Fishermen can learn the art of fly tying at museum on Saturday

Veteran craftsman and fisherman Doyle Caviness will demonstrate the art of fly tying lures for fishing as well as discussing the art of fly fishing at the museum on Saturday, October 23, 10 – 12. The event is open to the public.

Caviness, a New Albany resident, has been fly fishing for many years. Creating flies to use as bait started in the 1980s when he was given a fly tying kit for Christmas.

“This is what I catch fish on – bass, bream, and trout.” He said.

“I make floaters – a foam spider that works good for me. I also use a type of fly that is like a minnow- a streamer – crappie candy.” He said that early in his fly tying days he made a lot of varieties, but he has learned what the fish in his special fishing holes will bite. He has created a fly especially for bream fishing that he has named the “breaminator”. “I came up with that myself.”

Doyle Caviness, fly fisherman

Caviness goes to the Little Red River and the White River in Arkansas to fly fish for trout and fishes locally for bream, crappie and bass. “It’s amazing how small some of those trout flies can be. You can catch a big fish on a fly that is a small as the tip of your finger,” he said.

Tying flies is an heritage craft that dates back many centuries. The work of tying flies is intricate and uses art and balance and natural materials to closely replicate the look and movement of real insects. Silk threads, wool threads, fur, feathers and more make up the palate of the fly tying craftsman.

Some historians say that the origins of fly-tying date to the first or second century in Macedonia where brown-trout anglers attached feathers to their hooks to imitate the insect life in the streams. Other historians believe that Chinese fishermen were the first to utilize artificial flies, with a mind to catching more fish! The first known design featured the feather of a kingfisher, which functioned as hook-style bait. This fly dates back to several thousand years before Christ.

Later in the 13th century a fishing expert showed specific fly ties for every month of the year, each one different and resembling specific insects.

The museum event is free and open to the public. Scouts are especially invited to work toward the fishing merit badge. The museum is located at 114 Cleveland Street, New Albany. For more information, call the museum at 662-538-0014.

Jill Smith, Director
Union County Heritage Museum
114 Cleveland Street
New Albany, MS 38652