wondering outloud

Several points from several posts got me thinking and I can no longer contain myself. I think Gigmaster should be aware that timber sale reciepts are an integral part of school district budgeting in logging areas. Having lived in McCall Idaho for over 20 years and playing golf with the business administrator of the McCall/Donnelly school district every day for most of those years I know first hand that they rely heavily on the monies they recieve from the Forest Service from timber sales. Speaking of McCall, if my assumption is correct about the woman Joe Hyde talked with while visiting McCall was talking about streams around there I think she was referring to land locked kokanee that migrate in and out of Payette Lake and Cascade resevoir in spawning season. The closest sea-run salmon and steelhead are 50 or 60 miles away around Riggins.
Now to a confusing point; I've been a fly fisherman all my life but only began tying since recieving tying tools for Christmas last year. My question is, I have four or five real good books on fly tying with lots of patterns included but I wonder why do recipes and patterns vary so much between authors when describing the same named fly?

Hey there Bitterroot,
In my vast fly buying experience http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/smile.gif, I too noticed that there a few "standards" in flies. There are some that remain fairly consistant but it is ,in my opinion, artistic license that causes/allows variations. I buy like I probably would tie, by appearance rather than by name.

Mark

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Trout must be Gods favorite fish cause He put them into His most beautiful waters.
(plagiarized qoute)

I am reminded of the two gentleman that fish together on Rock Creek 1 fell in and the other caught big fish, both used the same fly ... the discriptions given of that fly at days end were a bit differant to say the least.

Rich

I think part of the reason for variations within a single pattern is because most recipes give a list of ingredients/materials used but the method to place them on the hook are not as definitive.

For instance, if I gave you the recipe for a woolly worm it would say the hackle is palmered. However, I'm not specific as to how far along the body the hackle is palmered, so it could be that another tier would only palmer half way up and still call it a woolly worm.

Many fly recipes I find on the internet don't give specific material application instructions, therefore when I tie in a hackle it may vary slightly to someone elses. My material wraps might be closer together or farther apart than another, I may use 2 fibers for the tail, someone else may use 10.

Just my own opinion, but hope it helps.

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There's almost nothin' wrong with the first lie, it's the weight of all the others holdin' it up that gets ya'! - Tim


[This message has been edited by MOturkE (edited 16 February 2006).]

As to your last wondering..I think it's mostly what each tyer has on hand or what they feel makes the fly more appealing to the fish...Every tyer tends to tweak patterns to suit them..or flat out take a pattern/style of pattern and make of what THEY see as more of what they SEE in their waters....Just my thoughts....

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"I've often wondered why it is that so many anglers spend so much money on,and pay so much attention to.the details on the wrong end of the fly line.If they took as much care in selecting or tying their flies as they did in the selection of the reel and rod,They might be able to gain the real extra edge that makes it possible to fool a fish that has,in fact,seen it all before" A.K.Best

Everyone wants to excel in this sport but at the same time we let traditionalists place restrictions on our tactics, methods, and ideas. I always assumed that fly fishing was a sport that allowed imagination, creation, adaptation, investigation, dedication, education, revelation? : Fox Statler, On Spinners (Not the dainty Dry Fly kind) "Spinner'd Minner Fly"

"Wish ya great fishing"

Bill

Are you buying from a commercial bin, as in a shop, or from an individual.
There are standard proportions and with set recipes there should be little variation. Hence the likeness of Adams from shop to shop, or being ordered from outlet to outlet.
If you're buying something that someone has tweaked and maybe even renamed, you're on your own. http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/smile.gif
....lee s.

JC, you wiley old fox you, in all my books it so happens that the Adams and Royal Wulff are exactly the same. One of the patterns that is not is the Green Drake.
PS: I don't buy any flys from Fishaus (my local guru) I only buy tying materials. We also play some cribbage, drink coffee, swap lies (oops, fish stories) and discuss all the days happenings. Wonderful people there and I try to get in as often as I can even when I don't need anything.

"When dressing dry flies, we must always keep in mind the fish's point of view rather than our own"

Romilly Fedden "Golden Days" (1919)