LIVINGSTON MANOR, NY — “Catskill Fly Tying, the Art of Artifice,” an exhibit of the work of photographer Mark Loete, will be shown in the Wulff Gallery of the Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum (CFFCM) from October 17 to November 30. There will be a reception on Saturday, October 22 from 4 to 6 p.m. 

The exhibition features over 40 photographs of exquisitely crafted trout fishing flies, celebrating the centuries-old fly-tying tradition and the master artisans who fabricate these jewel-like imitation insects.  

The artificial lure, or “fly,” is an artifice—a clever deception. Fur, feather and sometimes artificial materials are lashed to steel with thread so as to mimic the size, shape, color and natural behavior of the aquatic insects that trout depend on for food. The selection, manner and method in which these materials are deployed on the hook—the fly “pattern”—draws upon a deep body of generational wisdom, regional diversity and folk art.  

The flies in Loete’s photographic series were created for the Jerry Bartlett Angling Collection at the Phoenicia Library in Phoenicia. For more information about the photographs visit artfromartifice.com.

CFFCM is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily in October, and Tuesday through Saturday in November. For more information visit www.cffcm.com or call 845/439-4810.