Welcome to Just Old Flies

Welcome to 'just old flies,' a section of methods and flies that used-to-be. These flies were tied with the only materials available. Long before the advent of 'modern' tying materials, they were created and improved upon at a far slower pace than todays modern counterparts; limited by materials available and the tiers imagination.

Once long gone, there existed a 'fraternity' of anglers who felt an obligation to use only the 'standard' patterns of the day. We hope to bring a bit of nostalgia to these pages and to you. And sometimes what you find here will not always be about fishing. Perhaps you will enjoy them. Perhaps you will fish the flies. Perhaps?

The Tim

Compiled by Eric Austin
Fly tied by Eric Austin
From Mary Orvis Marbury's Favorite Flies and Their Histories:
"Legend hath it that when the "Pine-Tree State" was yet an unexplored wilderness, three trappers, Tim, Jim, and Sutton, came to it annually in search of game. Separating where Eustis now stands, Tim went to the west, and followed Tim Brook up to what is now called Tim Pond; Jim went to the north, and Sutton to the south. At the end of the season they met and related their various experiences. Tim Pond lies two thousand feet above the level of the sea, and is today a favorite camping and fishing ground; the forests guard its sparkling waters, and the man who gave it its name sleeps by its side."

The Tim Recipe:

    Tag:   Fine oval gold tinsel.

    Tail:   Red Goose.

    Body:   Yellow floss.

    Ribbing:   Fine oval tinsel.

    Wing:   Mallard.

    Throat:   Yellow Hackle.

    Head:   Black herl.

~ EA

Credits: Text from Favorite Flies and Their Histories by Mary Orvis Marbury. Fly and photo by Eric Austin.

Archive of Old Flies