Many fly patterns used in this country today came from the British Isles and most of our fly dressing methods evolved there.

One widely used technique however, is uniquely North American. This is the deer hair fly. Originally used in bass bug construction, deer body hair and that from antelope and caribou is now enjoying well deserved popularity as a material for many other flies.

Being hollow, these hairs float well and many techniques have been devised to capitalize on this. The ease with which they can be made to flare and spin when tied on a hook also holds additional appeal for fly makers.

The origin of hollow hair flies has never been traced to a single person. John Bartram, a naturalist, writing in 1764, described in detail hair lures used by Florida Indians. Bartram was a contemporary and friend of both George Washington and Benjamin Franklin.

Called "bobs", they were made by tying deer hair on hooks and used to catch bass. The lure was cast to likely areas and allowed to sit quietly on the water. At intervals it was twitched slightly to attract fish which is one way similar lures are worked today. The Indians also used feather hackles with some of these.

Late in the 1800's Emerson Hough, an outdoor writer, watched Canadian Indians using deer and caribou body hair flies and did much to popularize them in this country. Another writer, Dr. James Henshall, a much-quoted authority on bass and bass fishing wrote extensively about deer hair bugs before the turn of the century.

One of the best all-around hair for constructing flies comes from the eastern white-tailed deer. Common in northern states from Minnesota to Maine, here in Wisconsin they are taken in large numbers by hunters each fall, and so their hair is readily available to tiers in our area.

Tail hair from these deer contain very few air cells and so aren't suited for hollow-hair fly bodies. It is, however, often used for streamer wings.

Caribou hair is slightly lighter than that from deer and is a little more buoyant but does not flare or spin as well. It also is neither as resilient or durable.

A white tailed deer's sides and back may be brown or tan, but these colors are only on the outer ends of the hair. The hair itself is almost always gray. That from the back makes the darkest gray flies. Belly hair is white and is used for white hollow hair lures or hair wings.

Belly hair can be dyed various colors. All deer hair takes a dye well, but that from the back and sides, of course, can only be dyed dark colors. Ordinary "Rit" dye does a good job. Hot instant coffee will give deer hair flies a tan or brown cast. Simply drop a completed fly or bug into a steaming cup of it. Repeat to darken the color.

Making hollow hair bugs, moths, frogs, or crayfish is the oldest way to use deer hair in lure making, and such imitations are very effective. They are usually made by spinning hair on a hook shank and then trimming to the desired shape. Dry flies such as the irresistible use bodies constructed in this fashion.

Clipped deer hair lures are easy to make and fun to use. They can be made with feather tails and wings or all deer hair. Here is how to tie a simple all deer hair moth;

Making hair bugs or flies requires strong tying thread. Use size 00 nylon or larger and don't wax the thread. Most of the construction is done on a bare hook, so it is necessary that the cement penetrates thread and knots well. Wax prevents most cement from doing this. Varnish will penetrate wax but is messy.

Hair spins much better on a bare hook than on one wrapped with thread. In fact, the reason most flies are constructed over a base of tying thread is so that material won't turn on the hook.

Start by clamping a hook in a vise and fastening tying thread to the hook shank directly across from the barb with several half-hitches. Cement this knot liberally and do the same with each half-hitch that follows.

Select a small clump of deer hairs for a tail and tie them directly on top of the half-hitches made previously, with a wrap of thread and another half hitch. Trim off the excess and put cement on the half-hitch and hair butts. Don't let these turn around the hook or flare excessively.

Take another bunch of hair between three sixteenths and a quarter of an inch through. Hold it on top and parallel to the hook shank and make two wraps of thread around it and the hook. Now pull these wraps tight. At the same time, release your grip on the hair which will allow it to flare and spin around the shank. It will look similar to hackle wound on the hook.

Crowd the hair toward the tail and bring the tying thread through the hair towards the hook eye and half-hitch back against the flared hair and retighten. Cement the half-hitch generously.

Repeat the process with more bunches until the shank is a little more than half covered. It will look like it has been palmered tightly with over size hackle. Tie off with two or three half-hitches and cement them thoroughly. Cut the thread and remove the hook from the vise.

With a sharp scissors, clip the body to the desired shape. Be careful not to cut off the tail. Work with the scissors parallel to the hook shank, not across it. The easiest way to make a neat body is by trimming it four-sided first and then rounding the corners. Trim more off the bottom than the sides and top to keep the hook (and the center of gravity) low. This will also help retain hook clearance.

Now secure the tying thread to the hook just ahead of the trimmed body with two or more half-hitches and cement. This will give a base for the wings.

Select another clump of deer hair thick enough to make two wings and tie on top of the hook, close against the body, with the tips out over the bend of the hook. Don't let these hairs turn on the hook. Lift the wing upright, divide it evenly to make two wings and criss-cross the thread between them. Half hitch and cement this winding.

Wings are usually tied "spent" but cocked slightly upward. This is to assure it lighting right side up.

Make a half-hitch ahead of the wing hair butts and crowd it backward so they flare. Tie on and spin another clump or two and finish off with a whip finish and plenty of cement. Trim the flared wing butts and the other hair tied ahead of the wings to form a head and your deer hair moth is done.

Lures of this type are more wind resistant than cork poppers or conventional flies and so are best fished with slow rods and comparatively short stiff leaders. A weight forward "bug-taper" line and a five foot leader should work fine.

An application of dry fly flotant will keep them floating longer. If one becomes water-logged, squeeze the moisture out with your fingers and finish drying by false casting. Moths like this were originally designed for bass fishing, but by using fine hair on smalI hooks they become very effective trout flies.