Steven,

You said:
"In connection with the above, there is a new book, being offered this month in FAOL's Monthly Drawing, "The New Scientific Angling" (Trout & Ultraviolet Vision) written by Reed E. Curry. Humankind has been catching fish quite well, over the centuries, why do we keep tossing away what which works?"

I don't know why some constantly seek novelty in artificial flies and, as you say, toss away that which works. The book, OTOH, investigates, among many other things, twenty-two dry flies selected as the best by Dave Whitlock in 1984 and explains why they are attractive to trout. It also provides insight into the reasons for the effectiveness of the Fanwing Royal Coachman and the Hairwing Royal Coachman - flies that bothered imitationists such as Preston Jennings and Art Flick, who reasoned that since the Royal Coachman clan resembles nothing in the insect world, those flies should not take trout.

Don't assume because the scientific discoveries are new, that the flies are also new. : )

While, according to Solomon, "there is nothing new under the sun", the sun illuminates in ways we cannot, but trout can, see.

[BTW, most of the flies in the book were tied by our friend, Eric Austin.]