Concepts of Imitation
By Dick Babine
All the natural foods, upon which fish feed---such as aquatic and terrestrial insects, bait fish, worms, crustaceans, shellfish, amphibians, very small mammals and reptiles---can be imitated by modern day Fly Tying methods. These hand made imitations can be then cast by way of the Fly Rod into or onto the water column and will entice a fish to think the imitation is real. Our beloved trout without question eat the greatest range of food types and sizes of any other local gamefish, and this wide range makes them the most desirable of all fish to catch on a fly.
Imitation of the fish's natural food source is best accomplished when these food sources are properly identified and their life cycles clearly understood. The first question that an angler must answer is, how and when do the fish feed on these various food items. Once the how and when are understood, the angler must obtain the various fly designs and tying patterns that will best simulate these various food items and then learn to fish these imitations to best simulate their subtlest movements at their most vulnerable life cycle periods.
Size, shape, color, texture and action will motivate the fly tyer in order to make an artificial to which the angler will then bring the imitation to life as he/she manipulates the creation in order to entice the reaction from the fish.
Angler's observations of the fish's environment will determine if the imitation should be in a Suggestive, Impressionistic, Realistic or Exact pattern. There are times when you only need to allow the fish to have a hint that you're presenting a possible food source and of course there are times when only the best will do.
All flies are tied with intent to deceive and this deception is achieved by degrees of exactness. Because of this philosophy, artificial flies are generally tied in one of four styles:
1) Suggestive
A particular form of artificial fly that displays a simple, crude, almost non-describable live natural food item.
2) Impressionistic
A particular form of artificial fly that gives a more distinct illusion of a general food form, such as an aquatic insect, fish, crustacean, shellfish, worm, amphibian or terrestrial creature.
3) Realistic
A particular form of artificial fly that more closely resembles a particular live species in which the imitation characteristics--- size, shape, color and texture---are observed.
4) Exact
A particular form of artificial fly that seeks to duplicate an existing aquatic food by being its best example.
Size, shape, color and texture are the most critical elements in duplicating fish foods with an artificial fly. Suggestive and Impressionistic patterns will provide the best latitude for forgiving errors. The Realistic and Exact patterns leave no room for error and are the most difficult to use. All we really want is an imitation that gives us the best possible chance to catch fish.
Elements of Imitation
1. SIZE: The length, width, and thickness of a natural aquatic food or the imitation of that food. Generally the exact length is most important to imitate with the smallest foods up to one half inch, but imitations that are larger need to have the thickness and width characteristics exact.
2. SHAPE: The overall outline or silhouette of an aquatic food within the three dimensional size. Shape should be considered closely when the designing is contemplated. The best versatile imitations usually have impressionistic shapes, which give the idea of many different possible food sources.
3. COLOR: Natural aquatic foods have distinct shades and tones of many color as well as specific patterns of these same colors. Normally exact duplication of color is not necessary. Imitations usually are effective if they are generally in nature.
4. TEXTURE: The overall feel, softness or rigidity of a natural or imitation. Each natural food has a particular identifiable texture or feels to it when touched or bitten by a fish. So an imitation of such naturals should have the same texture or feel. Tying materials considered for such imitations should be chosen with this concept in mind.
5. ACTION: The movement of a natural or imitation including its own muscular movement and what the water or entrapment on the water would give it. The imitation when fished is given the proper live imitative action by the angler.
ACTS
A = Action
C = Color
T = Texture
S = Size and Shape
Anatomy of the Artificial Fly
The very backbone of any imitation is the hook that the material is attached to and this material is in the form of: furs, feathers, tinsels, hairs, chenilles, yarns and an ever-growing list of synthetics.
All species of either animal or fish are very comfortable eating things that they are accustomed to consuming in the past. They have either learned not to fear the offering or they have developed a taste for the offering. We also have learned to like the way our food looks. Here is the rule; if it looks good, sounds good and the imitation acts normal, then the creature will probably eat it. We tie our imitations to create the things that fish like; otherwise the fish will not be interested and swim off.
Example: If you retrieve an exotic imitation across the nose of a predaceous bass, the chances are that the bass will take a whack at it.
If you likewise retrieve something new and very alarming past the nose of a trout, the fish will freak out and run for shelter.
The lesson here is that you must know, "for whom the bell tolls." Your imitation must be designed based on a particular species need. The form of the fly must always follow the function of a fly.
Materials must be chosen based on the way you will present the offering. It would not be very productive to tie a wet fly or streamer with very stiff materials that will resist free-movement in the water when properly retrieved. How about this? It wouldn't do much good to tie a dry fly out of soft materials that soak up water and cause the imitation to sink.
Hooks
Knowing about hook size is real easy: from size No.1, hooks get smaller as their numbers get higher, and from size 1/0, hooks get larger as the numbers get larger. Thus a No. 2 hook is larger than a No. 12, and a 6/0 is larger that a 2/0.
Hook eye styles are also quite simply in that the Turn-Up-Eye (TUE) is used for larger Brown Trout, Steelhead, Salmon and some Dry Fly patterns.
The Straight or Ringed eye (RE) is used for Midge and Chironomid patterns' as well as, some streamer and saltwater patterns. The Turned-Down-Eye (TDE) is the most commonly used style.
The Tapered eye makes for a lighter hook and is used for Dry fly applications.
The Ball eye is slightly heavier and thus is used for Wet fly and Streamer applications.
The Looped eye hook is used on hooks that are designed to catch the larger species because of its strength.