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Sixteen
years ago, when I met Terenzio Zandri, I was crossing a phase of major
transformation of my way of viewing, interpreting and practicing fly fishing. At
that time it was waning in me that absurd and often restrictive dogma, quite
popular in the Italian angling clubs, that led to consider the “true” fly
fisherman only who used in an exclusive manner dry flies: a “purist” who knew
how to appreciate and fully exploit the noble art of fly fishing. Those were the
years in which the fashion, all Italian, of the seven and a half feet rod, of
the very light fly lines and the chimera of the "full line cast" was questioned
by many fly fishermen, including myself, because many of us were starting to
explore other techniques, noting that the use of a nymph, for example, allowed
often catches really interesting, and not only by size, but also because it
forced us to a deeper “immersion” into the trout world.
During the afternoons I spent with Terenzio in his laboratory, he showed to me some singular flies tied with a really unique technique, the body of which was created with a tangle of fishing lines and antrons and with the hook hanging below the body. The flies, in fact, were not built on the hook, but this was added during the tying process and bonded to the center of the body structure, so it could remain below this. Even the fly eye was created with a loop of fishing line, while the hackle for the collar, the wings and colorful antrons were added to the tangle of lines with a specific technique.
For a quite long period, those flies remained for me a kind of mystery, almost a taboo: in the past, my friend was not so inclined to spread his technique and to learn it without a clear explanation was almost impossible, also because to tie such imitations it is not required a traditional vice, but a small wooden loom.
The flies tied with this technique were conceived by observing trout that behaved in a singular manner when some unusual objects passed over their head. Terenzio and his friends noticed, in fact, that the fish raised occasionally to intercept the cast connector which their used to join the leader to the fly line, as well as some trout attacked the large knots on the first section of the leader, probably mistaking them for a tasty prey. So they thought to bind a grain of rice on the hook, or to tie a small hook on a big blood-knot, and see if it was possible to trick the trout. The experiment was successful and triggered the spark that gave life, years later, to the extraordinary flies of the loom.
The imitative qualities of these flies are great and also their buoyancy is really high. Many patterns look like the most common mayflies at the adult stage, but with some expedients, Terenzio was able to build imitations of emergers and winged caddis. These flies are almost unknown to most fish and therefore tend to be accepted with greater conviction also from experienced trout which feed selectively, of course the color and size of each fly must be chose in relation to the real insects preyed by the fish.
Terenzio has tied on his loom a rich selection of ephemeral imitations and all these flies reveal great care in every detail. Definitely spectacular are the large May flies, extremely light and easy to cast even with very thin lines despite their generous size.
The flies of the loom are tied with a work very similar to that of a weaver and not many tools are required: a pair of scissors, two sewing needles, a hackle pliers and the special loom. The loom is made with a base of wood about twenty centimeters long and fifteen wide, to the minor sides of which, in the opposite position, are nailed two brackets fifteen inches high and vertically erected. Inside the outer bracket is fixed a small spring, while the bracket placed at our side is shaped with a sort of inner groove, on the edge of which are implanted two small nails and on the higher surface are etched a series of narrow grooves, whose function is to keep the fishing lines during the fly tying.
During the afternoons I spent with Terenzio in his laboratory, he showed to me some singular flies tied with a really unique technique, the body of which was created with a tangle of fishing lines and antrons and with the hook hanging below the body. The flies, in fact, were not built on the hook, but this was added during the tying process and bonded to the center of the body structure, so it could remain below this. Even the fly eye was created with a loop of fishing line, while the hackle for the collar, the wings and colorful antrons were added to the tangle of lines with a specific technique.
For a quite long period, those flies remained for me a kind of mystery, almost a taboo: in the past, my friend was not so inclined to spread his technique and to learn it without a clear explanation was almost impossible, also because to tie such imitations it is not required a traditional vice, but a small wooden loom.
The flies tied with this technique were conceived by observing trout that behaved in a singular manner when some unusual objects passed over their head. Terenzio and his friends noticed, in fact, that the fish raised occasionally to intercept the cast connector which their used to join the leader to the fly line, as well as some trout attacked the large knots on the first section of the leader, probably mistaking them for a tasty prey. So they thought to bind a grain of rice on the hook, or to tie a small hook on a big blood-knot, and see if it was possible to trick the trout. The experiment was successful and triggered the spark that gave life, years later, to the extraordinary flies of the loom.
The imitative qualities of these flies are great and also their buoyancy is really high. Many patterns look like the most common mayflies at the adult stage, but with some expedients, Terenzio was able to build imitations of emergers and winged caddis. These flies are almost unknown to most fish and therefore tend to be accepted with greater conviction also from experienced trout which feed selectively, of course the color and size of each fly must be chose in relation to the real insects preyed by the fish.
Terenzio has tied on his loom a rich selection of ephemeral imitations and all these flies reveal great care in every detail. Definitely spectacular are the large May flies, extremely light and easy to cast even with very thin lines despite their generous size.
