Impressionistic VS Realisitic

[federico 0]

I love to fish with a dry fly in "impossible" situations: big brownies rising in quite watres and eating super small flies as caenis horaria, is my favourite fishing situation. I can spend hours on the same trout, changing dozns of flies and sometimes also rod and line. In this situation a little realism is necessary.

But realism had to be usefull to fishing (a fly had to float in the correct manner), otherwise realism is a bad way to walk.

 

[Davy 0]

thanks to all- I am somewhat surprised the vote is not closer these days.

 

davy

[HFT 0]

I prefer the look of a realistic fly when it comes off my my vise and I can say OH YAH! that will get them. Impressionistic flys:always seem to be a guess as to weather they are going to work or not.

[mgj 0]

my thinking runs completely opposite.

 

mgj

[mmarkey 0]

I think the realistic look great! They fish real good too.

 

But I don't have the patients fo tie more than one or two and then I'm totally PO'd.

 

I also think that if something about the realistic is off such as size or color then you spent all that time for what. Impressionistic are that impressions and I think fish see them as such also.

 

JMHO

[FloydianSlip 0]

I really like the border between realistic and impressionistic.

 

It seems that the realistics look so good but don't often suggest life with moving parts. I guess that depends on the tier and the fly but for the most part, they look like a replica that a guy could find in a wax museum.

 

At my favorite fly shop, the owner would sit down and get on semi-realistic tying streaks. He would make beautiful flies but add flare to them to either attract attention or suggest life.

 

I've never seen him use the realistic materials used here. He would always use commonly found materials, mostly natural. If he were to set them at a place where you'd not normally see bugs, they might frighten a person (like me) who is terrified of ugly insects.

 

I voted impressionistic because my tying skills are still bound to impressionistic. I try to take some ideas (like heat bending goose biots and weaving larva lace) but they still don't look anything like the beauty I find on this site.