September 2, 2023

As I have travelled this summer fly fishing for trout in a number of states, a question came to my mind, “Is there really an Adirondack Fly Tying Style?” I cast flies for trout in Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, all places where there is plenty of angling history, and certainly regional fly tying styles, but is there really an Adirondack style? In Maine, Carrie Stevens is certainly well known, and there are ageless landlocked salmon patterns. Pennsylvania also has patterns known for the state— think of the Marinaro dry flies. Or what about the Clouser smallmouth bass patterns? Yet, can the Adironadacks claim a style? Simply put, I say yes!

The first Adirondack fly tyer of renown was a man who lived in Rome, New York, and his name was William Scripture, Jr., a lawyer and the son of a famous New York State Supreme Court Judge. Scripture, Jr. learned fly tying by reverse engineering the flies of Ida Wolcott, a fly tackle dealer from the same area. Scripture tied his flies by holding the hook in his hand, not in a vise, and his patterns were rugged, yet highly effective.

Lee Wulff created the hallowed series of hair winged flies, the Wulffs (Grey Wulff, White Wulff, and Royal Wulff) out of a disdain for the English style of dry flies that took root in the Catskills. Granted the Catskill flies are very effective, but they were designed for waters that don’t flow as fast and rough as the West Branch of the Ausable River. Wulff’s flies floated well in rough water, and were eagerly taken by big hungry trout in the high flows and the pocket water of Adirondack rivers. Wulff also tied his flies in hand, with no vice or tools.

Another Adirondack tyer of fame, was Ray Bergman, the beloved Fishing Editor of Outdoor Life magazine. Bergman is known today for his brilliant book “Trout” and his many wet fly patterns, but what most do not know is he had his beginnings and inspiration from his fishing expeditions with his wife Grace in the waters of the Adirondacks near Cranberry Lake. He created nymphs, wet flies, and the streams of this region inspired many of his patterns.

Wulff’s flies, like all other brilliant inventions, were tinkered with by other inventors. Perry Ehlers, who lived along the Upper Hudson River in Warren County, was another Adirondack fly tyer, and his patterns were tough, maybe somewhat simple compared to fancier flies, but were built to catch a lot of fish before falling apart. Ehler’s mentored another tyer, Ed Bendl, who eventually established a popular fly shop in Northville, New York. 

Bendl once tried to teach a fly tying class, but had students ask him why the way he tied differed so much from the available books of the day, and his humble answer was that was how he was taught to tie. According to Bendl, Adirondack flies were supposed to be tough, and while they were not the prim and polished flies that other places in the Northeast are known for, they work very well.

Fran Betters is well known as an Adirondack fly tyer, and again, his patterns are geared towards the rough waters of the West Branch of the Ausable River, His pattern, the Ausable Wulff, is a fly that catches trout anywhere where attractor fly patterns work. His creations extended beyond the fly that was inspired by the Wulff series, he created the Haystack, and the Usual, among other patterns, furthering the work of those who came before him. His contributions were so great, that the town where he lived honored him with a memorial that includes metal sculptures of his three most famous flies.

So is there an Adirondack style? I posit that there certainly is. Adirondack flies aren’t always pretty and can be roughly tied compared to other methods, but they sure hold up for catching a bunch of fish. History may not have documented the Adirondack style of fly tying as well as it should, but it can’t be denied that there is an Adirondack fly tying style.