day5 0 Report post Posted May 20, 2006 So I realize that during a hatch the fly choice may be limited. But when the hatch is hours off do you really need a real looking fly??? I tie most of my bugs as real as I can (with my limited abilities) But I do not know how many time while fishing a great nymph with a great egg dropper I have been out fished by the guy with a Snell knot and a hunk of yarn!! :crying: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted May 20, 2006 I know what you mean, it drives me crazy when indicator fishing to see trout hit my indicator all the time. Put on a dry and nothing, I guess I'll just have to glue an indicator to a hook and say it's a foam fly. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
down2earthlv 0 Report post Posted May 20, 2006 I use a #12 over-hackled, high vis, parachute as my indicator.....nothing fancy, just a post and hackle. These indicators are not only cheaper, but they catch WAY more fish than the foam or yarn ones! Every person I teach this to trys to sell me their 'real' indicators for some reason. Tie up a few, and try 'em out next time you reach for an indicator....... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SwampHunter 0 Report post Posted May 21, 2006 I was going for nice realistic looking flies, but I found that it's only for my sake. I was tying some pretty desent looking sowbugs and spending a bit of time on each one. I have found that if I just wrap lead wire around the hook and then dub the thread and wrap it, I can make a nice quick sowbug that the fish like more than the one I spent some time on. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AlG 0 Report post Posted May 21, 2006 Damn stubborn fish! :hyst: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GPB 0 Report post Posted May 21, 2006 I know what you mean, it drives me crazy when indicator fishing to see trout hit my indicator all the time. Put on a dry and nothing, I guess I'll just have to glue an indicator to a hook and say it's a foam fly. Question, do you attached the indicator fly off a dropper or are you fishing it New Zealand style? (tying in tippet to the bend of the indicator fly and tying the point fly to the end of that) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GPB 0 Report post Posted May 21, 2006 Sorry, that question was intended for down2earthly, attached wrong one Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alex C. 0 Report post Posted May 21, 2006 My thought process is that the more anal I am when tying, the less excuses I'll have when fishing, and the more confident I'll be. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flyfishingwright 0 Report post Posted May 21, 2006 I use a #12 over-hackled, high vis, parachute as my indicator.....nothing fancy, just a post and hackle. These indicators are not only cheaper, but they catch WAY more fish than the foam or yarn ones! Every person I teach this to trys to sell me their 'real' indicators for some reason. Tie up a few, and try 'em out next time you reach for an indicator....... It sounds like you are fishing just a parachute post and hackle (no body, tail) is this correct? I like this idea. Also very funny where you wrote they catch WAY more fish than foam or yarn indicators :hyst: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
madkasel 0 Report post Posted May 22, 2006 So I go down to a local park after sunfish with my kids this weekend. Rig up a couple different jigs with spikes/grubs and have them casting upstream, let it drift through, hang at the end and then slowly twitch it in. Basically like drifting a wolly bugger. We caught nothing, while some other guys were pulling 'em with fair regularity. I'm taking all this time setting up rigs and using light tippets and... NOTHING. What are they using? Big hooks attached directly to big shiny red swivels and a big worm hooked through it all a half dozen times. Argh. So we go back the next day, this time with worms and instead of attaching a hook right to a giant swivel, I used red enamel coated hooks and worms dug out of the garden. We had some hits and missed them, and another guy shows up and starts slaying the sunnies. What's he using... spikes on a jig. So I switch 'em over and we start catching. Frustrating that first day, though... when I spent the time and put the thought in to make something attractive and unobvious with jigs and fine leaders and the guys next to us are catching them with the simplest rig ever (and good for them!). Oh well. Lesson learned. From now I'll always show up with worms and spikes, and rig each rod up different so we can figure out what they're hitting on. Truly, it can be said: Fish are weird. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bugcam 0 Report post Posted October 8, 2006 Some of the best stories that I've ever heard are about how particular some fish on certain rivers can be and then there are also the stories about how some guy catches a fish with nothing but a "bottlecap" or "candy wrapper", fish can be one way or the other! Most tyers are anal and I mean that in a good way! The detail is the fun part for me! I have always liked detail, that's why I hope to get into realistics. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steelie 0 Report post Posted October 8, 2006 Good Day, Day5, many other anglers and myself have come to the realization that, in Michigan waters, it is not so much the pattern as it is the presentation! Afterall, as experiments, I have put nymphs in front of fish that should not be there at that particualr time of year. Or even som eof my wacked out patterns that really don't represent anything specific have been taken! Why so? Why does an early balck stone stone work in late July? It, with regard to Michigan, and to other states, is more a matter of presentation vs replication of specific species! How else can you explain the success of attrator patterns such as the Adams thoughout the season? As long as it is fished well, the fly should reveal results. Steelie Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kerrye 0 Report post Posted October 9, 2006 I know what you mean, it drives me crazy when indicator fishing to see trout hit my indicator all the time. Put on a dry and nothing, I guess I'll just have to glue an indicator to a hook and say it's a foam fly. Here is the best answer I have seen to fish hitting the indicator. http://flydepot.com/flyfishing/pn--foam-be...cator/pid--539/ Ialso saw an "indicator beetle" in the bargains periodical from Orvis last year. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Graham 0 Report post Posted October 9, 2006 I think it can be fun and challenging just trying to be more anal than the fish we target. Years ago when I had much more time to fish, I would drive seven hours to my favorite river in the Sierra, with my best fishin buddy, and we wouldn’t take any flies. First thing upon arrival, hopefully before dark, was to seine the river, collect bugs, and sit in the tent or motel room that evening tying flies. This strategy often worked well, but I’ll never forget the day when a large brownie, about six pounds, rose and showed its self twice, while slashing at my indicator. Talk about frustration, it wouldn’t touch my flies, none of them, resulting in a long frustrating afternoon. Well, that night I tyed an indicator fly, and the next morning that brownie was caught and released, in fact it was the largest fish of the season that year. The pic below shows the two indicator flies tyed that night, one of them caught that fish, and if I new exactly which one is was, I’d retire it, just because I’m anal. Graham Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bruce Derington 0 Report post Posted October 10, 2006 In all my years of tying and fishing I learned a long time ago that there are 2 kinds of flies, the kind that catch fish and the kind that catch fisherman! Some of the nicest looking flies in the box don't catch squat but boy they sure look good. Generally the more ratty and beat up it looks is the one I fish with. Rene Harrop once threw his cigarette butt into the river and was imediately sucked up by a nice trout. Presentation and CONFIDENCE is very important. Bruce Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites