First Place Book Other than a Guidebook 2008

Excerpt from Tying Furled Flies

By Ken Hanley

I don’t claim any original technique or design with my patterns.

I’m not even sure if there is anything “new” left to be discovered behind the vise. In the process of creating my flies, I rely heavily on the techniques I’ve been taught and the many elements I admire in existing fly patterns. I try to tap into these successes and create a fly that addresses my specific needs. Tiers both past and present have greatly influenced my work.

There’s a “rightness” to knowing who was there before the rest of us. Roderick Haig-Brown, Tommy Brayshaw, and Jim Prey are three angler/tiers that readily come to mind. I often read about their adventures and skills in magazines and books and would hear other anglers talking about them while on the water. They had the respect of their fellow fly fishers.

As a West Coast native, the steelhead and coastal saltwater fisheries were integral to my upbringing. Because of this, this trio of personalities impacted my early impressions of fly-fishing techniques and fly design. Roderick Haig-Brown’s work in British Columbia was frequently based in smaller stream environs and estuary habitat, which were exactly the type of waters I had access to around the San Francisco Bay Area, Santa Cruz coastline, and Marin and Sonoma counties. His field techniques and fly patterns worked beautifully in my world. I especially enjoyed using his baitfish streamers such as the Coho Blue and Silver Lady. Both are eloquent, clean designs with an economy of materials. His shrimp patterns got me thinking about the importance of small crustaceans and their role in the coastal food chain. From steelhead and saltwater salmon to sea-run cutthroat and more, Haig-Brown’s flies have given me great pleasure in the field and a solid perspective in streamer design.