Fly Fishing Flies MS|Color T-Shirt

The Story

Historically, the origin of fly tying dates from early Macedonia. Early man very likely imitated the natural food diet of fish in order to catch his dinner. In Europe, artificial flies first appeared in England around 1450 and were fashioned from readily available wool, feathers, furs and silks. Many of the first American fly patterns were based on the ancient traditional flies of England.

The introduction of the dry-fly technique in the late 1880s probably had the greatest impact on the sport. Also significant was the advent of the eyed hook in the late 1800s, which greatly affected the evolution of the fly. With the introduction of synthetic fly dressing material at the turn of the twentieth century, the development gained additional momentum. The speed of the development of newer and more imitative patterns has been phenomenal. This design is a tribute to the ancient innovators and modern day inventors who forged the colorful history of fly-tying from its earliest days to our modern era.