Thanks, Tom. What a great article. I think that some of the romance of flyfishing is the part where we're standing in the river with nothing hatching, but prime conditions, and we're wracking our brains to 'crack the code' of the day. Too me this is the ultimate challenge in flyfishing and tying. What bug will crack this day's code? I fish a local spring creek quite regularly and each year the winter season, with it's inherant higher water, carves new channels through the weed beds and the fish take up new holding lies different from previous years, at the same time the bugs that worked last year seem to be less effective this year, and so on. But that is the allure of this particular water for me. Just when I think I've figured it out, it changes. I've been fishing this piece of water for eight years now and I still haven't cracked the dry fly code, yet I've become very successful with nymphs and such. Sure, I catch a fish here and there on a smattering of different dries, but no matter how much observation I do and how many precise patterns I tie, I have never found anything that is consistent - yet this conundrum is what keeps me coming back for more. Someday I'm sure I'll figure it out, but I'm just as sure that it will change again and I'll be back at square one. The first fish I ever caught on this water was on the surface with a Renegade (go figure) and I've never caught another on that fly since that first fish.
Don't you just love a challenge?! I do, and that's why I keep going back.
There is nothing like fishing a new water and trying to crack that code, and it is very satisfying when you finally do.
Thanks, again for the great article!

Kelly.