Fly Patterns: East vs. West

Tom Littleton wrote:

"jeff" wrote in message
...

at penns, you better get the sulphurs' eyelashes and anal orifices tied
exactly right.

hth g

jeff


with all due respect to Jeff and Mike M, I am still not sure about what they
say. My experience is that the attitude of the fly is FAR more important
than color details here in PA. I have used the same sulfur pattern sets for
both Penns and BFC, for instance, for the past decade or so.
In my experience, first and foremost the fly has to come right down the
proper lane on both waters to have a chance. In BFC, flush floaters like
parachutes and soft hackles work best, but not so necessary on Penns. Penns
fish do have a soft spot for CDC and snowshoe emergers on the flatter
stretches, however. Having said this, I have failed enough during sulfur
hatches at both places to remain humble and thus unsure of any
pronouncements. Most especially, I and others fail frequently by overlooking
fallen spinners when duns are hatching. Given that at least 3 and possibly 4
species of flies get lumped into the hatch called "sulfurs", choosing the
proper size,color and stage of the hatch are all contributing factors to
success, but I would place color at the rear of the pecking order.
Tom


the last year i fished penns, the color of the dry fly was the only
differentiating factor i could identify. only the sulphurs with the
orange tint worked. presented identically and in the same size, the
yellow color did not produce. change to the orange, presto, the fish took.

i am saying those are some persnickety fish in penns. they can afford
to be very discriminating about what they will eat. in contrast, the
fish in the smokies want something...anything...that looks buggy and
sorta natural. our fish are starving. they are spooked easily and decide
to eat quickly. we don't have hatches of any real consequence in nc that
dictate feeding patterns.

jeff