reviews

Creative Fly Tying

By Scott Richmond

Creative Fly Tying by Mike Mercer. Published by Wild River Press in an 8.5 x 11 inch format, all color. 160 pages, spiral bound. $39.95 cover price. Available at many fly shops and online (google title and author).

hat's it worth to get into the mind of a master fly designer? What would you pay to find out why he designed a fly the way he did--not just what worked, but what didn't work?

Frankly, I think that kind of perspective is worth a lot. For one thing, most fly tiers are male, and guys . . . well, not to put too fine a point on it, but guys aren't good at following directions; they feel obligated to put their own spin on things and do it just a little differently.

Learning from a Master

Mike Mercer is the well-known creator of some wildly popular--and effective--fly patterns. His creations include the Z Wing Caddis, poxyback flies, such as the Poxyback Green Drake, and California' current number uno must-have small nymph, the Micro Mayfly.

When Mike Mercer talks about flies, I listen. And I want more than a fly's recipe; I want to know why he made certain decisions about materials and profile, what other options he tried and why they didn't work. In that quaint 1960s phrase, "I want to get inside his head."

That's why I'm enthusiastic about his book, Creative Fly Tying. There are only 12 fly patterns, which isn't much for a $40 book, but they are 12 very useful patterns for western fly fishers. (Well, maybe 11 useful patterns; the Alaska Lemming is a trifle specialized.)

But you get more than 12 step-by-step fly recipes. You get the full monty: Mike's mind laid bare. He tells you how each fly pattern evolved, what he tried and why it did or didn't work. That thought process is worth a lot. Pay attention, and you'll learn far more than how to tie 12 flies; you'll learn an entire approach to designing your own patterns.

But Wait, There's More

Creative Fly Tying is the first book Mercer has written, and is the first book to be published by Wild River Press. Wild River Press is the creation of Tom Pero, publisher of Fish and Fly magazine. The book is well written and excellently produced. The design and layout are attractive and enhance the content rather than compete with it. Creative Fly Tying is spiral bound, so it lays flat; you don't have to hold it open with your nose when you're trying to tie a pattern for the first time.

Each chapter includes text describing the process of creating a fly pattern, from problem, to choices, to solution. Mercer consistently considers the context of each pattern: the insects, the response of the trout to those insects, the angler's presentation, and the type of water in which the fly is fished. All these factors influence the choices of materials and profile. The text is followed by step-by-step instructions of how to tie the fly, including clear photos by master photographer Ted Fauceglia.

And while only 12 patterns are detailed here, some of them will imitate many different insect species within the same genus. So you really have the starting point for many more patterns. My only beef with Creative Fly Tying is that it would have been helpful to include recipes for standard variations of the book's 12 basic patterns; it wouldn't have been much extra work or cost to include these. Perhaps the publisher could think about listing those recipes on his website.

Beyond the fly recipes, there's an excellent don't-miss-it introduction by Oregon writer Ted Lesson, and a chapter titled "Reading the Water" that succinctly offers practical tips on fly fishing tactics and puts the pattern vs. presentation argument in perspective.

Who Should Buy It?

Creative Fly Tying is an attractive as well a ultimately practical book. I loved it, but I don't think it's for everyone. If you're new to tying, you need a more basic manual that explains fundamental steps. Mercer just says things like, "form a dubbing loop." That's fine for more experienced tiers, but not for beginners.

However, if you've tied more than a few flies and have experimented with your own designs, you'll find this a very useful book to have in your library.

Bottom Line: For any experienced tyer who wants to get into the mind-set of a master fly designer. Reviewer Rating: 5

Scott Richmond is Westfly's creator and Executive Director. He is the author of eight books on Oregon fly fishing, including Fishing Oregon's Deschutes River (second edition).

Uploaded 09/28/2005.

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