Posted on June 11 2023
I've said most of this before, but year after year questions come up about which fly or pattern works best. There are several things I know for sure that will help you catch more fish.
1- If an angler catches a fish on a particular pattern he gains confidence in it, fishes it more and will probably catch additional fish with it. But seldom will he fool more than a couple fish a day.
2- If you fish with any fly (Royal Coachman, Cow Dung, Wickhams Fancy, Adams, etc.,etc., long enough, you will catch a fish with it. How many fish ate your yarn strike indicator back before everyone on the river switched to using orange ping pong balls as their strike indicators?
3- Fish know what the real fly looks like, and fish in the WB look closely at every fly they eat.
4- The closer your fly resembles the flies the fish are feeding on, the more fish will come up and look at it. Many will refuse it, but with good presentations you should catch fish on a regular basis.
5- Fish never miss a fly they want to eat. Have you ever had one that "missed it" come back and eat your fly when you cast it back at him?
5- I'm not saying you will never catch a fish on a comparadun or a parachute pattern, what I'm saying is you will get a lot more fish to both look at and eat your fly if it looks more like the real thing.
6- Many of the patterns still being used were created before catch and release fishing became popular, and are impressionistic more than realistic. Before catch and release fishing, fish never got a chance to learn. Today they know what not to eat!
7- If you want to increase the number of fish you catch and you tie flies, forget about patterns and tie flies that look like a live one you have brought back and put on the table in front of you as a model. If you don't tie flies, buy ones that are the closest in size and color to what is hatching and use a pair of tying scissors to shape them like the real thing.
8- Fish remember the flies that bit them. Fish new water every time out and you will catch more fish.
9- Fishing the same flies to the same fish every time you fish is a form of insanity that seems to be the SOP for almost all anglers and for the life of me I don't understand why.
10- The more fish are pressured the harder they are to catch. For the next week or so, you have the opportunity to fish water that's too low for boats to float. Find a riff dumping into a pool on one of the freestones (as long as the water temp is below 70 which it currently is) and you should find fish far more willing to eat your flies than the fish you have been fishing to in the WB.
11- Or, you can say what does he know, and keep right on paying your five dollars to fish at the red barn.
Why do those educated WB trout eat my neon orange Perdigons so heartily?
Last year during the sulphur hatch in the summer, I noticed all naturals had slim bodies not anything like the sulphur flies I had. Needless to say I had few takes and few landings. The next week I went to my local fly shop and found flies with the same slim body instead of that typical dry fly tapered body that seems to be de rigueur. . Gee guess what. The new slim body profile flies caught fish all day.
I have also found changing casting position is key. One does not know or cannot see the micro drag you may be experiencing until you change positions and start catching fish.
I think the best imitations in the world will not work if the presentation is not perfect. Then you can go back to which has been discussed so many times in the past. How many naturals have a hook sticking out their butt?
I just got home from the middle WB. What a night. I haven’t been refused that much since my high school prom!! I caught 3fish and was turned down at least a dozen times. No A119 I am not mewling refusals mean your in the game but like my friend Mick said I just can’t get no satisfaction
Couldn’t agree with you more on fly selection. Personally I think today’s flies are over dressed.When you start adding testicles, breasticles and reading glasses to your fly creations you may just confuse the fish as well as yourself! Some of the most effective patterns I tie only have a few materials. I go for color,size and profile. And if that doesn’t work there’s always The Bench, a cold beer or a PM!
Great tips. I fished the Neversink last night and fish weren’t up consistently until 8pm. My Caddis pattern was the ticket and the fish we’re eating . I think you should add some of your fly patterns in the next book.
Great Post!!!!!!!!! When is the new book coming out??? I am off today to find new spots to fish!!!!!!
Thanks for the tips