Quote Originally Posted by Steven View Post
There's obviously some level where things are so different that you don't have a variation, you have a separate fly. A couple of years ago, there was a post here over whether if you use only grizzly for the hackle and the tail for an Adams is it as effective as using grizzly and brown?

I posted, "Probably, but you don't have an Adams, you have a Grizzly Fly."

And then all hell broke loose for six pages.
Steven,

I'm not sure I recall that thread, but your post, "Probably, but you don't have an Adams, you have a Grizzly Fly" is entirely correct.
Allow me to add one other thing about the size of hackles/tail on the Variant (as in pattern style) and admit that this is something I hadn't realized for many years. Hooks used to get larger in increments of 1. The hackles/tail had been generally 2 sizes larger then the hook size usually calls for. Since almost all of today's hooks go up in increments of 2, that means 1 size. A 14 hook gets a tail/hackle of 12. This was pointed out to me by many renown Catskill tyers several of whom sat at the tables of Catskill legends.
When I learned this I realized how many Variant flies I tied with hackle/tails 2 extra sizes larger then they should have been, LOL.