogue materials whether it’s CDC, Ice Dubbing, Flashback, etc (and don't get me started on hook variety). It opens up another door of possibilities. One of my favorites, The Pearl, came off a fixation with Pearl Tinsel and you’ll see it in a lot of my patterns. Now I’m stuck on UV Ice dub and have since re-tied several staple patterns to create a twist on the March Brown Spider and Scud. New patterns can also come from the lack of materials as well. If I see a pattern in a magazine or online, often I’ll tie it based on the concept of the fly with materials I like. Or if I follow a recipe and don’t have the proper supplies I’ll make substitutions which may take my mind down an entirely different path. As mentioned the difference between a variant and new pattern is razor thin.
 Hammer Creek Pearl | Stuck on UV Ice Dub at the moment giving a fresh coat of paint to some old favorites. Hammer Creek Scud  March Brown Spider |
Imitations – Another way I create “new” patterns is through imitations. I’m weak on entomology, but I have a field guide and often will pick an insect to replicate. After all, that’s what we’re doing right? So you have a choice; imitate a pattern of an interpretation of an insect or go right to the source. I find the field reference puts things in perspective and helps especially with proportion. There are some really good entomology resources online as well. I think one of the best is troutnut.com, but often I’ll Google the insect I’m trying to imitate and think through the techniques to get me there. When starting from scratch (or anytime really) remember material often acts differently when wet. The pattern may not look like a spot on ringer to you in a vise, but it’s what it looks like to a fish in water that matters.
Divine Inspiration - I spend an abnormal amount of time thinking about fly fishing and fly tying, but my assumption is I’m not alone. If you’re reading this you are probably of the same mind…scary. Lying in bed at night I’ll think up new patterns to tie. On occasion it will get me out of bed and down to the bench and often it looks different in my head than on a hook. The dissonances between the two are among the most frustrating days. When you hit it right it’s a good feeling. The Disco Duck was a moment when I saw it in my head and tied it spot on first time around. Of all the ways to create a new pattern this is probably my most enjoyed, but least effective. I like to think it through, but I need to have the bobbin in hand to really get results.
Hammer Creek Disco Duck, by far my best trailing pattern
Creating the website really started me thinking about what patterns I could claim as my own and in truth pushed me to focus more on originals rather than replications. I only have a handful to my credit, but those are among my favorites to fish. Our community of fly fishers does great job of providing a platform to share our craft. Some of my favorites are On The Vise, Fly Tying Forum and Global Fly Fisher which tightens the tying community and serves as a conduit for creativity. It’s flattering to think maybe somewhere out there an angler is having success fishing a Hammer Creek original.
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