Like the secretive insects they strive to imitate, some of Central Oregon’s top fly tyers will emerge into the daylight Saturday to molt and begin the next stage of their life cycle.

Well, OK, they won’t molt (we hope), but they will remain on display long enough to explain and demonstrate their delicate craft.

”It will be pretty awesome,” said Gil Muhleman of G.I. Joe’s, one of the scheduled fly tyers at Saturday’s annual Fly Tying Expo. ”If somebody has a fly they’ve been using or would like to learn how to tie, there is usually someone there who will tie it for them.”

The Fly Tying Expo, presented by the Central Oregon Flyfishers, is planned for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Mountain View Mall. Eleven fly tyers – eight from area fly shops and three COF members – will tie everything from tiny midges and dry flies specifically designed for area lakes and streams, to various streamers meant to entice Metolius River bull trout and Deschutes River steelhead, to exotic salt-water flies.

A raffle will add to the free event. Raffle tickets cost $1, and prizes include a float tube and fly-tying kit. Also, past COF president Phil Hager will be in charge of a kids table where youngsters can have a go at creating a fishing fly at no charge.

Fly tyers at this year’s event are Peter Bowers of The Patient Angler Fly Shop in Bend, Steve Light of Central Oregon Outdoors in Redmond, Muhleman of G.I. Joes, Russ Seaton and Scott Cook of Fly and Field Outfitters in Bend, Nate Turner of The Fly Fisher’s Place in Sisters, Phil Brummett of Sunriver Fly Shop, Bill Myers of The Fly Box Outfitters in Bend, and Carl Sanders, Jorden Behrens and Dave Dunahay, all of the Central Oregon Flyfishers.

Each tyer is planning to demonstrate a fly or flies of his choosing. Muhleman is planning to demonstrate the black articulated leach and several patterns of midges.

”The black articulated leach is one of my favorite patterns,” said Muhleman. ”It’s almost impossible to beat for catching steelhead on the Deschutes, and I think it’s one of the trickiest flies to tie.”

He also plans to tie some midges.

”That’s what’s coming up immediately,” he said. ”The lakes will open soon and the chironimids make up 90 percent of the trout’s diet in the spring. You can really do well fishing really itty bitty chironimid patterns in high lakes, Davis and Crane Prairie especially.”

Bill Myers of The Fly Box, who has spent three decades fishing the Crooked River, will be tying flies that work well on that stream.

”I just have patterns that I use that I’ve been using for many years that I’ve started sharing with people now,” said Myers, who has guided anglers on the Crooked. ”I developed them for the Crooked River.”

Nate Turner of The Fly Fisher’s Place hasn’t yet decided what to tie, but it will have a local flavor.

”Whatever I’m in the mood for, probably,” said Turner. ”I usually like to start off warming up with a few easy steelhead flies. Then if I want to get more difficult I put together a few stoneflies, and maybe a salmonfly adult or two. More than anything, I just like to help any visitor to the expo about any questions they have.”

Besides specific flies, some specific materials will be spotlighted. Steve Light of Central Oregon Outdoors plans to demonstrate the many uses of Craft Fur.

”Not many people are aware of how unique the material is for replacing marabou or rabbit fur,” said Light. ”It comes in a multitude of colors and it’s cheap. And it looks unbelievable. It moves like marabou but is more durable and a lot easier to apply.”

Besides the details of types of flies and materials, visitors to the expo will get to observe different techniques and see the various types of equipment expert fly tyers prefer.

”It’s a real opportunity to just see different styles of tying and different types of flies,” said Bowers. ”They learn no matter what, and if they have a base of fly tying they can learn even more because they recognize the tools and techniques that are being used and see even more advanced ways to use them.”

But like a midday mayfly hatch, the expo will be over in a few short hours. And afterward, most of the expert tyers will revert to their secretive, insect-like ways and retreat into anonymity once again, not to appear in public fly-tying mode for another year at the next Fly Tying Expo.

Keith Ridler can be contacted at 383-0393 or kridler@bendbulletin.com.