This is similar to another thread. As great as Al Troth was and as advanced as his thinking was, at the time, do you think that the fly would have been developed by someone else later?
The same would apply to a lot of other standard patterns?
Had there been no Al Troth, would there still have been an Elk Hair Caddis?
This is similar to another thread. As great as Al Troth was and as advanced as his thinking was, at the time, do you think that the fly would have been developed by someone else later?
The same would apply to a lot of other standard patterns?
Byron,
As I've said before and elsewhere, fy tyers are very innovative. Just look at what items used in other areas have been used in fly tying or the unique methods developed or the imagination of Atlantic Salmon tyers of mid-late 19th century Europe. Having said that my answer to your question is an emphatic YES! Come to think of it, what makes you think that the fly was not developed by someone other then Mr. Troth, prior to, at the same approximate time or after? This in no way takes anything away or diminishes Mr. Troth's innovation and widespread acceptance of his initial pattern.
Yes, it's a pretty small leap from a Bucktail Caddis to an Elk hair Caddis. However I feel there is more to Mr. Troth's design than just a hair-wing palmered body dry fly. It's a well thought out design, efficient to tie and can be easily packaged to imitate any Caddis species. There certainly would have been an Elk Hair Caddis but I'm not sure it would have been as elegant.
How about a Clouser Minnow or Lefty's Deceiver? I think something similar, but not the same, could have come about. I might put Puglisi's baitfish imitations in another category, though.
I also think that the last 10-15 years has been sort of a period of explosion in fly tying and design. If you think back to the era of Al Troth, you realize that not that many fishers were also tiers. In addition, there was not the internet, so many magazines and books on the subject. The sharing of ideas and concepts of fly tying were not well known then.
So, it was a slower time for fly development. And, a lot fewer participants to develop, share, and popularize new patterns.
I agree with that! You can probably tell I have a bit more of a saltwater orientation. Lots of new stuff developed on that front in the more recent past, especially with the newer epoxy formulations (DL Goddard's, spoon flies for example). Byron, you mentioned another thread in your original post. Which one?
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