Horse Hair Fly Line: Rob Smith on Fishing 150 y.o. Droppers & Wet Flies

North Country Spider expert and fly-tyer Rob Smith introduces us to a rare collection featuring centuries-old horse hair fly line, tippets and soft hackle wet flies. Here he explains how horse hair as a material shaped not only the fly-dressing, but also the fishing techniques of the time.

Horse Hair Fly Line and Tippet

As Rob mentions, modern tippet material means that what were, previously, standard techniques and knowledge for fly fishers have either drifted into very different skills - or even lost completely - today. Re-discovering these techniques allow us to more fully appreciate the fantastic collections of soft hackle flies in Victorian anglers' fly wallets that were dressed directly onto single strands of horsehair.

With collections such as the Pilkington fly tying and fly fishing chest, it has been possible (after 20 years of trying) for Rob to work out how these droppers were incorporated into the furled, horsehair tippets. You can also see Rob's fascinating story and photos on his "Sliding Stream" site by clicking on the Pilkington Collection Blog link.

Rob Smith's Historic Collections

Look out for a future interview that we managed to conduct before COVID-19 lockdown conditions in a true North Yorkshire Pub - where we get to delve through the actual "treasure chest of fly fishing delights" owned by the Pilkington family. Here I get to pick up and examine the casts of flies dressed to horsehair - and of course multiple horse hair fly lines. On top of that we get out the silks, waxes and the specific hooks inside the chest too.

It also introduces characters such as Nat Hunt from Lancashire - renowned for tying great flies and also supplying the best quality horsehair fly line and tippet of his time. I'll link to that "on location" interview from the Red Lion Pub as soon as it's online...

In the meantime I hope you enjoy as much as I do the privileged peek at J. Hubie Pilkington's fly wallet that Rob mentions in his interview (again photographed beautifully by Rob himself):

More Examples of the Horse Hair Fly Line in Global Angling Cultures

Italian horse hair fly line tradition

Possibly you've already checked out my article on the fly fishing traditions that are STILL practiced today in Val de Sesia, North-western Italy? If not you can read and see more on this link to the Valsesiana article (including lots of photos - and also diagrams on how droppers and teams of flies were created). There are also two short video clips of me fishing with the hand-made horsehair fly line created for "pesca a mosca valsesiana" by Andrea Scalvini - a proud guardian of the valsesiana tradition.

Japanese Horsehair Fly Line Tradition

Both John (Pearson) and myself have fished with several different styles of Japanese horse hair fly line from the "tenkara" tradition. These include lines made by Hisanobu Hirata and also Kazayuki Yamada. I've actually made multiple lines using Hirata-san's tapers and also the special grade of horse hair that he gifted to us during our visits to his small fishing shop in Gifu prefecture.

Interestingly, Yamada san's lines are of a level (un-tapered) design and these were learned from his father - the most renowned "Shokuryoshi" or professional fly fisher who also ran the family guest house "Yuzanso" in Akiyamago - which nestles in the high, snowy mountains on the border of Niigata and Nagano prefectures.

In this short montage clip you can see Yamada san creating his level line by furling together two separate "snoods" of already furled horsehair line. You can also see him make a couple of casts on a very swollen river where he, too, catches fish professionally for his guests at "Yuzanso", which he inherited from his father: