NJTroutbum, I think that's true with most patterns. It seems like the more realistic the fly is, like the less effective it is. It could be that the fish recognize the fly for what it is intended to be and find the minor (to us) flaws which cause them to be cautious. I find that flies that present a general impression of a type of insect (or baitfish for that matter) are more effective because they present the general shape and color of a group of food sources so the fish arn't looking for specific attributes that trigger a strike. That is of course just a guess based on my experience of taking the time and effort of tying up realistic flies and not catching much with them.

Jim Smith
Conyers, GA