Impressionistic VS Realisitic

[Davy 0]

These days it seems that more and more tyers are leaning toward tying more "realistic" patterns.

 

I am really only asking about stream fishing where bugs,water, and fish are moving in a usually more rapid environment.

 

For a number of reasons I have always favored the impressionistic side of things. Ala; Brooks stone type nymphs, soft hackles, feathers and furs that move,breathe and give an impression in the water at all angles but do not necesarily look like the bug to us. In the smaller bugs I feel that they may imitate more than one type of insect rather than just the one.

 

Anyway-- I was just wondering how you all felt about these things these days.

 

Davy

[tidbit 0]

Dave,

 

Impressionistic: I love the look of the realistic flies but I could not spend all that time tying one and then throwing it .

 

I believe that fish don't spend all that much time looking at a bug: they either hit it or they don't. I also don't spend alot of time casting to one fish. I give it a try a time or two and move on. Maybe I don't have the right bug or drift or any number of things that can and do go wrong. Maybe the fish has just been caught by another angler or he is just not hungry or angry--ya never know.

 

When ever I hear the term: "High technical" the buzzers and bells go off in my head. It usually means---ya don't catch many fish ! I don't have unlimited time or resources and fishing is fun to me---sometimes I get them and most of the time I don't. However, it is the fun of trying/ fishing that appeals to me. Gives me an excuse to try again.

 

Most of my tyes are rather simple. I really like the look of that "Shrimpzoid" tyed by Mattzoid---I just could not bring myself to chuck it at a fish after all that work. I am sure he enjoys the tying. I guess I waste too many flies ?

 

But Teeny type nymphs, buggars, woolhead sculpins, a mouse, some of my own creations and parachute dry flies have worked for me for awhile. I do tye other patterns and I mess around at the vise a bit. It usually ends up being KISS for me: Keep It Simple Stupid.

 

Not trying to tell anybody how or what to do. Just thought I'd add my 2 cents worth.

 

tidbit

[Davy 0]

I agree with that Tidbit.Those perfect looking stone nymphs and such look great in the box but give me a plain ol wooley worm any day for the water.(wooley worm????? I know, I am an old guy)

 

But the skill with which it takes to dress these wonderful creations can't be ignored either.I was wondering how many are fished.

 

yes indeed that Shrimpzoid is something else.Mattzoid can fish with the best of them though and he fishes that one.The Shrimpzoid while "realistic" looking to us, I think may be very "impressionistic" in the water.best of both worlds, LOL.

 

I have printed the instructions for the shrimpazoid-- it took some time as I had to go to Staples to buy more printer paper to finish them.Now I have to read them--another week. Sorry Matt, J/K

 

Anyway,I can allready see what way the poll is going

 

thanks to all

 

Davy

 

[fishyfranky 0]

Where's all the match the hatch guys?

 

I like talking about, reading, and sometimes tying interesting patterns but I'm stocking up for this year and the bottom line is that I'm 1/4 way through the 100 woolly buggers I need

[nedbm3 0]

I would have to go with impressionistic flies. I love the look of realistic but I don't have the time to spend on them. My luck if I did use realistic, I would lose the fly within the first few casts.

 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pennsylvaniaflyfishing/

[Guest]

I'm an impressionistic guy too and I do have some first hand knowledge on the subject. A friend of mine ties a very realistic baitfish imitation and I always fish a chartreuse/white Clouser on the flats. We were out a couple of weeks ago and my little old Clouser out fished his fly 2 to 1. We were working a series of deep holes and I just flat kicked his butt until he finally gave up and tied on a Clouser.

 

In a stream setting, I don't think it makes any difference, if the fish are feeding they have to make a very quick decision or thier chance for food is gone. I have had fish inspect and refuse my fly on spring creeks, but I have eventually fooled them with a different fly or a better presentation.

 

The artistic ability of the realistic tyers is truely impressive and I don't think I could ever master it. But even if I could tie them i don't think I could ever bring myself to fish with one.

