The Art Of Tying

Fly tying, simply put, is binding various materials to a hook to create a realistic representation of wild trout prey. There are an infinite number of different designs, each attempting to imitate some form of fish or insect and fool the wild trout into taking the bait.

Fly-tiers are often fisherman, and traditionally created new designs based on situations they found themselves in during their own fishing adventures. If they saw the trout were feeding on smaller fish, they would go home that night and tie a fly that looked and behaved the same way as the smaller fish, so they might have a better chance of catching the trout the next day. If a fly worked, word would spread to other fisherman and its popularity would increase. Fly-tiers are driven by desire to find that “secret fly” that will catch fish in any environment.

Hand tying flies is challenging and rewarding. It is time consuming and a miniature work of art. Commercial fly-tying in NZ is done by only a select few professionals who have been dedicated to the art of tying for many years.

Hooked On NZ has one of the country’s best fly-tiers creating our designs. We use nine well-known NZ flies, chosen for their popularity in NZ fishing conditions and their stand-alone beauty. Each design has been created with a different purpose in mind, and as such is a unique part of New Zealand fishing culture. Just as flies are selected for their quality and superb finish, we choose only the very best hand-made designs for our beautiful hypo-allergenic earrings.

Stand out from the crowd by wearing these hand-made works of art, each unique and quintessentially New Zealand.