Bob Weinberger wrote:

Chuck,
Over the years I have gravitated to sparser and sparser ties, and my success
has increased comensurately. Now one may have nothing to do with the other,
and my increased success may be simply due to improved fishing skills, but I
have had enough experiences, where simply going to a sparser tie brought
takes from fish that had ignored or given me refusals to a bushier tie of
the same pattern, to believe that there is often an advantage to going
sparse. I find this true even for Wulffs and Stimulators unless the flow is
very heavy and choppy such that the added surface area helps in flotation.
For instance, my own preference for stimulator tails would be at least a
third to a half less bulk than on those you pictured. Even on wets (eg. your
Secret Weapon & the Yellow Soft Hackle), unless I were fishing pocket water,
or over opportunistic trout, or under reduced visibility water conditions, I
have done better with flies that have 1/3 to 1/2 less bulk in the hackles
and/or tails than on the two shown. Of course none of this applies to ties
such as the Yallerhammer where its almost a case of "the bushier the
better".

I really appreciate your input. A wonderful side-effect of
following your advice will be that less bulky tails automatically equals
less bulky bodies, especially when tying with deer or elk. It's also
easier to handle smaller amounts.

So I'll tie up some more with your suggestions in mind, thanks.


Chuck Vance