Inside the Mind of a Master Bugmaker: Michael Wenzel on Realistic Fly Tying
With: mwartflies
I had the chance to catch up with Michael Wenzel, one of the most dialed-in bugmakers in the game, whose flies are more art than imitation. We swapped stories about early fish, what makes a pattern work (or not), and how he’s managed to blend a lifetime of passion with patience, skill, and a deep respect for the craft. This isn’t just about tying flies—it’s about seeing the world through a trout’s eyes and building something beautiful one wrap at a time. Here's how Michael got his start, why realism matters, and the kind of dedication it takes to make a mayfly look like it’s about to take off.
Michael, can you share how you first got into fly fishing and what inspired you to focus so deeply on fly tying, especially creating ultra-realistic bugs?
I can even pinpoint the exact day I first came into contact with fly fishing. It was on 07/01/1980 and I was 11 years old. We were on vacation in Franconian Switzerland and lived right next to the small stream, the Püttlach. I had started fishing a few years earlier, but that was the first time I got to fish my father's old heavy glass fly rod. I had trouble getting the large, dry Mayfly onto the water. A thunderstorm had come down shortly before, which clouded the water a bit. Luckily, the fish overlooked my modest casting skills and my flashy clothes and I was able to catch 3 magnificent brown trout within half an hour. I found them to be the prettiest fish I have ever seen and even if I would let them swim again these days they were delicious ... I still have the rod and reel to this day. I restored the rod a few years ago and fish with it now and then. After that vacation, I turned to other fishing techniques for years, but my love of fly fishing, and especially fishing with imitations of the Ephemera genus, never faded. So, in 1992, I dedicated myself exclusively to fly fishing. I discovered fly tying in 1995 when I simply no longer liked the patterns available for purchase at that time.I started tying realistic and super-realistic patterns around 1998/99. Back then, I began participating in national and international tying competitions, and it took special patterns and techniques to place.
Your flies are known for their incredible detail and lifelike appearance. What techniques or materials do you find essential to achieve that high level of realism in your patterns?
In my opinion, the basic requirements for tying realistic flies are the following: solid manual tying skills, an adjustable vise so you can view the patterns from all angles, plenty of time, and the ability to leave a pattern in the vise once it's started, as well as patience, lots of patience. Additionally, a solid knowledge of the insects you're imitating and their appearance, shape, color, and size. Above all, you should be careful not to strive for perfect symmetry when tying, for example, with the legs or wings, as this looks completely unnatural.
The actual tying techniques are no different from those used to make practical flies. The method of working, which is usually from back to front, is no different either. Another thing that's the same is that I generally don't sculpt any parts or anything like that, except eyes in few times. Everything is tied in at least one place, using traditional tying thread. The special techniques only begin when it comes to the truly important parts that make a pattern realistic, and these are generally the legs and, above all, the wings! Years ago, I developed a technique that allows me to create quite attractive wings, but they still look crude compared to nature. (I've posted something about this in my profiles, if anyone's interested.) A major advantage of tying realistic flies is that you can be as creative as you like with the materials. Anything that can be worked with and has the desired look should be used. Thinking outside the box is the key here.
How does your approach to tying flies differ when you’re targeting multiple species, and what role does realism play in making your flies effective?
In general, I believe that the terms "troutflies" or "graylingflies," for example, shouldn't even exist. Every fish born and raised in a body of water knows the food supply that's right for it and will take advantage of it whenever it can. That's why I never tire of pointing out the following: "What food source is available to the fish at what time, in what form, color, and size, and how should I offer it?" I also tie my flies according to this principle; I don't use patterns specifically for one or another fish species.
Whether a higher degree of realism makes a fishing fly effective or more effective is difficult to answer. Only the fish can answer that. Perhaps in individual cases, but generally less so. Otherwise, so-called group patterns, i.e., flies that can represent many different things, wouldn't be as successful. So it always depends on how the fish sees the fly and whether what it sees appears edible. I often tie a fly just because I love to show that flytying is more than making bead head flies and I really enjoy the whole process of thinking what will I do next, collecting the necessary materials and finally creating something that really lives up to my expectations. But if this fly then would be more effective as a simple one I cannot answer.
As an author and bugmaker, how do you balance the artistic side of fly tying with the practical demands of crafting flies that actually catch fish?
The more realistic a pattern is, the longer the production process usually takes. I have made patterns that I worked on for up to 60 hours. Luckily, I have rarely been tempted to fish them because the more realistic a piece of work is, the less mobile it is in or on the water. This makes such flies less interesting for the fish. For us as fly tiers, that means realism in our fishing flies, yes, but only up to a certain degree.
Anything beyond that is show flies that we enjoy put them in frames or boxes. And who wants to tie on a fly that they have worked on for maybe 20 hours or more, only to have it sink in a tree or tear off on the riverbed on the first cast? And as I mentioned before, simple flies work and always will! I also tie and fish simple flies and this is real fun. One of my altime favorites is, for example, Frank Sawyer's Killer Bug. Nobody can tell what it imitates but this thing works and is so easy to make. You do not even need a tying thread for it ... but also it is even more fun to catch fish on a fly that you have created, that has a certain extent of realism and you know the fish took it for exactly what you made it.
Michael, what advice would you give to beginners who want to improve their fly tying skills, particularly in mastering the details that make bugs look so real?
As an autodidact, I taught myself fly fishing and fly tying for the most part. Especially everything to do with realistic tying. Back then, our only options were to ask other experienced fly tyers, buy expensive books to learn from or, maybe one or two times a year, visit a flyfishing fair. That worked, of course, but compared to today's options, it was a drop in the ocean. That's why I would advise everyone, in addition to the options already mentioned, to take advantage of the benefits of today's technological world.
There are countless high-resolution images of insects, tutorials, and, above all, videos from experienced fly tiers on the internet that you can access with just a click of the mouse. Patterns are shown and explained step by step, and you see a wide variety of techniques for a variety of purposes. And if you really don't understand something, just ask. Either the tyers themselves or in various forums. There are also, as you of course know, social media platforms where there are so many fly tiers from whom you can always learn something. I also use them and am always amazed at how much I haven't seen yet and how much new and useful information I can still learn ... And all that's left is... practice, practice, practice ;-)
