Al Campbell
I was reading some of Al Campbell's articles Yesterday and found it rather interesting concerning his rules for catching more fish. He is heavy on seining for nymphs and of course watching the hatch. He also emphasizes that you don't have to have perfectly tied flies to catch fish, but color and size are the most important features. His rule #6 is: Rule number 6 - Any fly, no matter how poorly tied it looks, will catch fish if it is the right size, shape and color; and if it is presented properly. It is a bonus if the fly looks nice, but only because it looks nice, not because it will catch more fish. The more exact the imitation is, the more specific you have to be to match the right hatch with your fly. The more generic your imitation is, the more likely it is to look close enough to something edible to fool a fish, and the more likely it is to match more than one hatch.
I think all of us who tie flies hope that the fly "looks nice" or we would be wasting allot of time. However, I think it is important that we all know the type flies or nymphs that are present in most rivers we fish at any time of the year. I just got my annual catalogue from Gates Lodge in Grayling, MI and it has a nice listing of what is hatching (size and color) at any given time of the year in the Ausable and Manistee rivers in case you don't know. The people who post their flies on this site certainly do a good job of tying many of the common patterns to perfection and I believe we all benefit from those. However, Al emphasizes that they don't need to be prefect, but most of us try to be perfect. So, I guess the lesson for new tiers is to keep trying for perfection, but fish what you tie. I know that is true for me and I usually catch fish. Just thought his advice was interesting. I suggest you read all of his rules under features on this site.
Reply With Quote