[Graham 0]

I also would rather fish a wooly worm or super fast to tye bug than casting a time consuming more realistic fly. When fishing I usually carry 2 or 3 fly boxes and the time consuming ones almost never get fished, unless I feel confident that they will be needed to catch fish. The river I fish the most is the East Walker just outside Bridgeport California and the browns and bow's are well educated, seen it all, many have been hooked enough times to have that weird looking smile that fish with torn lips get. But, there are smart old hog browns in the river which seldom get hooked anymore, but they can be tricked with realistic fly's. Personally I enjoy tying realistic bugs, mostly because I have a couple dozen boxes bursting with fly's, thousands of them, and have enough to last for years. There are few things I'd rather do that relax and tye fly's, don't really need any more buggers, and hare's ears, so I have been tying more challenging patterns lately. I can say that if I lost all my fly boxes tomorrow I would be replenishing the impressionistic boxes before going back to tying realistics.

Graham

[Graham 0]

One more thing, when it comes to catching big browns, I lose all sense of pride or tradition. For example; a few years ago while fishing a hole with a big undercut on the E. Walker a big brown twice came up and hit my floating indicator, but never bit my fly, and I did try everything in my arsenal. So that night I tied up a dear hair indicator with a hook in it. Next day I was in the hole at dawn and at about 10:00 am I caught that 8lb brownie on the indicator fly. The pic below shows both fly's I tyed that night and one of these two fly's is the one that tempted that big brown.

Graham

[Guest]

I know all too well what a big brown can do to your moral and ethical compass Graham. The Davidson River in NC holds some monster browns just below the hatchery. These hogs must go about 8 to 10 pounds! But the only thing they'll eat as far as I could determine was the fish pellets that would spill out of the automatic feeders in the hatchery. I am sooooo tempted to do a pellet fly for my next trip up there, ethics be damned.

[Guest]

I thought we were being impressionistic

I'll fish any fly that gives me faith or catches fish.

Brent

[Graham 0]

Hey Troutbum, I agree about the ethics, as long as a hook is involved. I used to fish much closer to L.A. in Piru creek, but the place was destroyed by unethical butchers. One day I watched a family, from somewhere south of the U.S., pour a bottle of Clorox into the creek while the uncles were at the bottom of the run filling buckets with every form of life that died, trout, minnows, crayfish etc. Unfortunately they were too large of a group to confront safely. Last time I went there, about 7 years ago, a large family sent the kids to hang out right in front of me, even began throwing stones into the water, drove me to move on and I came back to see what they were up to. Well, they had two bleach bottles, so I left and called Fish and Game and gave the license plate number. It's really sad seeing what some folks can do to a beautiful trout stream. Usually after the pick nick the trash is kicked into the water. Now I usually make the 6-7 hour drive to the Eastern Sierra waters, much different crowd, much prettier scenery and much bigger fish. All things considered pellet fly's may perhaps be considered sporting, as long as you don't buy a bag of pellets to chum them up. LOL.

 

Graham

[Shaq 0]

Well, I voted Realistics just to give a boost. Here's my story. I fish any flies that catch fish. I got a book on realistics one christmas. I tied a few and flipped them in a box that I carried around in the back of my vest. Every once in a while I would fish them when nothing was working. of course, they wouldn't work either. Then one day I was in the Adirondacks and was doing ok with the normal stuff, hares ears I think that day. I dropped a realistic, the march brown nymph in my patterns, off the hares ear and started slamming the fish until I lost both of those. I finished the day catching one here and there on the hares ear. So I started fishing the more realistic stuff more often. For those that are afraid of losing flies, WHat else am I going to do with them? Put them under glass and stare at em? I maight as well paint. believe me, I lose alot of them. I fish realistic nymph dropped off of impressionistic dries all the time, especially while guiding and they have saved the day more often or not. SO, when the money's on the line, so to speak, I find myself reaching for the realistics more and more.

[Davy 0]

Shaq- your answer is perfectly suited to why I posted the poll, perhaps as the fish get educated over these years the realistics are becoming more viable if not required even. thanks for your story. And thanks to all for posting or voting!!

 

Davy

[Kodiak Commando 0]

I'm also a impressionistic type of guy. A lot of the fishing i do is freshwater salmon fishing where salmon don't feed so when they hit it's probably due to insticnt and curiostity. Some of my best flies are a hash job of different bright material that doesn't look natural at all.

[Sean Juan 0]

For me its a matter of numbers...oh wait excuse my spelling I meant Numb3rs.

 

In many salt water situations its a simple matter of find the bait fish find the stripers.

 

So in my mind if I had a perfect imitation of a baitfish and worked the area there would be a roughly one in a million chance that my imitation would be the one that caught the fish's eye. If I work something flashier, bigger, louder, whateverer I am almost guaranteed a reaction from the fish - hey refusal is a reaction - with that I can hone my presentation for optimal success.