What Makes a Fly Original?

Photo: Dom Swentosky/Troutbitten

Years ago, when I first learned to tie flies, my dad showed me a caddis pattern that he said his father—my grandpa—invented. This particular fly is a mashup of what a tier today would label as an Adams and an elk-hair caddis, complete with the wing. It has the Adams tail, but the flat, stubby body of the caddis. You can hackle this fly with whatever you like, but my grandpa always used grizzly.

That fly is unique in that I’ve never seen another truly like it. While I don’t know if it’s original, it certainly stands out.

So, that begs the question: what makes a fly original?

Dom Swentosky, over at Troutbitten, answers that question in his latest post. Is a fly “new” when it utilizes new-to-us materials? Or does it need to be a completely original pattern, a combination of fur and feathers that hasn’t yet hit the commercial markets?

Dom sums it up well when he says, “Fly fishing has been around long enough that it’s easy to believe everything’s already been done. It’s true, in large part. And maybe all that’s left are variations on a theme.”

You can read the entire story here.