Willi wrote in message ...

Personally I tie most of my downwing flies with Elk but calf tail has
different properties and I think it is better as a damp/wet fly. There
was a local guy that got a reputation, years ago, for impressive catches
he made on Rio Grande Kings ( a calf tail trude similar to the Pass
Lake). The rumor was that he fished them damp and with action.

IIRC, the Trude was originally tied as a wet fly.

CDC is very appealing to fish. I use it as an under wing on some
patterns but I've never used it by itself in a down wing pattern. (I do
however like CDC comparadun style flies especially for the small insects).

OK, so now I've had two folks suggest using it as an underwing.
I'll tie up a few that way to take with me, thanks. As for CDC
comparaduns -- I tied up a few of those for the small Western green
drakes that I hope to get to test while I'm in Canada. I also
incorporated CDC into some Quigley-style cripples; some I did CDC &
Elk style, and in some others I substituted CDC for the forward wing.

I think that most people who have been tying for some time usually make
changes to traditional flies for a variety of reasons. There are few
standard patterns I tie as "specified." Some changes are improvements
and some aren't. Experimenting with patterns is what tying is about,
IMO, and there is nothing more legitimate than trying out a sub. But for
patterns that have been around a long time and are still effective, it's
likely that the originator found some combinations that were appealing
to fish.

Yeah, I'm sure that any "improvements" I might come up with have
been tried (and likely discarded) before. It's just that when you
have only a couple of trips per year to go after trout that don't dine
exclusively on cheese and corn, you have to try to work these things
out at the vise before you go.

While I have a fair knowledge of fishing for bass, I'm still a rank
newbie (emphasis on rank) when it comes to trout. That's why I was
curious if what looked good at the vise in this case had some other
qualities when actually fished. I've already tied up all the
standards that I've seen suggested for that area/time of year, so I
guess I'm just looking for a couple of flies that might give me an
extra edge.


Chuck Vance (isn't everyone?)