The flies of the loom are tied with a work very similar to that of a weaver and not many tools are required: a pair of scissors, two sewing needles, a hackle pliers and the special loom. The loom is made with a base of wood about twenty centimeters long and fifteen wide, to the minor sides of which, in the opposite position, are nailed two brackets fifteen inches high and vertically erected. Inside the outer bracket is fixed a small spring, while the bracket placed at our side is shaped with a sort of inner groove, on the edge of which are implanted two small nails and on the higher surface are etched a series of narrow grooves, whose function is to keep the fishing lines during the fly tying.
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INSTRUCTIONS
To show
me his technique, Terenzio chose an imitation of Ephemera vulgata at dun stage, making me
note that this fly is excellent for fishing at the end of spring, especially
during the intense and majestic hatching of the real insect.
He starts the tying process by making a double loop at the center of a piece of fishing monofilament nearly one meter long and with diameter 0,18: this will act as the fly eye
He starts the tying process by making a double loop at the center of a piece of fishing monofilament nearly one meter long and with diameter 0,18: this will act as the fly eye
The double loop is tied to the spring on the first bracket of the loom and the
rear sections of the fishing monofilament are secured around the two nails and
in the grooves on the opposite bracket. In practice we will have the double loop
on the spring, a loop around the nails and two free lines that, once tightened,
will be stuck in the grooves of the second bracket
From a blue dun cock neck, Terenzio selects a quite long hackle, strip off the softer fibers along its base and he secure its stem immediately behind the double loop. The fixing operation must be done by releasing from the bracket the two free monofilaments and by passing the first one and then the second around the two others which continue to stay in tension. Substantially Terenzio realizes two knots by turning outside and then inside the two lines into the loop that they create, so to trap firmly the hackle stem
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Terenzio tightens the two fishing lines used for knots and secure them in the
rear bracket. He grips the hackle tip in the specific pliers and turns
repeatedly the feather around the four fishing monofilaments, so to create the
first portion of the collar
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The two free fishing lines are unhooked again and used to tie under the fly a
size 16 hook with the eye up. This fixing operation is done by passing one
of the two lines inside of hook eye and then making a knot: the hook must be
placed with its point forwards. To make the hook slightly tilting, Terenzio puts
a small sewing needle into the loop which holds the hook eye: it will be removed
at the end of the tying process
With the wing burner tweezers and the flame of a lighter, Terenzio shapes the
tips of two hen hackles selected in mottled light brown color, he removes part
of the fibers along their basal section and binds them immediately behind the
hook eye, so they stay in a vertical position and slightly diverging, like the
wings of a real insect. The stems in excess should not be immediately cut off,
but trapped with a series of knots made in front and behind the stems
The hackle is wrapped two or three times behind the wings to complete the collar
and then is intertwined around the four tightened fishing lines
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Terenzio makes some more knots introducing in them a generous pinch of
polypropylene colored light brown, which will act as the last part of the thorax
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On the spring hook, Terenzio binds in three tiny lengths of antron colored dirty
yellow, light brown and pinkish brown, then he brings them up to behind the
thorax and here he secures them with two knots made with the free monofilaments.
With all three lengths of antron together, he makes a knot around the tightened
monofilament which is on the right
He forms a second knot by turning the antrons around the tightened monofilament
on the left
On both the tightened monofilaments, Terenzio makes a series of knots with the
two free fishing lines kept together, so to give volume to the first part of the
abdomen
He continues to make alternating knots to build half of
the abdomen, after that he cuts off the excess of the yellow antron and one of
the free monofilament. With the other two antrons and the remaining fishing
line, he realizes three more series of knots to complete the fly body: in this
way he will give it a nice conical silhouette. At the end of this step, he
eliminates the surplus of the feathers used for the wings and for the collar
Three synthetic fibers for tails colored mottled brown are chosen and secured with
a knot at the end of the abdomen. The basal portions in excess of these tails
must be folded back and trapped with two or three knots
The tip of a needle is heated over the flame of a lighter and used to
cut/cauterize the excess of the free monofilament: Terenzio makes adopts this
solution because the heat produces a bulge on the monofilaments end, which will
prevent the nylon to untie itself. He cuts off the antrons: the cut must be done
to border the abdomen tip. He unhooks the front sections of the antrons from the
spring hook and cuts them close to the thorax. He pulls out the needle from the
loop that holds the hook and cuts the last two monofilaments which coming out
from the abdomen
MATERIALS LIST
HOOK: regular shank with up eye size 16
FRAMEWORKS: fishing monofilament nearly one meter long and with diameter 0,18
HACKLE: blue dun
WINGS: hen hackles selected in mottled light brown color
THORAX: polypropylene colored light brown
BODY: antron colored dirty yellow, light brown and pinkish brown
TAILS: synthetic fibers for tails colored mottled brown
FRAMEWORKS: fishing monofilament nearly one meter long and with diameter 0,18
HACKLE: blue dun
WINGS: hen hackles selected in mottled light brown color
THORAX: polypropylene colored light brown
BODY: antron colored dirty yellow, light brown and pinkish brown
TAILS: synthetic fibers for tails colored mottled brown
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Terenzio is well known internationally for its original
handmade fly lines, which he makes both with synthetic yarn or pure
silk.
To receive information on the flies made by Terenzio, but also on his special fly lines, you can visit his website: www.terenziosilklines.com
To receive information on the flies made by Terenzio, but also on his special fly lines, you can visit his website: www.terenziosilklines.com
