More than meets the eye.

[Soft-hackle]

Hi All,
I’ve been thinking a lot about how we select our flies for usage. When we look at a wingless wet fly (a new pattern), do we intuitively know that fly will work? Do years of tying and fishing experience come into play or is it the look, attitude, coloration, etc. How do you know? Do bells and whistles go off?

Do you think more experienced fishermen have an advantage in this area over beginners? Is there more to it than meets the eye?

Mark

[tie2fish]

Yes
Yes
Yes
See above and below
Yes
Yes
Yes

[Soft-hackle]

[hankaye]

Soft-hackle, Howdy

Yes
Yes
Yes
See above and below
Yes
Yes
Yes

X2 !!!

Would either of you 2 care to elaborate ???

hank

[Roadkill]

Do you think more experienced fishermen have an advantage in this area over beginners? Is there more to it than meets the eye?

Mark

Experience is a big plus in my book because IMO it is easier to fish the wrong fly in the right way to catch fish than to fish the right fly the wrong way and catch anything. When you fish the right fly the right way that usually comes fron experience.

I am reminded of something an owner said to me in an Oregon shop that is a tyers dream for materials. As I had my cell phone to my ear, I was looking over the fly bins for a specific fly my buddy at home wanted me to find. The owner asked me "Do you know why there are so many flies in the shop?"... the answer is..."They all catch fish."

[CreationBear]

Yes
Yes
Yes
See above and below
Yes
Yes
Yes

Is it just me, but did anybody else just flashback to their honeymoon?

[wayneb]

I'm still a newbie, so for me it's a semi-educated guess and dumb luck!

Wayneb

[redietz]

I'll be contrary here, and say no, there are some flies that have proven successful for me that I didn't think much of when I first saw them. Of course, flies that look like they should catch fish often do, but some flies I've only tried because of their reputation -- nothing in them sang out to be that "this one looks fishy". An example that comes immediately to mind is the snipe and purple. It just doesn't look "buggy" to me, but it's certainly caught a lot of fish for me.

The flies that work the best are the ones that you tie on, so there's a bit of self-fulfilling prophecy thing going on here. If you're a beginner and don't catch anything, you don't know whether it was the fly or your technique. If you're an experienced angler and do catch a lot of fish, you again don't know (for sure) whether it was the fly or your technique. If you credit the fly, then of course your superior knowledge led you to choose the right one, whereas the reality may be that any similar fly would have worked under the same conditions.

It's very easy to blame not catching anything on the fly rather than the flyfisher. I should know, I do it all the time.

[Otter]

It's very easy to blame not catching anything on the fly rather than the flyfisher. I should know, I do it all the time.

X2

Way too many variables for mr average with average time of the water to be definitive about whether a particluar fly is particularly great in particular circumstances and whether or not the trout are particularily fussy at that particular time or other particular times. It is particularly interesting that particular anglers have particular theories on such questions which I believe are wholly gained by their own particular experiences. When looking particularly at beginners one must take into account that particular beginners simply have the touch and do the right thing at the right time. Others no matter how particularly hard they try, they remain beginners all their lives and it is particularly difficult to analyse why that is so. Off course more seasoned campaigners seem particulariy good at picking flies that work but it is particularly noticeable that these particular gents, use these flies on particular water at a particular time where more than one particular trout happens to be particularly interested in feeding on flies that for some reason are particularily similar to their chosen pattern and the particular method of presentation that they are using seems to be particularly good at that particular time.

In a nutshell, particularly good anglers have got most of the particulars particularly right.

That is my analysis and no doubt my own particular take is particlulary daft and makes no particular sense at all - just as well I am not a particularly good angler or I would have to say a lot more on the particularities of this.

Now if this is particulary too much for particular members of this particular forum then search through your Mr Men collection and burn the one on Mr Particular.

[chase creek]