Top 5 Fly List

On Thu, 23 Feb 2006 00:18:46 GMT, "Anthony" wrote:

What's your top 5 favorite flys currently in use? Don't really care where
your fishin 'em.

Just curious...

para Adams
tan EHC
stimulator
foam beetle
PT nymph
--
Charlie...
http://www.chocphoto.com

"Anthony" wrote in message
news:Gb7Lf.3708$0z.2421@trnddc01...
What's your top 5 favorite flys currently in use? Don't really care where
your fishin 'em.

Just curious...

Anthony



Sparkle Dun
PT nymph
EZ Caddis
Muskrat and Partridge Soft Hackle
Wooley Bugger

This is more of a "if I could ONLY take five" list than a "five I use the
most" list. A true 'favorites" list would reflect my appreciation of ties
that excel at solving very specific angling problems ... Harrop's Captive
Dun might be an example, it won't catch fish "anywhere, anytime" but in the
right where and time it is superb. Or what I call a "BOP nymph," a simple
tie that is my go to for most sight nymphing. I actually use both of
these far more often than a wooley bugger or EZ Caddis, maybe
even than a PT Nymph, and I carry lots of other, similar, 'special purpose"
flies. This is much like the parallel searches for the 'one best all around
rod' and 'the very best special purpose rod for brushy tiny mountain
streams'

One reason such parallel searches continue after dozens of generations of
anglers have bickered over them is the simple fact that both searches have
merit. A Royal Wulff WILL catch some fish nearly anywhere, something that
can't be said for a Transitional Nymph. And a highly specialized
Transitional Nymph, with carefully selected size and colors, WILL catch the
most fish ( and very likely the best fish ) in the early stages of the
mayfly hatch it's tied to mimic, something the Royal Wulff can't claim.

I now have enough time to fish that I greatly enjoy and prefer the more
complicated specialist approach, an approach that duly rewards extra study
and observation. When my time was more limited I preferred patterns I
could trust to get me some fish, regardless. I carry both types of flies, I
carry a LOT of flies :-)

Anthony wrote:
What's your top 5 favorite flys currently in use? Don't really care where
your fishin 'em.

Just curious...

I'll assume we're talking trout flies and also assume
there's no hatch coming off, I mean if there was a hatch
coming off my favorite fly would be whatever is hatching.
So this is a top 5 "attractor pattern list" in no particular
order.

Royal Wulff
Parachute Adams
Stimulator
Dave's Hopper
Yellow Humpy

--
Ken Fortenberry

Ken Fortenberry wrote in
et:

Anthony wrote:
What's your top 5 favorite flys currently in use? Don't really care
where your fishin 'em.

Just curious...

I'll assume we're talking trout flies and also assume
there's no hatch coming off, I mean if there was a hatch
coming off my favorite fly would be whatever is hatching.
So this is a top 5 "attractor pattern list" in no particular
order.

Royal Wulff
Parachute Adams
Stimulator
Dave's Hopper
Yellow Humpy


Just out of curiosity, have any of the Parachute Adams guys tried the
Usual, which also sits fairly low in the water? I'm a Usual guy who
hasn't extensively played with parachutes, but I find the Usual to be an
extremely flexible pattern, and a no-brainer to tie. You can tie a half
dozen Usuals in the time it takes to tie two Parachute Adams. You can
tie it from about a size 16 or 18 all the way up to 12's or 10's. You
can dork around with the wing on the tying bench to get the thing to sit
a variety of ways on the water, and present a variety of different
profiles. On streamside, its simple to do a little surgery on your fly
to change the presentation. Bunny feet are cheaply available in a
variety of colors, and are dirt cheap compared even to budget hackle. I
don't have to deal with the disappointment of reaching for a neck and
finding nothing but a big bald spot in the 14-16 area.

Last, but hardly least, the fly has worked amazingly for me. I've tied
Usuals to imitate every major hatch we have on our local water with
reputably smart and picky fish, and I've been successful. I've used it
in the Catskills, Adirondacks, and WNY, with good results. My last trip
to the Catskills, members of our party were stealing Usuals at an amazing
rate, until they got into Dette's shop to buy their own damn Usuals. She
had plenty in her bins!

I'd sooner pass up carrying meticulous Catskill tied imitations designed
to precisely match a hatch than a Usual that's tied close enough.

--
Scott
Reverse name to reply

Scott Seidman wrote:
Ken Fortenberry wrote:
...
Royal Wulff
Parachute Adams
Stimulator
Dave's Hopper
Yellow Humpy

Just out of curiosity, have any of the Parachute Adams guys tried the
Usual, which also sits fairly low in the water? ...

Yes, as a matter of fact, I have tried a Usual. It was a
Tom Littleton tie that I got in a fly swap. I think I've
mentioned here that it was one of the two most productive
flies I've ever received in a fly swap, the other being
Willi Loehman's midge emerger.

