Why is it you seem to have extreme confidence with certain flies?

[bobbyg]

This is a question I've often pondered. Why, with certain fly patterns you seem to fish better, and thus, catch more fish?
Is it psychological? Is it a confidence issue? Is it ingrained memory? Maybe the flies are just fish-magnets? Or am I just loony?

Any opinions?

As always, curious Bob.

[James Smith]

That is a very interesting question. I have extreme confidence in about five patterns that I fish on a regular basis. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure which came first, the confidence in these patterns or the fact that they consistently produce fish for me. There have been a good number of occasions where I've been fishing with one of these patterns and catching lots of fish and then give one to a fishing buddy or even a total stranger and watch them flail away with little or no success. I've even cut the fly off of my line to give to another person and told them where to cast and how to fish the pattern and they don't seem to have the same success. Who knows, perhaps it's just plain old fishing Karma. Jim Smith

[bobbyg]

That is a very interesting question. I have extreme confidence in about five patterns that I fish on a regular basis. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure which came first, the confidence in these patterns or the fact that they consistently produce fish for me. There have been a good number of occasions where I've been fishing with one of these patterns and catching lots of fish and then give one to a fishing buddy or even a total stranger and watch them flail away with little or no success. I've even cut the fly off of my line to give to another person and told them where to cast and how to fish the pattern and they don't seem to have the same success. Who knows, perhaps it's just plain old fishing Karma. Jim Smith

Aah karma....I like that Jim! Also the juxtaposition of your success with your flies v/s others is very thought provoking.

[TyroneFly]

I find the more I fish with a particular fly the greater the hookup success over time. It's a matter of taking the time to figure out how to present a particular fly. I guess you can call it confidence.

[DaleW]

Those flies I have real confidence in are those that have proved themselves again and again. Quite often I'm given to a little experimentation and the popular ones here often prove themselves.

[Buddy Sanders]

I think we tend to underestimate the value of confidence in fishing success. I put it at the top of the list, everything else flows from it.

[DG]

Since (in my opinion) a great deal of fish catching involves having a fly in the water (as opposed to in the air, in the box, in the trees, hooked to the rod while one pontificates on shore...), having confidence in a fly and sticking with it keeps it where the fish can get it.

That being said, I am confident in the short list of flies I fish because I have caught a whole lot of fish on them over the years.

[knucks]

I' m with Jim Smith. I fish a fly I came up with and the only one that has had close to the success With it as I have is my Brother in Law. But he fishes with me a lot and knows what it will do. Anybody else will not stick with it like we do.

Knucks

[sgallas2]

Bobby,
hate to break it down to something like simple conditioning since it isn't anything near as cool or interesting as karma,but I suspect that's a big part of it. I think we get the feedback and then we probably focus more and tend to take in more information because we have an anticipatory set,an expectation to catch fish.greater focus and attention leads to picking up subtle differences --could explain why others fishing the proffered fly don't do as well.
we all have that favorite confidence fly. my only concern is that it may end up getting too stuck on it.
best,
Steve

[redietz]

As DG alluded to above, I think the fly will catch the most fish is the one you fish the most. It's chicken and egg thing -- do you fish it a lot because it catches, or does it catch because you fish it a lot.

Look at the other end of the spectrum: I've personally never caught a trout on a wooly bugger. Obviously they catch trout, but I only try one when I have already not caught fish on flies I prefer. The chances of a wooly bugger working when I've already not caught fish on at least several wet flies, several dry flies (or several nymphs, depending on conditions) and several streamers in which I have more confidence are pretty slim.

OTOH, flies that have miraculously caught fish after I've gone through my whole repertoire of usual suspects raise my confidence in them sufficiently that I'll fish them more, and therefore catch more fish on them. It's a vicious cycle. That first fish could have been pure luck, but the fly will get fished more.