"riverman" wrote in message

How much of your tying time do you spend inventing flies, modifying flies
you invented vs. trying to make nice replicas of known patterns?

My whimsy pattern days are gone.

Now, I neither spent too much time inventing new, nor do I spend much time
tying "known patterns" (Sparkle duns are an exception, too easy, and work
too well, so I tie a bunch of em)

The last few years I've had the time to really go out, catch bugs, and
design
my own ties for each type. Very often "my" ties turn out very close to
standard patterns, and I make no claims of "creativity" or "new," but I now
mainly tie nice replicas of "my" patterns that have been proven to work. I
fish such flies, tied from a Natural model, with FAR more confidence and
satisfaction, than flies modeled on other people's flies.

Sometimes, when a fish doesn't like my offering and I feel I've presented it
well and it "should" imitate what he seems to be eating, I will dink around
with slight modifications over a period of days ( assuming the same hatch
keeps going)...; to come up with new 'proven to work" variations. I fish
mainly hard fished waters where the trout have seen it
all and sometimes "different" is important ....

.....matter of fact, a fishing tip, from a mediocre fisherman .... be
somewhat leery of the flies suggested by shops for such hard fished waters
..... usually they are very good ties, but they also tend to been seen by
every fish, every day ....