Material Selection

What material works best for which application? ARNO LAUBSCHER says you should choose your materials wisely.

- Arno Laubscher

Fly patterns, fly design and tying techniques have come a long way since I started fly fishing in the ’80s, and noticeably so since I began working in the fly fishing industry in the early ’90s. I can remember, when managing a commercial fly-tying factory, the ratio between naturals and synthetics, especially in salt water flies. Back then, most flies such as Royal Wulffs, Klinkhamers, Clouser Minnows and Lefty’s Deceivers were predominantly tied with naturals, with the odd new pattern featuring some synthetics that were added to the range depending on availability and the complexity of the techniques required. In most of those flies, synthetics were visible in the form of either Flashabou or Crystal Flash. In time, we started using synthetic fibres combined with naturals, trying new things all the time, and as more materials became available, so we expanded and continually developed new techniques and fly patterns.

The ’90s were a time of rapid growth in the fly fishing industry in South Africa, due to the availability of new communication technology and access to information through e-mail and the Internet. This allowed us to do constant research, discover new materials and learn new techniques. We suddenly had a wealth of information at our fingertips with a huge variety of material to work with, so we could not only develop new patterns but also improve existing ones.

Material selection is probably the most important thing when tying flies and especially when working on new designs and imitations. Fly patterns, fly design and tying techniques go hand in hand with material selection, but what makes them work is good knowledge of the target species, its prey and a fly-tyer’s creativity. I have written about this before and cannot emphasise enough that material selection and the correct use thereof is what is going to make your fly perform the way it should.