Those old flies you have that you think won’t catch fish,will… I heard this over and over the last few years on here, I was sitting here thinking as I was tying some flies from the tying forum, and didn’t like one I was tying cause of maybe the hackle was too stiff, I started remembering last summer. Last summer I found myself short on flies except the ones I was almost sure would not catch fish, so I decided to just enjoy the outing and cast the flies. guess what? yep, I caught fish, so when everyone is saying save your flies even if you don’t think they look so great, do it, lol I can be a little hard headed sometimes, but I htink it finally sunk in with me and I’m glad it did, it also takes some stress outa tying and adds more pleasure to it… For me…
Sometimes ya gotta tie what “feels good.” The fish don’t care It’s the fishermen that care! Flies are not meant to fool fish. They’re meant to fool fishermen
One terrific summer afternoon on the South Branch of the Au Sable river in Michigan, just upstream of Canoe Harbour, I fished for at least three hours with an all white fly (miller type I guess) given to me by a fellow camper. I trusted that the fly was a ‘killer’ and worked it hard. I happen to remember the fishing vividly, so much in fact that to this day I do not own nor have ever again fished an all white fly. The memories of that outing are still that intense. One of the most remarkable things about it all is that I did not hook solidly nor land a single trout although I rose many. Only, when at the end of the day and I removed my fly did I notice that the tip of the hook had been broken off much earlier in the afternoon on a small log I had snagged.
I had failed at so many things that day that I have never wanted to do anything to water down the memories. Besides, how good could an all white fly be anyhow…
Grubb, agree with you 101%. Fish the scummy ones I tie anyway.
JC, You brought back memories of my first ever fly fishing soiree. Went to a fee fishing stream assured of catching a limit and some big 'uns. Kept getting rises and “hits”; but, couldn’t hook a one. Finally examined my fly real closely and discoved that it was broken off almost at the bend. Was one of those real cheepie things from gawd knows where. It was painful.
I remember a day on Eloika Lake just north of Spokane Washington back in the early 70’s. It was just before dawn and the fog covered the lake except for the first 4 feet. If I sat down in my boat, I could see clear across the lake. If I stood up, I could barely see 15 feet. There was a white moth hatch going on, and the bass were in a feeding frenzy. I checked all my gear to see if I had anything white and there was nothing there. Man was that frustrating. I was about ready to start cutting up my underwear and the hatch ended. Could have been a great day. Memorable though.
When I tie a pattern new to me especially for a swap, I take all the goofed up flies and put them in my fly box. You know the ones that are crooked, legs out of place, just palin sloppy.
I fish these all the time and they seem to catch fish as well as the ones I tie that look half way decent. I say half way decent cause I don’t think I tie that well yet.
We have a ‘Park Lake Guru’ in our club; he excels at catching fish at Park Lake near Soap Lake. Every year our club has him do a fly tying class on “The Flies of Park Lake”.
A few years ago I watched him catching fish after fish, almost non-stop while the rest of us were doing ok, but no where near as good as him. We all came in for lunch at the same time and I asked to see his fly. Sure, he was using one of the flies he taught us to tie, but it was so chewed up and missing half of its original material, that you wouldn’t recognize it as on of his favorite flies.
It was how he was fishing the fly that got him all those fish, not the fly itself.
—sagefisher—