Fly tying — materials & tools
The materials, tools and techniques of tying your own flies, from hooks and thread to feathers, fur and synthetics.
15 terms in 8 groups
Beads, eyes & weight (2)
- Dumbbell eyesalso barbell eyes, lead eyes, brass eyesA pair of metal balls joined by a short bar, tied onto a hook shank to add weight and act as eyes. Common on saltwater and baitfish flies where a jigging, hook-point-up ride matters.
- Tungsten beadalso Tungsten beadhead, Tungsten bead headA tungsten bead is a small, heavy metal bead tied on a hook to add weight and help a fly sink faster.
Flash & synthetics (3)
- Chenillealso chenille yarn, micro chenille, medium chenille, large chenilleA fuzzy, cord-like synthetic tying material wrapped on a hook shank to build a fast, bulky body. It comes in many colors and sizes, from fine to extra thick.
- Flashaboualso Flashabou tinsel, flash material, flashA synthetic flash material used in fly tying. It comes as long, thin strands that add sparkle and a bit of movement to a fly.
- Krystal Flashalso Crystal FlashA synthetic flash material used in fly tying. It’s sold as fine, twisted strands and tied in as an accent in tails, wings, bodies, or throats.
Hackle & feathers (3)
- CDCalso Cul de canardCDC is the soft feather from a duck’s preen gland area. Tiers use it for wings, collars, and bodies on dry flies and emergers because it floats and moves easily.
- Hacklealso hackle feather, dry fly hackle, rooster hackle, hen hackleHackle is feather fiber used on a fly, either wrapped around the hook or tied in as a collar or wing. It adds movement, buoyancy, and the outline of legs.
- MarabouA soft, fluffy feather used in fly tying to add motion and bulk with very little weight, most often in streamers and leech patterns.
Hair & fur (2)
- Bucktailalso buck tail, bucktail hair, deer tail hairBucktail is deer tail hair used as a fly-tying material, most often for streamer wings. It sheds water, flares under thread pressure, and holds a tapered shape.
- Deer hairalso spinning deer hair, stacking deer hairDeer hair is hollow, buoyant hair used in fly tying for dry-fly wings, spun bodies, and packed heads. It flares under thread tension and can be trimmed into shape.
Hooks (1)
Thread & dubbing (1)
Tying techniques (1)
Tying tools (2)
- Bobbinalso thread bobbin, tying bobbin, bobbin holderA bobbin is a fly-tying tool that holds a spool of thread and feeds it under adjustable tension while you wrap thread on a hook.
- Hair stackeralso hair stacker tool, hair tip stacker, stackerA hair stacker is a small tube-and-base tool that evens the tips of hair or fur for tying wings and tails, including comparadun wings.