Quote Originally Posted by SteveGibson View Post
...I know that fly patterns are a big deal on trout streams where you must match the hatch...
Can't speak to your question for species other than trout or for conditions other than moving water, but there are lots of kinds of trout, they act differently in different places, and there are few places where you MUST match the hatch, along with a lot of places where that is a great idea.

I think for trout generally, the equation starts with the notion that all trout are born with the self image of a 23" brown trout. Why else would a 3" cutthroat attack a size 10 extended body golden stone or hopper with the expectation of eating it ?? Why else would a 4" brookie attack a 2" baitfish style streamer with dinner on its mind ??

Beyond that, it strikes me that if it looks like food, if it acts like food, and if it is slower ( and somewhat smaller ) than a trout, a trout will try to eat it.

Casting and presentation have something to do with it. BUT lots of times just letting a dry fly swing in the current downstream of your position will catch a fishy ( trout ).

I think some folks like to surround trout with a lot of hype and mystery. Allan Woolley, creator of the Chernobyl Ant, which is a big, bulky, black foam ant with rubber legs and a white indicator post, once told me that the surest way to catch big trout on Idaho's famed Silver Creek is to wait until the hatch has dwindled and the highly sophisticated "match the hatch" crowd has dispersed, and then plop down a Chernobyl Ant. ( Here's hoping neither Allen nor I get scalped over that suggestion. )

My own formula, for trout in moving water, is : timing + tackle + technique = a good time.

John