Fly tying terms

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   Thought this might be useful for beginners (like me), who get confused on the terms in the various manuals.

�Fly Tying Terms� 

Welcome to the Fly Tying Terms section. We hope this section enables and encourages you to become a fly tyer, or to enhance your fly tying skills. 

From Perrault's Standard Dictionary of Fishing Flies
by Keith E. Perrault

Terms � A

[ A ] [ B ] [ C ] [ D ] [ E ] [ F ] [ G ] 

[ H ] [ I ] [ J ] [ K ] [ L ] [ M ] [ N ] [ O ] [ P ] 

[ Q ] [ R ] [ S ] [ T ] [ U ] [ V ] [ W ] [ XYZ ] 

~ A ~

Abdomen:
Back, aft, or hind portion of fly body from thorax to tail. 

Adult:
Full grown or flying stage of insects. Final stage of the aetamorphic process. Adult mayflies include duns and spinners. 

Advanced Wing:
Term for wing which slopes forward over hook eye. 

Areo Wings:
Sections cut from feathers, both sides of which are equal in length and in coloration with three to five fibers on each side. Used on the Beadle-skeleton series of salmon flies. The cut sections are in the form of a "V" with section of the center rib intact. 

After-Shaft:
The soft, small feather normally found at the base of bird's feathers. Some times called "philoplume" or "filo-plume." 

Aft Hackle: 
Small wind of short, sparse hackle just at bend, or at end of body. 

Amherst Pheasant:
Entire skins from this bird provide toppings, crests, tail and wing materials. Black and white tippets , and the greens, whites and reds from the body make this an all-round bird skin for any fly tying bench. 

Andalusian:
Fowl cross-breed from which are obtained dun feathers and hackle. Crossing a white bird with a black bird creates plumage in the offspring of some black, some white, and some of in-between combinations. Some of these combinations result in the "dun" hackles so much prized by fly tiers. 

Angora:
Hair or wool material from two sources:

Angora sheep - A soft long fleece wool. Angora rabbit - A very soft fleece hair. Both are used as body material in fly tying. 

Antron:
Trade name of "sparkle yarn" made of Nylon fibers, introduced as a fly tying material by Gary LaFontaine. 

Artic Fox:
Here is a fur which can range from pure white to a deep blue-gray with some very interesting, almost pure blue, in-between shades. If you are fortunate enough to obtain some of this fur, treasure it. 

Argus Pheasant:
A rare Asian bird which provides extremely long feathers. Other feathers are spotted, dotted or eyed, and range from white to dark brown. 

Asiatic Kingfisher:
Blue feathers from this bird are excellent substitues for Chatterer blues. 

Attractor Flies:
Flies dressed, not representing an insect, but rather a tidbit to arouse interest in a fish so that he shows his position. Some attractor patterns are colorful and gaudy. Most, however, catch fish. 