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TAMU offers the art of fly tying course
Texas
Academics meets application in a new class being taught at Texas A&M University. "The Art of Fly Tying" focuses on fly tying, creating a fishing lure by attaching feathers, tinsel and colored thread to a fishhook. At the same time, the course teaches the identification, anatomy and biology of aquatic insects.
"It's really cool. It's fun to take a class that applies other stuff you've learned," said Nino Brown, an entomology student and member of the class.
Dr. John Jackman, Texas A&M professor and Extension entomologist, said the class is a combination of his occupation and a long-time hobby.
"(Fly tying) has been an interest that has developed over the last 10 years," he said.
According to the class website, http://insects.tamu.edu/students/undergrad/ento489_flytying/syllabus.html,
"Creating and selecting a hand-tied fly that properly imitates the item that fish consider delectable is an art in itself. It takes detailed knowledge of the fish behavior, insect behavior, insect anatomy and fly design principles to create a representative fly. This course will provide the angler with essential knowledge and skills to help attain that level of artistry."
Experts say entomology is integral to fly-fishing.
"Unlike any other sport, fly-fishing involves entomology because you catch more fish if you understand what they eat," said Walter McClendon, vice president of membership of the Federation of Fly Fishers Southern Council. "Trout are the most picky of all fish in that they concentrate on the insects most abundant. We call this matching the hatch."
Trout eat caddisflies, mosquitoes, gnats, craneflies, spiders, grasshoppers, cicada, crickets, snails, caterpillars, wasp larva, ants, beetles, worms, damselflies, dragonflies and many other insects, as well as leeches, crawfish and minnows, he said.
Bass eat swimming mice, baby ducks, frogs, minnows, small bream and insects, while saltwater fish mainly eat other fish, crabs and shrimp, McClendon said.
"If you can figure out what type of insects are active and what stage they are in, you have a better chance of catching a fish with a fly that mimics them," Jackman said.
Jackman hopes the class will help improve communications between fly-fishermen and entomologists.
"Fly-fishermen have their own functional terminology for insect anatomy, taxonomy and behavior," he said. "Scientific names are incorporated in fly-fishing circles whenever it is useful. Clearly, good fly-fishermen have a greater understanding of aquatic insects, at least in the local river, than most entomologists. In this regard, about half of this course is serious entomology."
The course hasn't struck just the fancy of students majoring in entomology. Students from many other majors - including political science--are drawn to the class too.
Fly-fishing is very popular in Texas, McClendon said.
"We have at least 18 fly-fishing clubs in Texas with over 1,300 club members and growing," he said. "I suspect that there are an equal number of fly-fishers who are not in a club. We fly-fish cold water, warm water and saltwater in Texas."
In Texas, most fly-fishing is centered in the streams in the Hill Country area around Austin, according to Barry St. Clair, a spokesman for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Fly-fishermen have a tendency to be creative, St. Clair said.
"They take a lot of pride in creating new patterns." Students learn tying techniques in a "hands-on" approach during labs held in conjunction with the class. Creativity and artistry are encouraged. "The fly tying bench is a perfect place to share knowledge and express yourself in a creative way," Jackman said. "It's a practical connection between science and art."
Brown said mastering the first pattern took him several tries in lab. That's not uncommon, Jackman said.
"It depends. Some jump in and can just (naturally tie well) if they have good fine motor skills and a sense of proportion. It took me many years to master a sense of proportion."
Fishermen choose to not buy commercial flies for many reasons.
"There is a lot of satisfaction in tying your own flies," Jackman said. "One of the big reasons is that you can customize them. Some will argue that they are cheaper--I doubt that--but you do get a better selection of patterns, and they can be made more durable and more realistic."
McClendon said some fishermen are intimidated by the thought of tying their own flies.
"Once, I bought a fly during a moment of weakness while fishing saltwater but I have never caught anything on it, even though the fly shop told me it was a killer," he said. "I also tie the beautiful flies from the 1800s, just for the pleasure of it. They also catch fish just like they did for our ancestors."
Brown has begun to use his own flies for fishing in the tank behind his house.
"I haven't caught anything big yet, but it's fun to try," he said.
According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife state freshwater records, the biggest fish caught in public waters by a fly fisherman was a 59-pound Smallmouth Buffalo. It was 40.5 inches long and was caught in Austin's Town Lake in 1997 with a brown nymph.
Most fly fishermen practice catch and release, conservation and try to educate others about it, McClendon said.
"I usually don't keep the fish; it's just a sport, like football or baseball," Brown said.
Jackman hopes to continue the class next year with most of the materials on the Web site.
"I've developed a lot of supporting materials that are on the class website," he said. "Of course it couldn't be completely Web-based; the students would have to show up to demonstrate their skills."
Date: 11/24/04
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