Bryon Anderson 0 Report post Posted October 21, 2020 19 hours ago, jamieofthenorth said: Catskill-style mayfly imitations... I feel like I'm gonna get pelted with rotten cabbage for saying that. I'm on your side Jamie -- I have never liked the Catskill-style dries. They are beautiful to look at, but they're a pain to tie correctly and they seem to look for any excuse to flop over on their sides or flip upside down on the water. I have and will always prefer parachute dry flies. They look more realistic on the water and they land upright just about every time. The only Catskill-style dries that I fish are the Royal Wulff and the Humpy, and I modify them by trimming the hackle flush with the hook point underneath so that they'll have a snowball's chance in hell of landing upright on the water. Same goes for my caddis flies that have the collar hackle. I would also go +1 on the Clouser Minnow. I know it's supposed to be the most effective popular killer never-miss catches-anything-that-swims blah blah blah, I just don't catch fish on them. In fairness, though, that's probably largely because I think they're ugly and therefore rarely tie or fish them. I am surprised by the number of people who have said they don't have luck with the Woolly Bugger. I have to wonder if those folks have been tying them unweighted -- unweighted buggers are the only ones I've never scored with. I always use at least bead chain eyes to get them down a few inches, if not a tungsten bead or a conehead. Rubber legs are a good enhancement for buggers as well. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
troutmaster08 0 Report post Posted October 21, 2020 12 hours ago, Mogup said: Next we’ll be bringing up the mop fly ! While were at it why don't we argue over the egg sucking leech! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cphubert 0 Report post Posted October 21, 2020 20 hours ago, jamieofthenorth said: Catskill-style mayfly imitations... I feel like I'm gonna get pelted with rotten cabbage for saying that. No cabbage but I got a field of rotten tomatoes! That surprises me my base selection of dries are all Catskill style, those and the elk hair caddis are about 90% of the dries I fish. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
troutmaster08 0 Report post Posted October 21, 2020 On 10/20/2020 at 8:34 PM, Mogup said: Next we’ll be bringing up the mop fly ! While were at it why don't we argue over the egg sucking leech! edit: double post please delete Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DFoster 0 Report post Posted October 21, 2020 On 10/19/2020 at 6:22 PM, redietz said: Woolly bugger -- at least for trout. I've never caught a trout on one. Yep - same here, the bass like them but I have yet to get a trout on one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
niveker 0 Report post Posted October 21, 2020 I don't think I have ever caught a fish on a Copper John, in any color, but I keep trying. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sandan 0 Report post Posted October 21, 2020 1 hour ago, troutmaster08 said: While were at it why don't we argue over the egg sucking leech! @troutmaster08 an egg sucking leech has been killer for me on the North Platte, grey's reef area. What this thread is telling me is one man's meat is another man's poison. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sandan 0 Report post Posted October 21, 2020 13 hours ago, Mogup said: Next we’ll be bringing up the mop fly ! @Mogup, never fished one, never will! A man does have his pride. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
caddis16 0 Report post Posted October 21, 2020 Sacrilege for a Mainer but the Grey Ghost is a loser for me. Nothing casting and nothing trolling. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Moshup 0 Report post Posted October 21, 2020 46 minutes ago, caddis16 said: Sacrilege for a Mainer but the Grey Ghost is a loser for me. Nothing casting and nothing trolling. I haven’t fished it but it really is a beautiful fly. As a kid I loved the name. Still do ! Lol Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Philly 0 Report post Posted October 22, 2020 9 hours ago, Sandan said: @Mogup, never fished one, never will! A man does have his pride. I'm proud to say I have no pride. I've had good luck with them since I was introduced to them three years ago. You just need to use your imagination, instead of tying crane fly larva with them. I tie them on hooks from size 12 to size 1/0. Trout like them, panfish like them, bass like them. That covers most of the bases with me. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Report post Posted October 22, 2020 Got my lil calendar from TU and there was lil gift bundle offer. 3 of the four flies are woolly buggers....😏 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Philly 0 Report post Posted October 22, 2020 1 hour ago, denduke said: Got my lil calendar from TU and there was lil gift bundle offer. 3 of the four flies are woolly buggers....😏 Guess I should open mine and see what the offer is. Not sure what I'd do with three wooly buggers Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tidewaterfly 0 Report post Posted October 22, 2020 On 10/20/2020 at 11:52 AM, redietz said: All of the flies mentioned catch fish for people who fish them frequently, just not for people who have no confidence in them. Confidence gets mentioned often in discussions like this, as well as with discussions about lures. I very much agree it may be a matter of frequency of use. However, I think people also tend not to concentrate & fish a fly or lure they may not have confidence in using, in the same manner as they might with a fly/lure they have a lot of confidence in. So, it may not really be the fly or lure that is the issue with not catching on them, it's also due to the half hearted effort put forth. I know from my own experience, I do try to fish any fly in the same manner, giving it my full attention & confidence. I have confidence in myself, so again, it's not always about the fly, but after not having much success, even if subconsciously, we often blame the fly. Most likely many of us fall into that trap, particularly those with the least amount of experiences. It's often been said that any type of fishing success is mostly mental, so perhaps there's a lot of truth to that when it comes to flies we don't have much success with using. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sandan 0 Report post Posted October 22, 2020 14 hours ago, Philly said: I'm proud to say I have no pride. I've had good luck with them since I was introduced to them three years ago. You just need to use your imagination, instead of tying crane fly larva with them. I tie them on hooks from size 12 to size 1/0. Trout like them, panfish like them, bass like them. That covers most of the bases with me. @Philly Well it's been said pride goeth before a fall. Oh well, at least I can still get up after I fall. I tie my crane fly larva with Hareline Cream UV Chewee skin. They work quite well in faster water for me. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites