JC, Is Our Fly Of the week,Not a fly at all...???
And those god awful Chernoble ants..what of those things.....Not trying to be a smart A** at all...Just think on a plane that makes me not carry some flies...and NO.....I am way far from a purist of any kind......I do use foam...and am not ashamed of it...But I will say I have used it for dry fly bodies....on more than one pattern....and have done quite well...
This thread does pose many a good question....and you your self have asked some of the very ones that ran through my head while reading it......and I'll try and follow this one.....
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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
"Wish ya great fishing"
Bill