Great Flies That Don't Catch Fish

[Allan]

Some/Many fly patterns have been and are 'created' by skilled, knowledgeable fly fishers who happen to be fly tiers too. In all probability, the pattern was based on someones own experience. Or, because of local conditions or available materials, someone simply tweaked an existing pattern. Regardless, due to the explosion of information in the last 15 or so years, a pattern can get significant publicity, perhaps tied to a financial incentive, and people try it. Some patterns just look, to we humans at least, so buggy and enticing we think that, 'gee if I were a trout, I'd jump at that'.

My question is this and no one needs to identify a pattern or name anyone:
Are there well known fly patterns that you've used, at least a reasonable number of times, and could not get a rise or a bump? Have you said as much or have you simply lost all faith in them and not used that/those patterns anymore?

I have!

[oldfrat]

Somehow I never got to the point where I blamed the pattern. I blamed myself, or just took it as an off day. The patterns stayed in my fly boxes.

Conversely, I suspect most of us have our few go-to patterns that see a lot of water time. And I had a few don't-match-anything patterns that were fun to try when matching flies struck out. The Infamous Pink Worm was a great example of this. Or a humpy in a tiny high mountain brook trout stream.

[johnstoeckel]

At any given time, some flies are better than others, but I don't think there are really any bad flies. IMO, not being successful with a certain, popular fly is generally a matter of not using the fly at the right time / place or not having confidence in the fly. The Prince nymph, for example, is a very popular fly and I know flyfishers who use it quite successfully. However, I've never had much confidence in it and don't catch many fish with it.

[WarrenP]

I, like others have stated, do not feel there are certain patterns that are not fish producers because no fly tier is going to go to the trouble of creating a pattern just for the fun of it. Most patterns were created to imitate a certain food source in a particular body of water and were very successful but not successful in other bodies of water because the food source it imitates does not exist in that particular body of water. As an example, there are some beautiful stonefly patterns out there but if your favorite fishing water does not contain stoneflies, the pattern will not be much of a producer for you. One needs to stick to patterns that imitate a food source that exists in their water they fish.

Just my thoughts and nothing more....

[Byron haugh]

I, like others have stated, do not feel there are certain patterns that are not fish producers because no fly tier is going to go to the trouble of creating a pattern just for the fun of it. Most patterns were created to imitate a certain food source in a particular body of water and were very successful but not successful in other bodies of water because the food source it imitates does not exist in that particular body of water. As an example, there are some beautiful stonefly patterns out there but if your favorite fishing water does not contain stoneflies, the pattern will not be much of a producer for you. One needs to stick to patterns that imitate a food source that exists in their water they fish.

Just my thoughts and nothing more....

Well put!!

[NJTroutbum]

Can't think of any that I feel "won't" catch fish. But I can say there are a few that I just plain old seldom tie anymore, let alone fish. Can't remember the last time I caught a fish on a standard pheasant tail nymph. I have tied and fished , but never caught a single fish on a copper john though.

[sagefisher]

A long answer:

"Some days you gets the bear, some days the bear gets you". ie: There are days when almost any fly pattern catches fish and other days when no fly seems to be able to catch a fish. Luckily those two extremes are not the norm. Usually there are some flies that will catch fish. The very next day those flies may produce nothing but others will. Sometimes the fishing is so off that you dig down deep into your fly boxes and come up with a "Hail Mary" fly, one that you normally would never use but why not give it a try. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. However, knock on wood, I have never been skunked while fishing a river. Something will work, you just have to find the fly and present it where and when it is needed.

A short answer: I believe that at certain times any fly will catch a fish.

Larry ---sagefisher---

[Uncle Jesse]

I think this explains it pretty well. In a similar discussion a well known friend mentioned he had never caught a fish on a wooly bugger. I realized I had never caught a fish on a Muddlers Minnow and then I realized I never fish Muddlers Minnow. So the next time I went fishing, in the Hooch, I tied one on and remedied that situation. Fly decision flow chart.JPG

[dpenrod]

"I have tied and fished , but never caught a single fish on a copper john though". same here and you can add a scud to that list as well.

[lastchance]

Yep, the Copper John has fooled very few fish for me to the extent I don't carry them anymore. It's just one of those things. I agree, too, that most any fly will catch a fish at the right place at the right time.