I think of the Usual as something of an eastern pattern
and I never had occasion to use one until I tried Tom's.
It's an excellent fly but not one that's usually stocked
in fly shops where I fish so it flies under my radar. Now
that my eyes are almost fixed and I can get back to tying
I'll have to get some bunny and tie a few. (Although I'd
just as soon have a few of Tom's. ;-)

--
Ken Fortenberry

Ken Fortenberry wrote in newstmLf.16062
:

Scott Seidman wrote:
Ken Fortenberry wrote:
...
Royal Wulff
Parachute Adams
Stimulator
Dave's Hopper
Yellow Humpy

Just out of curiosity, have any of the Parachute Adams guys tried the
Usual, which also sits fairly low in the water? ...

Yes, as a matter of fact, I have tried a Usual. It was a
Tom Littleton tie that I got in a fly swap. I think I've
mentioned here that it was one of the two most productive
flies I've ever received in a fly swap, the other being
Willi Loehman's midge emerger.

I think of the Usual as something of an eastern pattern
and I never had occasion to use one until I tried Tom's.
It's an excellent fly but not one that's usually stocked
in fly shops where I fish so it flies under my radar. Now
that my eyes are almost fixed and I can get back to tying
I'll have to get some bunny and tie a few. (Although I'd
just as soon have a few of Tom's. ;-)



What's your biggest hatch?? Just let me know size, tail, body, and wing
color (wing can be white, dun, or natural bunny foot). No promises, but
next time I tie them up, if I have enough hooks laying around, I'll try
to remember to whip off a half dozen for you.


--
Scott
Reverse name to reply

Scott Seidman wrote:

I think of the Usual as something of an eastern pattern
and I never had occasion to use one until I tried Tom's.
It's an excellent fly but not one that's usually stocked
in fly shops where I fish so it flies under my radar. Now
that my eyes are almost fixed and I can get back to tying
I'll have to get some bunny and tie a few. (Although I'd
just as soon have a few of Tom's. ;-)




What's your biggest hatch?? Just let me know size, tail, body, and wing
color (wing can be white, dun, or natural bunny foot). No promises, but
next time I tie them up, if I have enough hooks laying around, I'll try
to remember to whip off a half dozen for you.



Like I said in another thread, the Usual is one of the two flies that I
got in a swap that I use the most. However, I "usually" use a modified
"Usual". Most of the hatches I fish (aside from Stoneflies) are small.
18's and 20's are the most common. I find the normal Usual kind of gross
in those sizes. I use the Usual wing but use micro fibbetts for the tail
and a variety of body materials like quill, thread, and dubbing.

Willi

On 2/23/06 12:41 PM, in article
, "Ken Fortenberry"
wrote:

Scott Seidman wrote:
Ken Fortenberry wrote:
...
Royal Wulff
Parachute Adams
Stimulator
Dave's Hopper
Yellow Humpy

Just out of curiosity, have any of the Parachute Adams guys tried the
Usual, which also sits fairly low in the water? ...

Yes, as a matter of fact, I have tried a Usual. It was a
Tom Littleton tie that I got in a fly swap. I think I've
mentioned here that it was one of the two most productive
flies I've ever received in a fly swap, the other being
Willi Loehman's midge emerger.

I don't think I replied to the "do you use fly swap flies or keep 'em
clean?" thread, but my (internal) response was - I use 'em because Stan
keeps the photo page if I ever want to tie up more of a particularly
productive one.

So just now I ditty-bopped on over to gula.org to look at the picture of
Tom's Usual and KA-BLAM! "The database is off-line. Please try later."

Noooooooo!

:-)

Kinda wanted to tie up some of those emergers as well....

Bill

ps. In response to Scott, I haven't fished a Usual regularly, but will
certainly take your advice!

On 2/23/06 1:34 PM, in article , "William
Claspy" wrote:

So just now I ditty-bopped on over to gula.org to look at the picture of
Tom's Usual and KA-BLAM! "The database is off-line. Please try later."

Noooooooo!

I just used Google and they had Stan's page still in the cache.

I also looked at a few other Usual images via Google, and it would appear
that there isn't really a standard pattern, even beyond colors. One had the
wing as a down wing, one had it looking like a parachute post, and Tom's is
raked forward. Most use snowshoe hare hair ;-) as the tail, but one used
mallard flank feathers. Interesting!

Bill

William Claspy wrote:
So just now I ditty-bopped on over to gula.org to look at the picture
of Tom's Usual and KA-BLAM! "The database is off-line. Please try
later."

Noooooooo!

****. Thanks for letting me know - I'll check on it tonight. There was a
server failure last week and they must have changed my database server.
Time to look for a new provider I think.
--
Stan Gula