From Coast to Craft: How This B.C. Fly Tyer Designs Patterns That Catch Everything

with: southisland_flysupply

We caught up with Conor, a fishy character out of Victoria, B.C., whose passion for fly design runs as deep as the waters he fishes. From chasing coho on the Sunshine Coast as a kid to crafting lifelike baitfish patterns inspired by Baja’s big blue, Conor’s story is one of salt, sand, and serious creativity at the vise. Whether you’re a seasoned fly slinger or just getting into tying, his perspective on building better flies and understanding forage species is one you won’t want to miss.

Conor, what first got you into fly fishing, and how did that passion evolve into designing flies?

I can thank my dad for my introduction to fly fishing and tying flies. Although he was largely a self-taught fly angler, he was lucky enough to attend early stillwater seminars with Brian Chan in the late 80s. My first fish was caught on Corbett Lake while trolling a black Doc Spratley my dad tied. I was four years old. Showing the fish to the then-lodge owner, Peter McVey, is one of my earliest memories.

I grew up fishing in Sechelt Inlet on the Sunshine Coast. My family had a house near Porpoise Bay where summers were spent chasing fish from the beach. Coho would return to the nearby Shíshálh Nation hatchery and odd years provided excellent pink salmon fishing. It was during this time that I got into tying flies for pink salmon, coho and sea run cutthroat. My flies were simple. A bit of silver mylar and some pink marabou.

Occasionally, my dad would take me down to fish the Baja for tuna, mahi-mahi, marlin and roosterfish. This is where my passion for saltwater fly fishing and baitfish flies comes from. I was lucky enough to be guided by Mike Rieser, a legendary saltwater fly angler and fly tyer. I can remember early trips where I had to strap the butt of a 12wt to my wrist in order to cast. Now, I try and bring the excitement of southern blue water species to my local fisheries. I use many of the same tactics and especially enjoy designing realistic baitfish flies for predatory fish.

Your fly patterns have a distinct style—what inspires your designs, and how do you approach creating new patterns?

Like most fly tyers, I draw inspiration from the unique ecosystems and habitats of the target species. Living on Vancouver Island gives me an advantage. I have access to a variety of fisheries throughout the year. This gives me the opportunity to experiment with a lot of different patterns. I design a fly with a specific forage species in mind and try to identify materials that would be suitable for the profile and movement I am looking for. I then think about the environment I will be fishing in, how deep I want the pattern to fish and the general size of the pattern. With these things in mind, I try to design a fly that will be fishable and not foul while also replicating the motion and profile of the target forage species. Several of my most successful patterns come from watching baitfish in their natural environment. I try and observe how the baitfish moves in the water and collect samples, whenever available, to help me match the characteristics of the baitfish in my flies.

As a fly designer based in Victoria, B.C., how does your local fishery influence the flies you tie?

Vancouver Island is a year-round fishery with a variety of species for fly anglers to target. Some of my favorite flies are tailored to our local sea run cutthroat fishery. This fishery favours anglers who are willing to walk great distances and get skunked on a regular basis as they learn how beaches and estuaries change with the tides and seasons. This fishery also rewards those who are willing to search out information such as habitat reports, species inventory reports and other biological analysis. Estuaries represent fascinating environments - transition zones between freshwater and marine biomes. This diversity inspires many of my flies as well as how I fish them.

What are your four tips for designing streamers that move lifelike in the water?

My first tip would be to start with a good reference photo of the forage species you are trying to match. Starting with a reference helps you to build proportion and profile.

The second tip would be to choose the appropriate hook and line up your materials in the way you want them to be oriented. This will help you visualize the end result of the fly and identify where you will need to add materials to the shank. I like to use a ruler to help me find the maximum length of the fly as well as for consistency across a batch of flies.

The third tip is to vary the sparseness of your materials appropriately. This is a difficult skill to learn and apply to different materials. Generally, sparseness is preferred if you can still develop the profile of the fly. Density can be very useful to flair out materials to build the head and shoulders of the fly. Too dense and the fly will not move lifelike in the water and will be difficult to cast.

Finally, design only goes so far if you do not test your flies for fishability and resilience. A fly that looks great in the vise but is constantly fouling in the water is not ideal. A good fly is designed to be fished hard and last several outings before being retired.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone looking to start tying their own flies?

It can be challenging to get into fly tying but catching fish on your own flies adds so much to the experience of fly fishing. I feel that fly tying is part of what makes me a successful angler. My advice would be to start with adding staple forage species to your box that you cannot find commercially tied. When starting out, do not get overwhelmed by the number of materials out there. Stay focused on the staples and practice them until you feel you can experiment with more complex patterns and methods.