Preferences

[JohnScott]

The following was "lifted" from a thread on the Fly Tying Forum. Thought it might make an interesting topic for the FAOL Forum.

"Originally Posted by Byron haugh

To each his own, indeed. But, I think some of us do not see catching a trout as the end-all of the experience. For example, I have been in situations in which I knew I could have hooked more fish with a nymph, but I preferred to catch fewer with a dry as I get more enjoyment fishing a delicate dry fly on the surface and seeing a trout take it.

That is not to say that I don't use nymphs and soft hackles as well. It is more like there is a hierarchy in methods of taking trout for me.
Highest is dry fly fishing
Second is emergers
Third are nymphs
There are times when I have to forgo the top two because the trout are only feeding on nymphs, and that is ok. But when they start rising to dries, that's when I switch leaders and go to dries even if I'm having great success with nymphs!
Anyone else like me??? "

To which I replied:

"For me, it is not a "hierarchy" that I stick to. But my preferences generally run to ...

... fishing the water with dry flies
... fishing the water with nymphs
... sight fishing with dries
... sight fishing with nymphs / emergers
... fishing to rising trout with dries / emergers

The first two, fishing the water, are more about the "hunt" which is what I really enjoy. Figuring out where the fishies are and enticing them off the bottom or out of their lie with a well presented fly beats getting an obviously actively eating trout to take a fly, for me. The sight of a fish coming to the fly from several feet, or more, down, is visually more powerful than seeing a fish move a few inches to eat another bug. Nymphing the water doesn't offer the same visual benefit, usually, but it is still about the hunt.

Sight fishing with either dries or nymphs ranks a bit higher for me than fishing to rising trout because it is generally more of a challenge than fishing to rising fish.

None of this is to say that I always follow this order of preferences. Sometimes rising fish are irresistable. Sometimes actively feeding fish, eating subsurface stuff, are irresistable.

Sometimes it is more about the fly than it is about catching fish. Sometimes I'd rather thoroughly test a new original pattern, even unsuccessfully, if you measure success by catching, than change to something I know will catch them just for the sake of catching some.

Anyway, since I never catch anything with prince nymphs, it never fits in my list of preferences.

John

P.S. Swinging wet flies and / or stripping baitfish / sculpin streamers is in a P.S. because it usually is an afterthought, or kind of a specialized thing for certain situations or times of the year."

[Grn Mt Man]

"Anyway, since I never catch anything with prince nymphs, it never fits in my list of preferences. "

John,

Are you joking or is the above a true statement? Catch quite a few on a Prince Nymph especially with a two fly rig. Of course, I learned to fish from my father-in-law and he was strictly a (gasp!) bait man. So, I learned to use a fly rod bouncing bait along the bottom for many years. Hence, I nymph probably 90% of the time. Am trying to get more into dries and had a great day yesterday with my son on a small mountain stream with brookies and rainbows coming to an Elk Hair Caddis and a Royal Wulff. Would have used the caddis; but, just happened to see the Wulff when I opened my small fly box and decided to try it. Hadn't fished this stream the last two years because state folks electro-shocked it back then in the lower section and turned up nary a fish of any kind. Have to say I did fish the upper reaches of the stream as opposed to where they shocked though. We caught mostly brookies in the 4"-5" class except for one very surprising 16" or more rainbow that came out of water about three feet wide and no more then a foot deep. Totally surprised.

[NJTroutbum]

John,

I take it as it comes. Although I do start with a dry fly and will generally go through most of my dry options prior to turning to nymphs. But only during those periods when I know dries "should" work.

But when and if I determine dries to not be the soup-of-the-day...it's no hold barred. Whatever the given water shows me to be the most effective is what I tie on. Be it a bugger, flatwing streamer, bucktail, egg fly, San juan work, beadhead nymph....etc. Whatever works, I will fish the bejeezes out of it with nary a care or concern.

But yes....sipping fish and a pool in solitude is my first love.

Ralph

[Fly Goddess]

Rivers, I start with a wet fly. Even if they feed on top, they will take a wet fly (softhackle). Fished a large lake this weekend from the shore due to snow and wind (wind at the back bonus). The birds were flocking and diving all over the bay. I could see a wonderful caddis hatch. So, tied on a Brown Caddis, and 2' dropper, a nice #20 softhackle scud. Game on!

[Darryl]

In order my preferences are:

1.) Dry Fly; 2.) Soft Hackle Wet Flies; 3.) Nymphs and 4.) Streamers.

[PA Dave]

I usually start with dries, which I am notably bad at but it is fun and I figure if I don't do it, I'll never be good with them. They are the most thrilling when they are taken. Next is nymphs and wets, then streamers.

[John Rhoades]

I fish because I love to; I love being out there in places where trout are found.

In the past, I've caught the most, the biggest and the most wily. So these days, much of my enjoyment comes from helping put others on fish, and doing just that is my #1 preference.

However, at those times when I'm out there fishing myself, I prefer to use whatever tactic(s) that I believe is most likely to catch fish.

Last evening, for example, I preferred to use a heavily weighted 2 fly nymph rig below a large bobber when I fished a stone's throw up river from our place
on the Yellowstone. The river is very fishable right now, although it is high and off-colored from melting snow and recent rains. After catching a handful of whitefish and two trout, I was satisfied with my selected technique. Had I not caught these fish, I was preparred to fish large articulated streamers near the bank. Next time in these same stream conditions, I may start with streamers, using my rod that is already rigged with a size #2 conehead black crystal bugger for this purpose.

I don't get much pleasure from standing on the bank, futilely casting over murky, high water. As such, fishing a dry fly was not even on my list of fishing preferences last night. It will be my #1 way to fish in several weeks from now, however, when at last evening's light the trout will be feeding voraciously on the surface, and I will catch several or more of them before I call it a day.

John

[JohnScott]

"Anyway, since I never catch anything with prince nymphs, it never fits in my list of preferences. "

John,

Are you joking or is the above a true statement? ....

... Dick. When I first started fishing prince nymphs, I either lost the fly before I caught a fish, or I didn't catch a fish. I did that enough times to give up on them. Just one of those things.

Here is another true statement. I don't fish another world class nymph - the gold ribbed hare's ear. I caught my first trout on a fly on one of those, tied by a friend who worked for Idaho Fish and Game at the time. But I never took to tying that particular fly, so I've not fished it since I started tying flies and fishing only flies that I've tied.

I do a fair amount of nymph fishing, and usually do pretty well, just not with those particular flies.

John

[Grn Mt Man]

John,

Took about an eight week beginning fly tyers class several years ago and at the last one the instructor asked what we'd like to learn how to tie. Told him I'd probably do best nymphing so he had me tie a Prince Nymph. That was the first one I fished from the group we tied and it was successful right away. Always have a few where ever I go and use them often; especially if there's no action on what I start out with. Guess you could say it's one of my go to flies. Suspect the places you fish and maybe size of the waters may have something to do with it too. I've got to start trying to use more dry flies. Found an old dirty fly in among my dad's stuff several years after he passed away. It simply consisted of yellow and brown feathers roughly tied (he didn't tie though) in a sort of streamer style. There was no body or dubbing of any sort, just the two colors of feathers. Suspect a fishing buddy of his tied it. Anyway, decided to replicate it one day and didn't try it till one clear, hot June day with low water and nothing biting for about three hours. out of frustration tied one one and about 30 minutes later had caught three rainbows and a good sized brown. Fished it down and let it swing across then stripped it straight back upstream. All four fish were hooked well in the upper lip. They all nailed it like they hadn't eaten in a week too. Sometimes it seems like frustration works out for the best. decided to call it my "Frustration" fly!!!