In the fly tying community, it is an accepted practice that if you create a new fly, you get to name the fly. I've always thought that was pretty cool. I borrowed some characteristics of a few different flies to create a pattern that I named The Brave. The biggest reason that I gave it that name was because I landed a 7 pound channel cat on this fly while wearing an Atlanta Braves baseball cap. The name just seemed to fit.
Other folks name flies that incorporate their name. I used to think that this was a stroke of vanity but then it dawned on me that some folks were just promoting their brand. For a commercial fly tyer or a fly fishing guide, their name is their brand. I get that a person would want his or her name attached to a fly for brand recognition. For example, if I see a fly designed by Chad Johnson and later find out that he is a fishing guide on the White River, I feel like I am more compelled to hire him as a guide because I'm already aware of his existence.
The only messy part in naming flies is when it comes to giving a different name to an already existing pattern. Some people would argue that if you take an existing fly and make one little change to it, you don't get the right to give it a different name. At that point, it would simple be a variation or variant of the existing pattern. For example, when I bulk up and add a couple parts to a Lunch Money, I don't call it The Show Me Fly Guy's Dinner Ticket. That would be silly.
On the other hand, I have to admit that my friends and I have joked around about giving names to flies that already exist so that other anglers don't know what we are catching fish on. We used to joke that we were going to name a white, thread jig a "Mind Your Own Business". That way, when someone asked us, "What are you catching all those stocker trout on?" We could reply with, "It's call a Mind Your Own Business." This made us laugh pretty hard because we would never do such a thing. I've probably given away as many of that pattern to struggling anglers and kids than I have sold!
So if you're a tyer and you want to name a fly, I say go for it. You should probably make for certain that it is an original design, but after that, name it whatever you want. When considering names though, you might also need to decide whether you keep it clean or dirty. I don't talk much about Kelly Galloup flies with my middle school fly fishing club. If you don't get the joke, look up the names of some Kelly Galloup flies. I'm not trying to be a prude, I'm just not using those words at school!
